Archived Marriage Records
Kenneth King Murray, 76, Orofino
Kenneth King Murray passed Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013 at his home in Orofino,. He was 76.
A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, Aug.17, 2013 at 11 a.m. at the Weseman cemetery.
Pine Hills Funeral Chapel is caring for arrangements.
W.H. 'Ben' Durant, 89, Weippe
W.H. 'Ben' Durant passed away Aug. 11, 2013, at Wedgewood Terrace in Lewiston. He was 89.
Ben was born Feb. 7, 1924, to Nellie (Setlow) and Xavier Durant in Weippe.
He attended schools in Weippe and Lewiston, graduating from Weippe High School in 1942.
Ben joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in December 1942 during World War II. He was a pilot for the 434 Bomber Squad B-25 and the 443 Troop Carrier C-46. After his time in the military, Ben owned and operated Durant's Grocery Store in Weippe, retiring in 1987.
Ben married
Betty Lou Benedict in 1947 at Lewiston. She passed away Feb. 5, 2005.
Ben was very active in his community. He was the first mayor of Weippe and was a member of the American Legion, Pierce/Weippe, the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Orofino and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Weippe.
Survivors include his daughter, Vickie Smith and her husband Ron of Weippe; two grandsons, Ronald Smith of Weippe and Lon Smith of Clarkston, WA; a great-grandson, Zachary Smith of Weippe; and a step great-granddaughter, Jamie Gates of Lewiston; a sister-in-law, Helen Benedict; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; his parents, Xavier and Nellie; a sister, Verla Ennis and a brother, X E (Bus) Durant.
Memorial donations may be made to the Shriner's Hospital, the Weippe Museum, the Weippe Senior Citizen's Center or a charity of choice. Merchant Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Edward 'Woody' Jerdee, 76
Edward 'Woody' Jerdee, 76, of Lewiston, died Wednesday, July 31, 2013, at home, surrounded by family and friends after a brave battle fighting blood cancer.
Woody was born April 30, 1937, to Emil Jerdee and Flossie Irene Baker Jerdee of Cromwell Township, MN. He grew up on the family farm surrounded by numerous siblings. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and served from 1954-1957. After discharge he returned to Lake Park, MN, and worked construction until he began his trucking career, which brought him to Idaho. He established E.L. Jerdee Trucking in 1974 and built his business to a successful dispatch for numerous leased trucks while still driving cross-country himself. He built a truck shop on the Old Spiral Highway that became a pit stop and social center for many truckers.
He married
Susan Cartright and they had a daughter, Tammy, and a son, Terry. The marriage ended in divorce. He met Barbara Hudson in 1982 and they were married
in 1984. With this union he inherited three children and became a "Bonus Dad."
Woody was a creative thinker who thought out of the box and could build or repair almost anything, often innovating parts as needed for the project. Rebuilding engines and restoring vehicles were specialties, but a family favorite was the converted cab from a tractor-trailer that he used as a top cover on his jet boat. It was easy to see him on the river! His proudest and most loved accomplishment was the cabin he and Barbara built above Dent Acres. They were a dynamic duo working side by side and he would often tell her "go ahead and take five, it will only take a minute." It started as a simple plan but grew to become a peaceful retreat where he could hop on his John Deere tractor and groom the grounds for hours at a time. They loved going to the mountains and spent as much time as possible there, making many new friends.
He loved his Chevys but was a man of principle and worried about the American economy, and would only buy a Ford product as they did not need a bailout.
Surviving him are Barbara at the family home; children, Tammy Jerdee, Terry Jerdee, Ron (Michelle) Hudson, Diana (Chuck) Brown and Andrea (Kirk) Kinzer; grandchildren, Brandon Jerdee, Marvin Jerdee, Abby Jerdee, Nick Jerdee, Michael Mullin, Randy Hudson, Dr. Erika Kinzer, Jeremy Kinzer, Brad Kinzer and Caitlin Brown; and siblings, Edison Jerdee, Wanda (Harold) Christensen, Barbara Ronchette, Beverly Erickson and Shirley (Manuel) Todhunter.
He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, June Walkup, Emil Jerdee and Eugene Jerdee; and brothers-in-law Jack Ronchette and Leroy Erickson.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home, with a celebration of life dinner following from 2 to 6 p.m. at his family home, 1704 Burrell Ave. Favorite side dishes will be welcomed.
The family wants to thank Dr. Shah and the nurses at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center who helped him during this difficult time. Thank you for all of the maple bars! In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to SJRMC Family Hospice so it can continue comforting families during these challenging times.
