Lois Deane North

Lois Deane North of Ephrata, Washington left to be with her Lord and Saviour on May 21, 2011. Lois was born in Spokane, Washington to Earl and Alma Davis joining the family, which included one older sister, Beth. Deane, as she was called, had a serious illness in her childhood and spent approximately two years recovering, while her mother, who was a school teacher, assisted her in keeping up with her school work. She had to learn to walk again, but rebounded readily, spending most of her childhood summers in the woods, where her father owned a logging outfit and her mother was a camp cook. Deane and her sister fondly remember picking huckleberries, collecting honey, watching their father's team of horses pull the large logs and being spoiled by their father's team of rough loggers, who would lavish them with little trinkets they would purchase for the girls on pay day.

Deane later met her sweetheart, Ray North, while the two were ice skating in Spokane and they later married on November 24, 2940, which was her parents and grandparents wedding anniversary date. They lost their first child prior to birth, but went on to have two daughters, Marie and Kathryn, and later one son, David. Deane was quite active in several churches during her life, she held several church offices, was a Brownie and Girl Scout leader, was an active member of her local Homemakers group and was a certified swimming instructor for the Spokane YMCA. She loved playing the piano in the evenings and her children fondly recall her playing their favorite, Moonlight Sonata.

Deane and her family lived on various ranches and farms in both Idaho and Washington, prior to settling down on a farm south of Ephrata, Washington in 1970.

She will be best remembered by family and friends as an enthusiastic homemaker, who enjoyed baking all her own bread, preserving fruits and vegetables and growing beautiful flowers, especially her beloved dinnerplate dahlias.

Survivors include her daughter, Marie Hanson of Post Falls, Idaho and son, David North of Ephrata, Washington. Deane had six grandchildren: Sindy Plumme of Nevada, Susie Gerbitz of Idaho, Jared North, Jessica Benson, Angela North, and Natalie North as well as ten great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Kathryn Bimel in 1980 and her husband, Ray North in 2006.

Funeral services will be held at 11 am on Saturday, May 28th at Nicoles Funeral Home with a graveside service following at the Ephrata Cemetery. A special thank you to her devoted care givers, to Paul Wagner and the Presbyterian church of Moses Lake and the many others who stopped by to visit regularly, call and play the piano for Deane these past several years.