Cleo Mae Hicks

Cleo Mae Hicks, age 93, a longtime resident of Bonners Ferry, Idaho passed away at the Community Restorium on July 4th, 2016. She was born to Bryan and Trudy Elston on November 29th, 1922 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1930, when Cleo Mae was a young girl, her family moved to Boundary County from Kansas and settled in the Meadow Creek area where they farmed, fished, and picked huckleberries.

Cleo Mae started her education at Meadow Creek School and then graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1942. Later that fall, she attended college at Lewiston Normal where she received her two year provisional teaching certificate. In 1945, she had her first teaching position in Bonners Ferry at the McKinley School and later that year married Wayne Pruitt. They operated a dairy farm—milking as many as fifty cows, raised chickens and pigs, and put up hay and silage. Cleo Mae continued to teach and Wayne drove school bus and worked nights at the Moyie Lumber Mill. During these years, they had four children, Ellen, Larry, Donna, and Marla.

Cleo Mae taught at various schools in Boundary County for 33 years and loved teaching. She always said she would choose the same profession if she had to start all over again. Wayne passed away in 1966 and two years later Cleo Mae married Ted Moline. Larry Pruitt, Cleo Mae’s son and his wife Marilyn bought the home place, and Ted and Cleo Mae moved north to Ted’s farm on Turner Hill and built a new home.

In 1984, Cleo Mae retired so she and Ted could enjoy traveling to Alaska and the southwest United States. They hosted at Robinson Lake Campground for several years and bought property on the Moyie River enjoying many years of family fun, floating the river, fishing, and picnicking.

Ted passed away in 1996 and Cleo Mae, living in Moyie Springs, filled up her time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and many activities. She kept busy with the Order of the Easter Star, Daughters of the Nile, Delta Kappa Gamma, Retired Teachers, Pinochle Ladies Club, church, gardening, yard work, chickens, sewing, crafts, and volunteer work.

In 2003, Cleo Mae married John Hicks and they lived in Moyie until their health declined and then moved to the Restorium, where they were cared for very well.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bryan and Trudy Elston, her brothers, Dean and Leo Elston, three husbands, Wayne Pruitt, Ted Moline, and John Hicks, her only son, Larry Pruitt, and her son-in-law, David Hammons.

Cleo Mae is survived by her sister, Wanda Croucher (Al); her three daughters, Ellen Ashmun (Cort), Donna Nystrom (Ken), Marla Carey (Sam), and daughter-in-law, Marilyn Lofthus (Dale); twelve grandchildren, Wayne Hammons (Heather), Lance Hammons (Jennifer), Carisa Burchak (Tyson), Lori Sabin (Chris), Mike Pruitt (Penny), Dan Pruitt (Renee), Ben Nystrom (Tanya), Mandy Kiefer (Tim), Ken Carey (Missy), Jenny Helms (Seth), Sara Petersen (Jeff), and James Carey; 41 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other extended family.

Cleo Mae had a long, fulfilling life, touched many people through her years of teaching and service, is much loved, and will be missed by her family and friends.

Memorials in Cleo Mae’s name can be sent to Friends of the Restorium in care of Donna Nystrom (753 Lookout View, Naples, ID, 83847). A family gathering will be held on July 22nd at the fairgrounds.