Alma Julie Blackhurst
Alma Julie Blackhurst (86 ) died on March 16, 2012, at Boundary County Extended Care Facility in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Services will be June 15 at 3 p.m. at the Northside Bed and Breakfast events room.
She was born on June 16, 1925, to Julius and Julie Pascal Stragier in Spokane, Wash. Her parents immigrated from Belgium in 1920 and farmed southwest of Spokane.
Alma graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1944. She married Eugene Vernon Blackhurst on Dec. 1, 1950 and moved to Benge, Wash., where they managed a farm for Frank LeRoux.
On March 8, 1958, they moved to Bonners Ferry to develop and manage the Ball Creek Ranch. After her husband Gene passed in 1995, she continued to manage the farm for several years before moving into town.
Alma resided at 6684 El Paso Lane until the fall of last year when she moved to the Bonners Ferry Extended Care Center.
Alma loved living in northern Idaho with its natural beauty and freedom. She was a great cook and always managed a giant garden, sharing produce, jams, jellies and home baked goods with friends.
Alma was skilled in knitting and croquet and earned many ribbons and accolades for her work. She was also very proud of her work with the annual Boundary County Fair and was active in Farm Wives.
Alma is survived by her daughters Verna Jene and Dan Caron of Seattle, and Rachel Kay and Jim Bennett of Forks, Wash., and her grandsons and their wives, Andy and Megan Bennett, Fresno, Calif., and Patrick and Angela Bennett, Salt Lake City, Utah.
She has numerous nieces and nephews living in the Spokane and Seattle area. Additionally important members of the family are Orval and Connie Gentry and their sons who worked on the ranch and later continued to care for Alma when she was living in town.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her brother Albert E. Stragier, of, Spokane and her daughter Julie.
Family and friends are invited to sign Alma’s book at www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Bonners Ferry Funeral Home.