Leta M. Chaney

Leta M. Chaney, 96, passed away on Saturday, March 3, 2007, in Sandpoint, Idaho. A Memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Scottie was born July 25, 1910 in Gentry, Arkansas; she was the second of seven children (5 girls and 2 boys) born to Nancy Roller Welborn and Stroud W. Welborn. The family moved to Sandpoint in 1917, arriving on the Great Northern Railroad. She married Arlie G. Chaney in 1927. Arlie worked in the lumber industry skidding logs with horses. Later they purchased their own truck and “gypo” logged. Arlie and Scottie had three sons: Ron, Dale, and Arlen. The family moved to Kellogg, Idaho in 1944 after logging jobs around Sandpoint became more difficult to find. After retiring in 1975, they built and operated a car wash business in Kellogg for a few years. They then began living in Mesa, Arizona during the winter months, bought land at Capehorn, near Bayview, and built a beautiful home over-looking Lake Pend Oreille. They lived on the lake for several years, and then bought a home on Olive Street in Sandpoint where they spent the summer months. The outdoors always was an important part of Arlie and Scottie’s lives. They commercial fished on Pend Oreille for whitefish in the 30s and 40s then for Blueback (Kokanee) for many years in the 50s and 60s and sport fished for Cutthroat and Kamloop. Few people knew and enjoyed the lake as much as they did. They were always active with their horses, riding or hiking into mountain lakes, smoking fish, hunting, huckleberrying, traveling, always on the go. Scottie was a excellent bridge player and has accumulated many master points from years of bridge tournaments in Arizona. She loved her vegetable and flower gardens and always raised raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, pears, apples and was a champion pie baker and accomplished canner. The family lovingly referred to Scottie and Arlie as “Nana and Papa”, they were always inseparable. Arlie died in 1995. She continued to live on Olive Street for several years then moved to the Alpine Vista Apartments for a few years where she made many friends and enjoyed working in her rose garden and looking after her cat, Mitsy. She then moved to the Beehive in April 2005. Her oldest son, Ron and his wife Rose live in Sandpoint; he was the mayor of Sandpoint for six years and is now semi-retired. Arlen, her youngest son is retired and lives in Sun Valley, Idaho. Scottie has 6 grandchildren and 11 great- grandchildren, all of whom love her very much and cherish all the happy memories associated with having such a marvelous, caring, supportive, loving, mother, grandmother and great–grandmother.