Alice Yvonne Hinthorn, 83

Alice Yvonne Hinthorn, 83, of Copeland, Idaho, passed away Monday, July 17, 2023, at Sunset Home in Bonners Ferry. Alice Krause was born on March 6, 1940, to William and Gwendolyn Krause and lived in Copeland for most of her life.

Alice grew up in District 4 of the Kootenai Valley with her siblings, Gale, Bob and Billie, and she attended the Copeland School until the new school at Mount Hall superseded it. The regular spring floods marked her childhood years, and sometimes her parents sent Alice to stay with her grandparents in Bonners Ferry on the North Hill. She said that even well into her adulthood, springtime gave her the urge to move things upstairs and otherwise be ready for the flood. She would reminisce about riding Beauty the horse across the flat to and from school. One early birthday, she was given a party, but the mud on the flat was so bad that her father had to bring the children across the valley using a tractor and wagon.

Alice graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1958. She attended Kinman Business School in Spokane, Wash., for a year, rooming with her friend Sonya. The two met and dated a couple of handsome airmen from Geiger AFB. In a 1960 double wedding, Alice married Ray Hinthorn, and Sonya married his friend and bunkmate, Darryl Morris.

Alice and Ray’s first child, Patrick, came into the world in Glasgow, Mont., while Ray was still on active duty in 1962. Their second son, Ronald, was born in 1964 after the family moved to Tacoma, Wash., where Ray worked briefly in banking. Having relocated to Marshal, Wash., near Spokane, the couple still didn’t feel the city life was right for them to raise their family. When the time was right, they moved back to Copeland, where Ray purchased the Krause family farm and ranch, enabling Alice’s father, Bill, to retire while Ray took over operations. It was there that their third child, Heather, arrived in 1970.

Farming and ranching is a dawn-to-dusk proposition with plenty of financial strain, but they made it work somehow. Alice and Ray had an open door, a cup of coffee, and a place at the table for any neighbor who would drop by. Alice kept her family active in 4-H, the fair and school activities. She and Ray were always present at their children’s and grandchildren’s school sporting events and 4-H events. They did their best to be there for their grandchildren’s key milestones, even traveling to New England for graduations.

Alice and Ray enjoyed dancing and social activities with friends and family through their marriage. Alice worked for 37 years at the Panhandle Cafe; for this and other reasons, we say she never knew a stranger! Painting with friends and her daughter became a pleasure that she squeezed in around the edges of her busy life, and her family has many oil paintings to remember her by.

Alice is survived by her dear husband and dance partner of more than 63 years, Ray; her brother, E. Gale Krause (Wanda) of Farmington, N.M.; and her sister, Billie L. Krause of Copeland, Idaho. She is also survived by her children, Patrick (Teresa) Hinthorn of Ridgefield, Wash., Ronald (Sandra) Hinthorn of Cranston, R.I., and Heather (Allen) Gemmrig of Copeland, Idaho; grandchildren, Raymond, Gavin (Kirstina), Jessica and Molly Flower, and Matthew Foubert; Connor Hinthorn; Miriam, William (Ellie), Samuel and Meredith Hinthorn; and great-grandchildren, Kara and Autumn Flower. Alice was preceded in death by her parents, William and Gwendolyn Krause; her brother, Robert R. Krause; and her baby sister, Dolly, all of Copeland, Idaho.

We, her family, miss her terribly, and we will remember her for many things, including her open and loving home where the kitchen rarely closed and sported an "Alice’s Restaurant" plaque above the cupboards.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 29, 2023, in the Bonners Ferry Funeral Home at 6485 Harrison St. A reception will be held at the Eagles Club following the services at roughly 11:30 a.m. Those wishing to donate in remembrance of Alice may do so to their chosen charity in Alice's name.

To leave a message or memory for the family, go to www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com. Bonners Ferry Funeral Home is caring for the family.