Fred Elmo Rayfield

Fred Elmo Rayfield, 100 of Sandpoint, died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 at Life Care Center. Private family graveside services will be conducted in Redland, California at a later time. Fred was born in McLoud, Oklahoma in 1910. He worked on his parent’s farm and went to college in Oklahoma City to become a pharmacist where he waited on tables at the dorm to help pay for his tuition. He finally decided he had enough of plowing the dust of Oklahoma so he migrated to Redlands, California. Fred met his wife, Stella Madeline Story at a dance in Redlands and always said, “she was the prettiest girl at the dance.” They ate potatoes on their wedding night on October 9, 1935 in Claremont, California. In the beginning of their marriage they both picked tomatoes in the Sacramento Valley and packed oranges in Redlands where they settled down. Fred then went into the plumbing and pipefitting profession. He told his first boss he would work for free the first week, and then if he worked out he could hire him. He made a good living for many years which took his wife and three children Ronald, Cheryl and Sidney to Kentucky back to California and then to Idaho. They eventually ended up back in California for a few years. Fred and Stella had a good life and traveled all over the world and ended up retiring in Arizona before Stella’s death in 1992. He moved up to Idaho to be near his son, Sidney. He is survived by 1 son: Sidney Rayfield, 1 daughter: Cheryl Landsberg, 7 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. His son Ronnie Rayfield preceded him in death.