Emogene Nellie Bessette, 95

Emogene Nellie (Hilliard) Shively Bessette, 95, passed peacefully November 25, 2014, surrounded by loving family.

Services were held at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Dec. 1, 2014, with burial at Grandview Cemetery in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Emogene was born Dec. 28, 1918 to Daniel and Marie (Drabbels) Hilliard in Malta, Mont.

When she was 2 the family moved by wagon to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and settled in an idyllic spot perched above the Kootenai River. She had fond memories of her childhood there, helping her dad on the farm and fishing with him on the Moyie, learning to cook at an early age from her mother, and riding a horse, or walking several miles to the Old Sheridan school and then graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1936.

In 1938 Emogene married Donald Shively of Bonners Ferry and there they settled and began raising their large family of 10 children. She worked hard tending her gardens, cooking, canning, cleaning and caring for the children. She was also an active member of St. Anne’s Catholic Church.

In 1956 Emogene moved to Coeur d Alene, to our big old house on 9th and Penn where she raised the eight youngest children. Soon thereafter she began her long career with the Kootenai County Assessor’s office, retiring as deputy assessor.

She worked full-time at a time when most mothers stayed home, and yet she managed to give her children everything they needed in life. Money was scarce, but her children felt rich.

She took great pride in her home, keeping it tidy and clean, with meticulous flower beds. But she took the greatest pride in her children, always making sure clothes were clean, faces washed and hair brushed/combed, and they were well behaved.

She knitted our mittens, sewed our dresses, made certain we were home for dinner, and hands down made the best turkey stuffing in the world. In later years, she knitted an afghan for each of her grandchildren as graduation gifts. They have their own fond memories of special times at Grandma’s house. It was a house filled with the love and laughter of family and friends.

After Donald passed away, Emogene met Art Bessette at the Lake City Senior Center dances. They married and had several good years together traveling and dining out frequently.

She loved to travel and two of the highlights of her life were a trip to the Holy Land and Rome with eldest daughter, Katherine, and most recently a trip to the Netherlands with youngest daughter, Nancy, where she visited cousins and was able to see the childhood home of her mother.

She also made many trips to Burns Lake, B.C. to visit son Ron and family, where she enjoyed many a game of pinochle.

Emogene was preceded in death by her parents, spouses Don and Art, brother John, sisters Vivian and Helen, daughter-in-law Deb (Karr) Shively, and grandsons Drew Swank and Brian Williams.

She is survived by her 10 children: Katherine Allen, James (Butch) Shively, Robert Shively, Miriam Grobbel, Ronald Shively, Donna (Gary) Williams, Patricia (Don) Swank, Marilyn (Tim) Elgee, Carolyn (Bob) Denny, and Nancy (Bill) Kasner, 30 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-granddaughter.

Mrs. Bessette’s family thanks her for passing on to them her strong work ethic, pride, independence, wisdom, and endless capacity to love. Surely she will be rewarded in heaven for your life well-lived on earth.