Kenneth K. Murray, 76, Orofino
Kenneth K. Murray of Orofino passed away Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013 at his residence. He was 76.
Pine Hills Funeral Chapel and Crematory is caring for arrangements.
Violet Ruth Lesmeister, 79, Orofino
Violet Ruth Lesmeister of Orofino, passed away Monday, Aug. 5, 2013 at Clearwater Health and Rehabilitation.
She was 79.
Pine Hills Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in caring for arrangements.
Richard 'Rick' Dale Boehler, 56, formerly of Orofino
Richard (Rick) Dale Boehler, 56, passed away July 31, 2013, at his home in Clarkston, WA. He was born July 23, 1957, to Richard Boehler and Marlene (Roberts) Boehler in Sandpoint. He attended school in Orofino and then later in Lewiston. His family moved around the Northwest before settling in Orofino for four years. They then moved to Lewiston when he was in the third grade and stayed there until he was in the 11th grade. He then traveled around working in the Tri-Cities before meeting Melanie Shute in January 1982 in Kennewick. They were married
June 27, 1982, in Colstrip, MT.
Rick worked as a journeyman cement finisher for 23 years. He first worked in Kennewick, WA for 10 years, then moved to Clarkston in 1990 and worked in this occupation until 2006. He then went to work for WATCO Railroad where he became an engineer/conductor; his last day on this job was July 12, 2013.
He grew up in the Lutheran Church and also attended the Assembly of God Church. He was an avid fisherman and loved to be on the water. He taught his children to water ski and roller skate because God knows his wife couldn't. She was able to help them with learning to swim and riding a bike.
He is survived by his wife, Melanie Boehler; son, Ricky Boehler and Ally Alexander; daughter, Larissa and Terry Bailey; grandchildren Kenisha and Laurelie Bailey, Angelina, Michael, Drake, Aiden and Landon Boehler; mother, Marlene Boehler; brothers, Allen Boehler, Tim and Chris Boehler and Donald and Andrea Boehler; niece and nephew, Anna and Joshua Boehler; aunt and uncle, Raymond and Carolyn Beierle; cousins, Rhonda and Jay Shafer, Rod Beierle and Faron Beierle; second cousin, Collin Shafer; and good friends, Neil P., Michael H., Brad K., Tommy, Mac M., Steve M., Steve W., and Kevin and Sue W., Marc H., Karen E., Kim B., Steve H., Russell B., David H., and many others, too numerous to mention. He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Boehler; uncle, Lonny Roberts; aunt, Jo Ann Roberts; father-in-law, Laurel Shute; mother-in-law, Joy Shute; and grandparents, Glenn and Dorothy Roberts.
A memorial service is at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Mountain View with a gathering in the community room following.
Memorial donations may be made to Mountain View Funeral Home, https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/jfr2/ricks-cancer-fund, or a charity of one's choice.
A special thanks to Tim and Terry McCarty for creating and hosting the benefit; Prestige Care and Rehab staff; Elite Hospice staff; Dr. Melanie Eggleston and staff at Valley Medical Center; Marc Hunt for helping with lodging; Ed Daily, a pastor and radio talk-show host for all his help; all his coworkers at WATCO; and all who have called, visited or prayed, during this difficult time.
Claude Edmund Schrempp, 93, formerly of Pierce
Claude Edmund Schrempp of Lewiston passed away Thursday, July 25, 2013, at Royal Plaza retirement center of complications of renal failure. He was born Sept. 3, 1919, in St. Helena, NE., and was the second boy (of 10 boys) born to Otto and Theresa Schrempp. The day after his high school graduation in Eagle Butte, SD, he came to Clarkston, WA with his older brother to find work. He worked at a dairy, picked fruit and worked for a concrete builder. (A concrete block building that he helped build still stands on Snake River Ave. near Primeland). In June 1941, he joined the U.S. Army and served as a supply clerk in the Northern France and Central European campaigns and was an expert M1 sharpshooter.
After his military discharge in December 1945, he began working for Montgomery Ward in Lewiston and later Palo Alto, CA. Early in 1950, his cousin, Ray Schneider, flew him back to Clarkston for a family visit and a blind date with Jeanette Dinnison. They married
in September 1950. They moved back to Richland, WA, where he worked at Hanford as a fireman. They spent a short time in Coulee City, WA, and then moved to Spokane, WA where he was employed at Kaiser Aluminum as a warehouseman. In 1956, they moved to Pierce and owned and operated the Pierce Market. They had two children, Claudia Jean and Robert Dennis. After their divorce in 1967, he continued to operate the grocery store until 1969, when it sold. He worked at Timberline High School as the night janitor for a year before purchasing another grocery store in Lapwai in 1970.
