Jerre Caroline (Snodgrass) Stemmene, 86
Jerre Caroline (Snodgrass) Stemmene passed away on Sept. 19, 2014 at the Boundary County Extended Care Facility. Please join her family for a Celebration of Life on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Eagles Lodge.
Jerre was born on Nov. 25, 1927, in Colorado Springs, Colo., to Charles Fremont (Mont) Snodgrass and Mary (Shea) Snodgrass.
She moved with her family from Colorado to the Copeland area in 1935.
She attended school in Copeland and Bonners Ferry and in 1973 earned her GED. Earning her GED was very important to her, because at the time she grew up, an education was not considered important for a woman.
Jerre married Edgar Stemmene on Sep. 16, 1944, in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Her first job was during WW II and because she had a job she got a brand new bicycle.
During that time almost everything was rationed so you had to have a real need to get anything extra. Transportation to and from her job was considered a real need.
She worked for her good friend and employer, Violet Lande, at the Commercial Hotel and City Center Motel in Bonners Ferry as a Phone Operator, Check-in-Clerk, and Maid in the late 1950s into the 1970s.
She went to work as a Cook for the Restorium in the early 1980s until she retired in 1995.
Jerre told her family a story about when she and her two sisters were little girls.
She said at the time she had no idea how much her parents sacrificed, but realized when she was an adult and went thru difficult times herself. One Christmas there wasn’t much money, but somehow their parents made sure each of the three girls had a new doll and a new housecoat under the tree.
Jerre has always kept track of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. She knew what they were doing at school (sports, arts, activities).
She knew how their jobs were going (promotions, extra activities, etc.), when they were married, children were born, and later what their children were doing. She made a beautiful scrapbook that the whole family enjoyed.
She loved spending time with her family; going to concerts and movies, traveling, and taking care of her flowers. Whatever they were doing, they always had fun.
Jerre was a kind and loving person, and was much loved. She will be missed. She always made her family laugh.
Jerre was preceded in death by her parents, Mont and Mary Snodgrass; husband Edgar Stemmene; sons Larry, and Mike Stemmene; daughter Tamera Stemmene; and sisters Anne Galbraith and Shirley (Hawks) Pedey.
She is survived by daughter and son-in-Law Carol and Ron Grove; son Wilmer (Bill) Stemmene; sisters Francis Dunn and Vicki (Kevin) McNally; brother Jack Snodgrass; brother-in-law Bernard Stemmene; grandchildren Denise (Fred) Maas, and Linda Manley; great-grandchildren Zachary Maas, Brenna Maas, David Willems, and Miranda Pierce; and great-great grandchildren Brayden and Ethan Pierce; plus numerous nieces and nephews.