Obituary - Elmer A. Durheim

Elmer A. Durheim was born on July 29, 1915, at Ellendale, N.D., to August and Ellen Turnwall Durheim. He lived there until 1931, when he moved to Ritzville, Wash., where he worked on a dairy. It was there that he met Marie Nyberg, his future wife. Elmer and Marie were married on Dec. 23, 1938. Soon after their wedding the couple moved to Troy, where Elmer began working for the Pacific Railroad. He worked for the railroad for seven years.

In 1945 he quit the railroad and started his own business, Troy Dray and Fuel. He sold coal, firewood, presto-logs, and delivered groceries. He also had a dump truck that he used to haul gravel and picked up the garbage in Troy. Elmer had this business until 1958, when he began several years of employment with the city of Troy. While working for the city, he had several job titles. He started out as the city sewer, water and street superintendent. Later he would become the city police chief, city judge and city clerk. After he retired from working for the city, he was elected as a city councilor and kept that position for 10 years. Even after he resigned from being a city councilor he continued to give valuable help and information for the city employees, concerning location of sewer and water lines, water meters, manholes, etc.

Elmer was also very active in the Troy Church of the Nazarene. Early on he helped dig the basement to the present church. He would often use his truck to move a new pastor from their previous church to their new home in Troy. Many pastors found several cords of wood delivered to their home that Elmer had cut, on his own, to furnish the pastor's family with winter heat. Elmer had the incredible achievement of being the church's Sunday school secretary for a total of 72 years! He also received the Nazarene Church's Distinguished Service Award, not just once, but twice.

He and his wife, Marie, enjoyed a much calmer life until her death in 2006. Elmer then continued to live by himself until just before his 96th birthday, when he moved to Boise to live with his daughter.

On Oct. 24, 2011, Elmer was transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Meridian, Idaho, where he passed away at 1:15 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2011.

Elmer was preceded in death by his parents, August and Ellen Durheim; his wife, Marie; a granddaughter, Linda Wheelock; three brothers, Roy, Les and Al; and sister, Frances.

He is survived by a brother of Spokane; three children ofBoise, Diamond Bar, Calif., and Nampa; five grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Short's Funeral Chapel in Moscow. Burial will follow at the Moscow Cemetery. A reception and time of fellowship will be at the Troy Nazarene Church following the graveside.

The family suggests memorials be made to the Troy Church of the Nazarene.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Short's Funeral Chapel of Moscow, and online condolences may be sent to www.shortsfuneralchapel.net.

Lewiston Tribune, October 26, 2011, p. 7C
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock