Norman L. Ferber

Norman L. Ferber

Norman L. Ferber, 93, passed away Jan. 14, 2018, at the Boundary County Extended Care Facility in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Norm was born Dec. 13, 1924 to Adolph and Daisy Ferber in Ringgold County, Iowa.

He grew up in rural southern Iowa and graduated from Tingley High School before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in June of 1943. He and his brother, Lyndon, received basic training at the Farragut Naval Training Facility in northern Idaho. He attended Torpedomens School and served in the Philippines at the end of World War II. He had a special fondness for the people and culture of the area, evident throughout his life.

In June of 1947 he married Patsy R. Hogue, also from Tingley, Iowa. They had two daughters, Patty and Rhonda, and lived in Newton, Iowa where Norm was employed by the Maytag Company. In 1955 Norm received a personal letter of thanks and recognition from Fred Maytag II for his help to end a strike which kept 3,000 employees out of work for 10 weeks. In 1961, he and Patsy divorced. He then relocated to Colorado where he worked as a carpenter welder on many of the tallest office buildings in downtown Denver.

When his youngest daughter, Rhonda, was tragically killed in a car accident he reluctantly moved to Bonners Ferry in 2013 to be close to family. He quickly felt at home here.

He was a strong, honest and kind man, going out of his way to assist others. He prepared and delivered coffee and breakfast every morning to a neighbor for a number of years. In this same Senior Housing complex in Denver he would clean the snow from cars for fellow residents and he was in his 80’s at the time.

He loved family, children and animals. He built a three wheel (open) car that he drove on the interstate so fast that his jacket split down the front. He found a parachute and tall pole and made a huge tent for his girls. He loved to read the funny papers and would cut them out and mail them by the dozens to family members. He always found ways to improve and modify most everything, including his own dentures. He loved to fish, “tinker” and was a great storyteller.

Norm was preceded in death by his father, mother, brother, great-grandson Joshua and loving daughter, Rhonda. He is survived by daughter, Patty (Al) Lopez, grandson Gabe in Iowa and granddaughters Erica, Andrea, Rhonda and Jodeen, all of Bonners Ferry; 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren, a niece and nephews.