Obituary - Esther M. Wilson

Esther Wilson Of Genesee Dies at Gritman

GENESEE - Esther M. Wilson, 70, who, with her late husband, owned and operated the Wilson Drug store in Genesee, died early yesterday morning at Gritman Hospital.

She had been a patient there for 11 days, and had undergone surgery. Mrs. Wilson, who was confined to a wheelchair for the past several years, had been in two car accidents in her mature years. The effects of these had caused her health to deteriorate.

Mrs. Wilson was born Aug. 4, 1906, in Colfax, to Grant and Lula Clark. Her father owned the drug store in Genesee that she and her husband later modernized and operated. She married Frank H. Wilson Nov. 30, 1934, in Spokane.

The couple lived there for several years, and returned to Genesee in 1950 to operate the drug store. She continued to run it after her husband's death in 1967. Before entering Gritman, Mrs. Wilson resided in the family home in Genesee.

Mrs. Wilson was active in community affairs. She belonged to the Genesee Catholic Church and to the Pythian Sisters. She was well known locally for her wit and caustic sense of humor.

Survivors include a son, Donald M., Oxnard, Calif.

Scripture services and Mass will be conducted jointly by the Rev. Bryce McProud of the Genesee Community Church, and Father Bill Dohman of St. Mary's Catholic Church. The services will be Thursday night at 8:30 and Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, both at the catholic [sic] church.

Burial will be in the Geneseee [sic] City Cemetery.

The family suggests memorials be made to a charity of the donor's choice.

Short's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Unknown newspaper, (handwritten date Tuesday, August 31, 1976)
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock

Funeral Services Held Aug. 30 for Esther Wilson

Joint scripture and mass for Esther Wilson, 70, who passed away Aug. 30 at Gritman hospital were held on Thursday evening and Friday morning at St. Mary's Catholic church. Fr. Bill Dohman and Rev. Bryce McProud officiated.

Mrs. Mary Louise Esser was organist and Mrs. Crystal Allen soloist.

Pallbearers were D.F. Scharnhorst, Lloyd Esser, Gene Grieser, Wm. Browning, Ray Johann and Joe Kalafus.

Burial in Genesee City Cemetery.

Esther, the daughter of Grant and Lula Clark was born August 4, 1906 at Colfax, Washington.

She received her education in Genesee and Colton schools.

On November 30, 1934 she married Frank Wilson at Spokane. Following their marriage they continued to live in Spokane before moving to Genesee in 1950 to operate the drug store here. She continued to operate the business until her husbands [sic] death in 1967.

Esther was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and Pythian Sisters.

Survivors include a son, Donald M. Wilson of Oxnard, California.

Unknown newspaper, (handwritten date September 2, 1976)
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock

Letter to the Editor

Moscow, Idaho
September 3, 1976
Dear Editor:

Esther Clark Wilson is gone. It is hard for me to realize. Her laughter and often caustic comment are stilled and I shall miss her. She was such fun!

She and I started first grade in school together. The room was in the new building, the red brick now part of the larger structure, located first door to the right on entering the school. Our teacher was Isabel Wells, niece of Mrs. John Larabee, the grocer whose store always smelled so good with everything for sale from leather goods to the delicious cookies in the glass-fronted drawer that had lots of coconut and pink coloring. Others in that class were Jack Nebelsieck, LeRoy Harris, Francis Bumpass, Fred Dicus, Rowena Hanson (Luedke), Esther Hickman (Hanson), Effie Westensee (cousin of Florence Rader (Harris), Verna Geltz (Kalafus), and others, I'll kick myself for not remembering right away. We loved Miss Wells. Verna had had polio and needed help to walk. It was a great honor to escort her, and Esther Clark was usually chosen. in fact, those girls were inseparable at that time. Verna was our prettiest girl and Esther was the most lively.

To be invited to her house for a meal was pure joy. Mrs. Clark was a good cook--made wonderful dessert and the best mashed potatoes. She was such a well-groomed woman with her hair always done becomingly and frequently a close veil over her face in a most attractive way. In the afternoons she often joined her husband in their drug store, still marked and prominent on our main street. Grant Clark was a character. He was a hunter of great skill. The store was bordered by magnificent trophies of moose, elk, deer, mountain goat and sheep, etc. They kind of scared a little girl, but not as much as the stuffed heads on the many skin-rugs in their living room. One, a mounted cougar head had the reddest mouth and the longest teeth I ever saw. Esther could get under that rug and let the head dangle over her eyes and roar her best little girl growl, and chill one's very marrow! There was always a lovely piano in that front room, too, and we had great fun thumping it with "Peter, Peter, Punkin Eater." Later both of us learned to play it properly and went on to church, weddings, funerals and numerous recitals.

Esther was sent to school at an early age to St. Scholastica's Academy in Colton. It was a boarding school and we saw little of her until vacations. Then she knocked us all dead with her very latest style. If a circular skirt called for a hip pocket, she had it. And if that pocket was supposed to have a hankie with dangled below one's hem, hers came down to the middle of her calf. All worn with the merriest twinkle in her eye. She loved everybody and talked to everybody from then until the last I saw her. Which was not long ago when in June I went to a family gathering at Mark Zenner's and called on Esther coming home. She was talking on the phone to her good neighbor Cleo Taylor Edwards. They were great friends. Coming to the door I was greeted with such warmth and enthusiasm. She did her routine on getting out of the nursing home in Moscow. It took much doing, but she managed, encouraging others to do the same by exercise and balance between her wheel chair and whatever solid support came to hand. "I made it, too!" then she added, "When I left to come home the nurses cried and I cried." That was like her. She never approached anything lightly. Now that sparkle is gone, but I shall look forward to meeting her again somewhere some how, because she was lots of fun!

Sincerely,
Grace Jain Wicks

Unknown newspaper, (no date)
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock