Cris Hadley

Crystal Pearl Henderson Hadley died Tuesday, September 24, 2013, at the age of 86. She was born on January 15, 1927, in Hayden, Idaho, to her parents Edgar and Pearl Henderson, who had moved to Idaho from Wisconsin to run an apple orchard. The Henderson family later moved to Dover, Idaho, where Edgar was contracted to paint the old Dover bridge. Cris and her two brothers and two sisters had a rich and adventurous life in the Dover-Sandpoint area and attended Dover School, where Cris’s future mother-in-law was her first grade teacher. Cris graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1945 and then went to work as a secretary for Schaeffer-Hitchcock pole yard. She married Leo Hadley on November 20, 1948. In 1951 they welcomed the first of their three children, Theodore Anchor. Patricia Susan (Patsy) followed in 1953, and Nancy Ann completed the family in 1959. Cris enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom for several years, and she was available to care for her ailing mother in the Hadley home. In the early 60's her husband Leo Hadley and partner Ted Farmin formed Sandpoint Marina, and Cris eventually became bookkeeper for the business and finally learned to drive. She retired from the Marina in the early 80's. She enjoyed caring for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in Sandpoint and was a beloved part of all her grandchildren’s lives. She and Leo were a strong support system for their daughter Patsy during her son Casey’s struggle with leukemia. Husband Leo died in 1998. Cris could recall many events in her childhood and was a great story-teller. She loved music and taught her children many songs as they were growing up. She sewed a lot of her children’s clothes and tried to please her meat-and-potatoes-loving husband with hot, delicious meals served on time. For over 25 years, Cris and her family shared special times at the family cabin at Garfield Bay. Cris was known for her hospitality, making visitors feel welcome and comfortable. Flexibility and patience were two of her chief virtues. Cris’s health confronted her with many challenges in later years. She struggled with migraines. She had stage 4 lymphoma but survived. As a patient, she had a reputation for her kindness and graciousness to those caring for her. While recovering at home, she had lots of family help. She was proud to say that her favorite nurses were her grandsons Danny and Jesse. One of the highlights of Cris and Leo’s retirement was the Alaskan cruise that they shared with Patsy and her son Jake. Keeping Cris company after the death of Leo was Mollydog, her companion for almost 15 years. Although not a church-going person, Cris had a deep interest in spiritual matters and often remarked about the power of prayer and “letting go and letting God.” The prayer of St. Francis contained comforting words in her life. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother Rich; sisters Betty and Fran; son-in-law Jim Campbell; grandson Casey; her mother-in-law Helen Grinolds; and husband Leo Hadley. Those who are left behind will miss her very much: her remaining sibling, Ted (and Alice) Henderson of Coeur d’Alene; her sister-in-law Alice Allbee of Spokane; children Ted (and Patty) Hadley of Twin Falls; Patsy (and Tom) McDougall of Cranbrook, B.C.; Nancy Hadley and Jim Aiken of Sandpoint; and former son-in-law Scott (and Carol) Hanson of Sandpoint. Other family members include seven grandchildren: Cole Thompson, Emily Hadley Newberry, Katie Hadley, Jesse Hadley, Eric Hanson, Daniel Hanson, and Jake McDougall. There are also four great-grandchildren and two more on the way. The family would like to thank the doctors who have taken care of Cris, and the caregivers at The Bridge, Life Care Center, Home Health, and Hospice for making her last years full of hope and love. A celebration of Cris’s life will be held Saturday, October 5, at 2 PM at Coffelt Funeral Chapel. Reverend Paul Graves will officiate. Contributions in Cris’ name may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Fund 4619 N Ravenswood Ave #302 Chicago, IL 60640 or Kinderhaven PO Box 2097 Sandpoint, ID 83864.