In 1976, he and his brothers went back to Eagle Butte to an all-school reunion. He reacquainted with his schoolmate, Marian Brewer Wood, who lived a few hundred yards down the road from him growing up. They corresponded for a year when, in 1977, he sold his grocery store, married
Marian and moved to her home in Albuquerque, NM. They remained there until her retirement in 1981 and then moved back to Lewiston to be closer to family. They bought several campers and recreational vehicles and traveled throughout the U.S. with Good Sam and Veterans of Foreign Wars friends. They even went to Barrow, AK.
He enjoyed having his family and friends near and was always a kidder and loved to interact socially. In 1989, he had a 70th birthday party in Creston, British Columbia, at a family reunion. In 1999, he had an 80th birthday party and in 2009 he had his 90th party with many family members and friends attending a barbecue and to have a few beers. (It's a German Schrempp thing ... )
He was a lifetime member of the Elks and Knights of Columbus. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post No. 10043 and served as unit commander in 1985. Until last week, he endured five years of dialysis treatments. At 93, he was just tired and wanted to go home.
He is survived by his wife, Marian; his children, Claudia Schrempp Decker and Robert (Anne) Schrempp; four grandchildren, Aaron (Keith) Ranisate, Robin (Matt) Lynch, Sarah (Jeff) Schmaltz, Dan (Aubre) Schrempp; five great-grandchildren, Trey and Becca Schmaltz, Kaleigh and Lucie Ranisate and James Lynch; brothers, Jerome (Jeanne) Schrempp, Fulgence (Nancy) Schrempp, Melvin (Georgia) Schrempp and many nieces and nephews. His sixth great-grandchild, Abigal Grace Schrempp, is due on his birthday, Sept. 3.
A prayer vigil with remembrances from family and friends will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. James Catholic Church at 1519 Ripon Ave., Lewiston.
The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. James Catholic Church.
Memorials can be made to Hospice, Lewiston Meals on Wheels, All Saints Catholic Church Building Fund or a charity of one's choice.
Elmer Crow, Jr., 69, Nez Perce elder
On July 26, 2013, Elmer Crow, Jr. perished in the process of rescuing two of his grandsons from the Snake River at Buffalo Eddy. He died saving those he loved, at a place that he loved, and in a river he loved.
Elmer was born in Orofino on March 24, 1944 to Elmer Crow, Sr. and Hattie Joy. His blind grandmother Edna Miller took the responsibility of raising Elmer and instilling in him the traditions and culture of the Nez Perce and Cayuse tribes. Under her care, Elmer was taught by numerous tribal elders, including five who had fought in the Nez Perce War. From them, he learned the Nez Perce language, traditional hunting and gathering sites, a love for the land, and techniques for constructing traditional tools and hunting and fishing gear. He was taught traditional and modern hunting and fishing techniques by his father and extended family, and regularly harvested salmon throughout the Nez Perce usual and accustomed fishing areas from Central Idaho to the now-inundated Celilo Falls. The full extent of the wealth of traditional Nez Perce knowledge and culture that was lost with his passing will never be known.
Elmer spent several years in the Slickpoo Catholic Mission School and also attended Orofino and Lapwai schools. He was held back in the first grade because his English was poor, having been raised in a household that spoke only Nez Perce. Throughout his youth, he learned to live with intense racial discrimination and injustices that were common to Indians at the time. Often, he defended the underdog, the picked on, and rejected. He accepted that he could not merely be as good as a white man, but had to be better to earn the same amount of respect.
When he was 17, underage for service and weighing only 124 pounds, his father gave permission for him to enlist in the US Army, where he served in the 101st Airborne Division based out of Elmendorf Air Base in Alaska. Upon his honorable discharge, Elmer graduated from the Operating Engineer School at Weiser and returned to Orofino where he worked on the construction of Dworshak Dam. Here Elmer met Lynda Worthen and her family. Lynda's parents Hal and Beula became surrogate parents to Elmer, and he always considered Beula his chosen mother. Elmer and Lynda married
on April 11, 1970 and honeymooned, appropriately enough, with a salmon fishing trip up the Lochsa River. Over the course of the next 10 years, the couple was blessed with three sons and a daughter. They moved throughout Idaho following construction jobs and camping, fishing, and generally enjoying the natural wonder of Idaho. In one stretch between jobs, Elmer, Lynda, and their first two boys lived off the land for four months throughout Nez Perce Country from the Blue Mountains to the South Fork of the Salmon River. They moved to Gillette, WY with the rest of Lynda's family in 1977, but his beloved homeland drew him back to Idaho just three years later and he lived on the family homestead near Lapwai for the rest of his life. He treasured most the time he spent with his family and fishing. He was a fixture at his kids' sporting, scouting, 4-H, and school events, and got to the river to fish as often as he could.
Elmer's dedication to the natural world and to tribal treaty rights guided and drove him in his efforts to protect them. He was one of the first Nez Perce to reopen tribal fishing at Rapid River, a small tributary to Idaho's Salmon River, back in the early1970's. This small river became a flashpoint of controversy between the State of Idaho and the Nez Perce over tribal treaty fishing rights in 1980. Elmer was a key tribal leader of the tribal fishermen in this conflict. He was always ready and willing to take a stand to protect tribal treaty rights when they were threatened, and he was also always prepared to protect salmon and other species that made up the web of life of his homeland.
In his later years, Elmer worked for the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Department's resident fisheries program. In this role, he was responsible for protecting and restoring the non-migratory fish species living throughout Nez Perce Country. One of his favorite projects was reclaiming a railway dumpsite outside of Orofino near his childhood home. He turned the location into a healthy trout pond with a surrounding park called Tunnel Pond that is open to both tribal and non-tribal members of the community. It was always a source of pride to Elmer that Tunnel Pond became a place where anyone and everyone could catch and eat a fish. The City of Orofino approached Elmer, asking permission to rename the location Crow Pond, but Elmer demurred, insisting that it had always been called Tunnel Pond.
Given his body of knowledge and dedication to the natural resources of the region, Elmer's role expanded into cultural presentations and outreach throughout North America. In these presentations, he shared the Nez Perce culture via stories, legends, and a multitude of traditional items, tools, and weapons he made himself. Over the years, he gave presentations to tens of thousands of people. He particularly valued and enjoyed giving presentations to children, hoping to instill in them a connection to the natural world and an appreciation of Indians and Indian culture.
His disarming style of humor, wealth of knowledge, integrity, and his genuine care and interest in people made him memorable to everyone who knew him. He would invariably end scientific insights, biological knowledge, or quotes from legal rulings with his favorite catch phrase, "but I'm just a poor, uneducated reservation Indian" and then savor people's reaction to the irony. People went away from interactions with him feeling like they were important and valuable to him and that they were cherished or respected. He was impossible to forget, and thanks to his impressive memory, he rarely forgot them in return.
Following a series of heart problems and surgeries, Elmer felt he was living on borrowed time and was determined to make this "bonus time" count. He dedicated even more of his life to ensuring the traditional teachings, values, and techniques he was taught as a child would be preserved. In the early 2000's, Elmer constructed the first Nez Perce bighorn sheep horn bow to have been made in 60 years and it was likely that he was the only person still alive to know the technique for building it. He would never write down the involved, three-month long method, insisting on passing the knowledge one-on-one only to individuals he trusted to use the skill to preserve Nez Perce culture.
Around the time of Elmer's heart problems, the already low Pacific lamprey returns to Idaho began to plummet. Once returning in the millions, in 2009, only 12 lampreys passed Lower Granite Dam, the last major dam before they reached Idaho. Elmer took up this cause, pouring his heart and soul into ensuring the lamprey-or "eels" as he always called them-would be rescued from the brink of extinction. He worked tirelessly with tribal, state, and federal agencies in his mission to save them. He almost single-handedly drove lamprey recovery from obscurity to a funded, active program with regional support. Now huge agencies feature eels in their lists of priorities, and "Eelmer" (as he was known) is responsible for that. His actions not only resulted in a Nez Perce translocation program-where lamprey trapped at lower Columbia River dams are transported to Idaho to be released in tributaries throughout north central Idaho to spawn naturally-but also drove federal and state policy and program management changes to provide resources for this underappreciated and forgotten fish. His passion and concern was contagious, instilling many people, from federal agencies to the general public, with a desire to help the lamprey and an appreciation for Elmer himself.
Driving home after the tragedy, one of the grandsons he had helped rescue asked Lynda, "Oh no! What is going to happen to Papa's eels?" That this was what his grandson thought of, at such a time of loss, is testament to Elmer's teaching and dedication, as well as confirmation that his work to bring back the eels will live on.
Elmer is survived by his wife Lynda, children Jeremy (and Margaret), Jarrod (and Amanda), Jayson, and Jamie, and six grandchildren: Khia, Dane, Phinn, Lucy, Sophie, and Henry. He is also survived by his chosen mother Beula Worthen, his sisters Joyce Admyers, Elizabeth Crow, Bernie Lasarte, and Brenda Moses; and his brothers Reggie Crowe, Jeff Crow, Louie Lasarte, Raymond Lasarte, Billy Henry, and Emmit Taylor. Preceding Elmer in death are his parents Elmer Crow, Sr. and Hattie Lasarte and siblings Wendell Crow, Gregory Crow, Ed Crow, and Annie Lasarte.
A memorial will take place at the Pi-Nee-Waus Community Center in Lapwai, on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. A service will be at the Pi-Nee-Waus Community Center on Friday, Aug. 2 at 9 a.m., with interment at the Jonah Hayes cemetery in Sweetwater, ID followed by a luncheon at the Pi-Nee-Waus Community Center.
Memorials may be made to the Elmer Crow Memorial Fund, care of the Nez Perce Tribe, PO Box 365, Lapwai, ID 83540.The fund will be used to further the cause of rescuing the Pacific lamprey from extinction.
Cynthia Charmaine (Buckholz) Senior, 60, Orofino
Cynthia Charmaine (Buckholz) Senior, 60, Orofino and formerly of Kingman, AZ, traveled to be with her Lord on July 23, 2013.
"Cindy" was born in Colorado Springs, CO on June 1t, 1953 to Robert E. Buckholz and Zereta Nancy Allen. She is survived by her "Mother by Heart" Barbara Lenore Buckholz; her husband, Joe Senior; 8 children, including 2 loving adopted children; 12 grandchildren; 4 brothers; 2 sisters; and several foster children that she assisted with their lives.
Cindy was a loving, caring gift from God. Her ability to connect with those around her made her a staple in the Arizona Prison system where she worked. Cindy was always willing and able to help those that knew her. Her heart was always open with love flowing to everyone she met.
She passed away in beautiful Orofino, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and the beauty of nature. All those that knew her respected and loved the wonderful woman she was. Cindy is standing with her father, mother, and the two grandchildren that traveled before her. God Bless, she will be missed, but the pain she felt is finally over and peace is within her now.
D. Fred Smith, 74
There must be great fishing streams in heaven, because that's where Fred Smith went Monday, July 22, 2013. He was enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, watching the Mariners win. He was surrounded by his loved ones and succumbed to lung cancer.
Fred was born May 23, 1939, to Donald A. Smith and Tillie (Fine) Smith in Lewiston. He attended the Lewiston schools, where he made lifelong friends. Fred was a proud graduate of the class of 1957.
On June 5, 1959, he and his classmate sweetheart, Judith Ann McCracken, were married
at the Christian Church. They lived their entire life in Lewiston, raising their two children.
Fred spent the majority of his life working in the automotive paint industry, beginning at Willett Brothers, then opening his own businesses, S and S Color and Pro Gun and Paint. He was a pro at matching paint color. He ended his career at KC Auto Paint, where he made the weekly route from Orofino through Grangeville and back to Lewiston. His pickup truck knew the route well.
Fred was a 20-year member of the Orchards Volunteer Fire Department, of which he was the assistant chief from 1962 until the city of Lewiston took over. His family lived in the firehouse for several years.
A consummate fly fisherman, he could often be found out on a stream or river. But nothing was better than teaching his grandchildren how to fish - then being outfished by his granddaughter! He belonged to the Kelly Creek Flycasters Club and especially enjoyed working with its juvenile program.
Ever a bowler, he joined the 300 club March 17, 1987, bowling with the men's double classic. He was a board member of the Idaho State Bowling Association.
He is survived by his wife, Judy; son. Jim (Lisa); and daughter, Nancy (Bryan) Hasenoehrl; the best grandchildren, Emily Hasenoehrl, Andy (fiance Katie Maestas) Hasenoehrl and Amy Hasenoehrl; brother-in-law, Lloyd Grytness; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.
Fred was preceded in death by his father; mother; and sister, Dawn Ann Grytness, and an infant son, Gary.
A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 3 at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home, 920 21st Ave., Lewiston. Memorial donations can be made to Kelly Creek Flycasters Scholarship Fund, c/o Dale Mickelsen, 534 Park Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501; the Jackson Baldwin Foundation, 3527 Eighth St. C, Lewiston, ID 83501; or a charity of one's choice.
