Erline Amanda Hawn

Erline Hawn passed away peacefully while holding hands with her loving husband Keith in the early afternoon on March 25, 2014, at Valley Vista in Sandpoint, Idaho. Erline was 82 years old. Erline was born on June 28th, 1932 in Freewater, Umatilla County, Oregon. She was the first born child of three daughters and one son to John and Helen Hess. While attending high school in Freewater she worked at a pea cannery that set the perfect stage to meet her future lifelong partner, Keith. Erline and Keith’s friendship grew while they worked in the same building at the Umatilla cannery in Milton. After high school Erline went to Washington DC and worked in the FBI fingerprinting division while Keith served in the Korean War. It was shortly after Keith returned from the Korean War in December of 1952 that the two met up again and married in January of 1953 in Walla Walla, Washington. The pair then moved to Corvallis where Keith finished school under the GI bill. Erline and Keith raised 4 children and in 1970 they settled in Sandpoint, Idaho where they purchased their first home. After the children were raised Erline studied and earned her nursing degree as an LPN and worked at the Sandpoint Manor where she cared for the elderly. Erline’s hobbies included leading Campfire and Girl Scouts, gardening, huckleberry picking, fishing, camping and cooking. In retirement Erline enjoyed traveling across the country with Keith while they met with distant relatives and visited various sites to collect family history stories & photos which she carefully organized and filed. Erline was preceded in death by: John and Helen Hess (parents); Evelyn Fox (sister), Everett Hess (brother), Agnes Hess (sister) Erline was also preceded in death by Joy Price (neighbor and dear friend). Erline is survived by her beloved husband Keith of 61 years; her daughter Susan-Hawn Smith (Harold); her son Lowell K. Hawn (Sucha); her daughter Carmel V. Hawn; her daughter Laurie A. Sheldon (Dave); and her two grandchildren Erika Sheldon and Mitchell Sheldon. The family would like to extend a special Thank You in appreciation for the courteous and highly professional care given to Erline Hawn by The Cottage Staff at Valley Vista.