Twyla June Cooper Stone, 84

Twyla June Cooper Stone, 84, passed away Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, at Boundary Community Hospital in Bonners Ferry.

Funeral services will be 1 p.m. today, Sept. 17, at Bonners Ferry Funeral Home.

Twyla was born Dec. 30, 1924, in Ismay, Mont., to Gale and Bernice Cooper. At age 10, she and her parents and two brothers moved to Moravia because of the dust bowl in Montana.

Twyla went to the Moravia school and graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1942. She attended a business college in Spokane for a short time and then came back to work at First National Bank.

In 1945 Twyla married Clyde D. Stone while he was in the Navy.

In 1950 Boundary Community Hospital called looking for a bookkeeper. She went to work for them three  days a week.

In 1952, Twyla and Clyde adopted a baby boy “Gary” and Twyla became a stay-at-home mom.

While working at the hospital, she had taken over the county vital statistics job from Dr. Bowell and continued that at home for 27 years.

Twyla was a bookkeeper for the Co-Op from 1955 through 1968.

In 1962 Twyla and Clyde adopted a baby girl “Lauri.”

Twyla also did bookkeeping for General Feed and Grain and the Chevron.

She enjoyed playing piano, collecting stamps, cross-stitch, summers at Kootenay Lake, reading and genealogy. Twyla and her mother played music for dances during World War ll.

Twyla published her own genealogy book titled Matthew R. Letson (1810 – 1890) and sold several hundred copies. She helped type up over 600 family histories to ready them for the History of Boundary County, Idaho, book.

Twyla also typed a 326-page Index for the history book now known as the Twyla J. Stone Index at the Boundary County Historical Society and Museum.

Twyla is survived by her husband; daughter Lauri Edwards; grandchildren  Chaun Stone (Malisa), Camille Stone Stricklin (Ron), Jessica Stone Ridinger (Mike), Micha Stone (Laura) and Katie Stone; and great-grandchildren Jeremy, Amberlei, Zachary, Camron, Rashelle, Keaton and Cade.

Twyla was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Basil and Melvin Cooper and son Gary Stone.

Family and friends may sign Twyla’s book at www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com.

Bonners Ferry Funeral Home is handling arrangements.