Irene Mae (Drapeau) Lundbeck, 92
1917-2010
In loving memory of Irene Lundbeck. Irene was a lifelong Idaho resident. Her occupation was homemaker. She passed away Feb. 17, 2010, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at the age of 92.
Irene was born Dec. 16, 1917, in Nampa, Idaho, to Ivy and Eldemore Drapeau, the second of 12 children. Irene grew up in a number of Idaho towns as her father followed mining, railroad and farming jobs. She spent most of her adult life in Kellogg, Idaho, and in Coeur d’Alene. She was married to Nick Moseanko from 1938 to 1949. She met and married Daniel (Donnie) Lundbeck in Kellogg in 1951.
Irene is survived by her four children, Beverly Lenke, Albert Lundbeck, Darrell Lundbeck, Sandra Swank and her siblings, Ronald Drapeau, Orville Drapeau and Vera Otterson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donnie and by her siblings, Karl, Kenny, Elmer, Brian, Edwin, Delbert, Dempsey and Laveta.
Irene left school at a young age to help the family on the farm. However she continued her self-education throughout her life and was quite proud of her education, vocabulary and letter-writing skills. Mom was a mischievous “character” who never met a stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone. She often told jokes, but couldn’t ever get to the punch-line because she always started laughing before she could finish the joke. Her laughter is something we’ll always remember her for. We could always locate her at any function simply by standing by and waiting to hear the peal of her laughter. She loved her bowling and won many trophies.
Mom was generous with her friends and family. She always strove to give her kids the things she never had as a child and the gifts she gave showed her great love, imagination and thoughtfulness. She bought a piano for the kid’s music lessons, taxied us around town for school activities and sporting events and even drove us to Lookout Pass and while we skied she entertained the other gathered parents.
Mom loved her trees, flowers and garden. She and her husband Donnie had two huge gardens that supplied the family with more fresh food than they could possibly eat. She canned more fruits and vegetables than Del Monte. She kept herself and Dad constantly busy planting and replanting trees, shrubs and flowers. She loved her Pulaski pick-ax and wielded it enthusiastically well into her 80s.
She knitted and crocheted hundreds of dollies, pillow covers and afghan blankets which she generously gave away to her children, friends and relatives.
Mom was a great animal lover who especially loved dogs. She was a “dog whisperer” who understood and could train any dog. She was particularly proud of the trick she taught her dog, Cookie, to swipe dollar bills from any wallet or purse left carelessly around. She loved any TV show that featured animals but always got mad at the predator animals as they went about securing their meal.
She and her husband, Donnie, were huge baseball fans, attending hundreds of Spokane Indian baseball games and always staying until the last out, no matter how many extra innings the game went. A highlight of her 80s was a flight to Seattle with box seats to the Seattle Mariners followed by a train ride home through Portland, Ore., and Spokane.
Mom was an amazing cook who put a wonderful, nutritious meal on the table every night of the week. But her specialty was her baking. Her home was often filled with the wonderful smells of her amazing baked goods. No one made homemade bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, pies and cakes like Mom. But she could never teach us to cook or bake like her because her recipes were mostly in her head and her secret was the love she put into her cooking.
Irene was a Christian who attended church regularly until her husband, Donnie, was injured and paralyzed as a passenger in an auto accident en route to work. Irene then became her husband’s 24-hour a day, seven days a week caretaker. Irene was extremely proud of the fact that she took care of her husband at home by herself for 20 years until his death in June 1990. Irene was a very caring person and was very strong emotionally, spiritually and physically. Well into her 80s she had a grip like a logger and could out-work any of her kids. She was an amazing woman who touched everyone she met. She will be greatly missed.
Special thanks to the people of Hospice, N.O.S.D.A., and the kind people at Pinewood Care Center.
A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene. Donations may be given in Irene’s name to the Kootenai Humane Society.
Please visit Irene’s memorial and sign her online guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.