Margaret Joyce Hunter Eccles

Margaret Joyce Hunter Eccles peacefully passed from this life on Nov., 24 2006.

Margaret was born January 16, 1911 in Garneill, Montana to William Frank Hunter and Christianna (Lollar) Hunter. The family lived and farmed in and around Garniell until Margaret was 15; then moved their belongings and livestock to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Margaret and her older brother, Al, made the 500 mile trip on horseback while herding the family's cattle.

Margaret graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School in 1928. In the fall of 1929, she and her family came to Hiawatha Valley to pack apples on the Brown Ranch. There she met Edin James (Jim) Eccles; they were married on Dec. 29, 1929 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Margaret's life with Jim was seldom boring. A carpenter, entrepeneur, and businessman Jim built and sold houses, and acquired several businesses during the 42 years he and Margaret were married. Often, Margaret was informed of a business purchase over the dinner table, as well as the likelihood she would be in charge of running it.

Margaret and Jim began their life together farming property in Mae Valley (now owned by Clare and Janet Hansen), after which they moved to and farmed the Eccles Family homestead in Hiawatha Valley. In 1934, during the depression and at the start of construction on Grand Coulee Dam, Margaret and Jim moved with their two oldest children, Jeanne and Stan, to Electric City, where Jim worked at the dam and began building and selling houses to meet the housing shortage caused by the large influx of families moving to the area in hopes of finding work. For Margaret, this meant moving from one house to the next after construction of each house was completed and the house was sold.

One evening, Jim arrived home with news that he had traded a truck belonging to his brother, Harold Eccles, and brother-in-law, Paul Guffin for a restaurant with living quarters in the back. Harold and Paul, while happy about the sale of the truck, weren't interested in running a restaurant. They sold it to Jim, who worked long hours at the dam in exchange for a regular paycheck to support his family. Consequently, Margaret, with two young children in tow, was assigned to the newly purchased restaurant where she took over as chef, dishwasher, waitress, manager, and bookkeeper.

Margaret's dad helped her cook that first morning meal for all the men who came daily to the restaurant for breakfast and a packed lunch before going off to work at the dam.

However, no sooner had the last customer left when the "Waitress Wanted" sign went up in the window. Only an hour passed before a young woman came in to apply. Margaret told the woman that she knew nothing about running a restaurant; in fact she had only eaten in a restaurant twice in her life. The woman assured Margaret she could teach her and was immediately hired. In less than a week, the restaurant was running smoothly. Margaret never forgot the waitress' name and whenever she talked about those days, she always added, "I would never have made it without her."

In 1936, the restaurant was sold and the proceeds used to buy two lots, one of which became the location of a new pool hall. After Jim completed construction on the building, he and Margaret opened the pool hall complete with a snooker table, a billiard table, two pool tables, two One-Arm Bandits, and a card table. During the day, Margaret ran the pool hall while Jim worked at the dam. On the other lot Jim built a house where, in 1937, they welcomed their third child, Bonnie.

In November 1942, Margaret and Jim moved both their family and their house (due to the lack of lumber and housing during the war) from Electric City to Moses Lake. The following year they tore down the pool hall and used the lumber to build a new house in Moses Lake located on Cedar Street between Broadway and Third Avenue. An example of fine carpentry, the house still stands and has lodged private residents, as well as several businesses over the years.

In 1945, Jim constructed a building on Broadway, and in April 1946, he and Margaret opened Eccles Appliance & TV. Margaret managed the phonograph record department and was the driving force behind record sales in Moses Lake during the rock and roll era of the 1950s and 1960s. The store was a favorite place for high school students and airment stationed at Larson Air Force Base to gather and listen to the latest music on the "Top Ten" list.

After Jim's death in 1971, Margaret managed Eccles Appliance & TV single handedly until 1975 when she sold the business to Clint Conley (who changed the name to Metro TV & Appliance) and retired to her beloved home on the lake. There she has spent the past 34 years with almost constant company from her many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Always a hard worker, Margaret's life after retirement hardly typified retirement in any sense of the word. She remained continually busy working on new projects in her house and yard. Neither her age nor petite frame kept her from moving furniture up and down the stairs of her home, tearing out and replacing the old insulation in her attic, or mowing her large and fairly steep lawn. At 82, Margaret dug up the entire automatic sprinkler system in her front yard and reinstalled a new system in a way that distributed water far more efficiently. When asked why she would consider taking on such a huge project by herself, she responded, "Well I thought about exacting how I wanted it done and decided, I could do it myself and get it done right."

Margaret began working the elections polls in Moses Lake during the early 1950's and continued to work every election until the early 1990's when, at age 83, she decided that the 16-hour days had become too difficult. However, she continued to make herself available as an advisor to new poll workers who weren't as familiar with the numerous rules and regulations. Education was very important to Margaret, hence she offered her home to grandchildren and great-grandchildren who wanted to attend college. Margaret herself loved to read. If she ran out of books, magazines, etc., she would read the dictionary.

Margaret was a strong, wise, and gracious woman who adored her family, cherished the Lakeside house she and Jim designed and built together in 1953, and took great pride in the small town that was her home for nearly 65 years, Moses Lake. Although she never boasted of her many accomplishments, the strength, determination, and steadfastness she exhibited throughout her life was and forever will be an example to her daughters and granddaughters of what a woman can achieve once she puts her mind to it.

Margaret was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Jim Eccles; her parents, William and Christianna Hunter; her brother, Algeo and Dean Hunter, and her sisters, Virginia Hunter Brislawn and Elizabeth (Betty) Hunter Angell.

Margaret leaves behind a large and loving family, each with cherished memories of "Gram." They include one sister , Maryon Hunter Samson, Boise, Idaho,; her children, Jeanne Eccles Davis and Stanley Eccles, both of Moses Lake, and Bonnie Eccles, Cheney,; her grandchildren, Eleanor (Robert) Stilwill Kirkpatrick, Moses Lake, Margaret (Lyle) Stilwill Graddon, Bellevue, Gloria (Ron) Stilwill Cope, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, Steven Stilwill, Renton, Frederick Eccles, Seattle, Maria (Ben) Eccles Tracy, Moses Lake, Buckley Zickler, Moses Lake, Darcie Zickler, and Lisa Zickler, both of Cheney, Pamela (Barry) Davis Nelson, Lynnwood, Karen Davis Smullen, Snohomish, and Lisa Davis Quaring, Marysville.

Along with her children and grandchildren, Margaret had 29 great grandchildren, 12 great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, both Hunter and Eccles whom she loved very much.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to Margaret's caregivers, Barbara Martinson, Kim West, and Tina Martinson for the kind and compassionate care and attention they provided our beloved Gram during her final year with us.

It was Margaret's wish that a memorial of her life not be held until late spring or summer.