Mary Lou Naccarato (Ballou), 84

Mary Lou Naccarato (Ballou), 84, born Sept. 27, 1927, passed away peacefully at her home with her family around her on Dec. 18, 2011.

Mary Lou was born in Spenser, Neb., to Vi and Skeet Ballou and traveled west with her family to North Idaho in 1934 in a covered wagon with rubber tires. The Ballou family resided at Grouse Creek, Pack River and Kootenai before settling in Dover.

Mary Lou graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1945 and then from Cain Beauty School in 1946. She then moved to Priest River in 1947 to work as a beautician in a beauty salon behind Redmond's Barbershop on Main Street. In April 1948 she met Robert Naccarato and they were married on Dec. 11, 1948, and celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary 10 days ago. They resided in Priest River for two years and moved to the original Naccarato Homestead in 1950 then to the family home and ranch in the Settlement for the past 61 years.

On the family ranch Mary Lou and Robert raised four children, Mike, Candy, Shelley and Carla. She is survived by her husband, Robert; children: Mike and Evie Naccarato, Lewiston; Candy and Darrel Turner, Priest River; Shelley and David Brooks, Priest River, Carla and Jerry Sinclair, Coeur d'Alene; 12 grandchildren: Nick and Koreen Brooks, Lebanon, Ore.; Joel Naccarato, Spokane; Amy (Lund) and Lonnie Mader, Lewiston; Jason and Melissa Lund, Rathdrum; Rob Brooks, Moscow; Brett and Randi Naccarato, Sandpoint; Mauri (Brooks) and Mike Knott, Moscow; Nathan Sinclair, Las Vegas; MacKenzie Sinclair, Phoenix; Jessie (Turner) and Matt Smith, Murrells Inlet, S.C.; Lacy Turner, Murrells Inlet; Kit Turner, Murrells Inlet; foreign exchange student, Juan Romero and wife, Kim and sons; 16 great-grandchildren: Melony (Goforth) and Brian McKnight, Logan and Lane Brooks, Cooper and Casey Brooks, Jacob, Hailey and McKenna Knott, Samantha, Graydon, and Savana Mader, Cash and Paisley Lund, Magen Goforth and John, Mandy (Goforth) Casey, Braedyn Head; and five great-great-grandchildren. Also survived by sisters, Gloria and Elaine; brothers Buck and Wally; and a multitude of nieces and nephews; and hundreds of adopted children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Vi and Forrest (Skeet) Ballou; her dearly loved father and mother-in-law, Teddy and Flora Naccarato; her sisters, Belva, Cleo and Toots; and brothers, Joe and Bernard.

In 1956 Mary Lou and Teresa Re opened the Cut N Curl Beauty Salon and operated it until the late '60s. Mary Lou was forced to retire from the beauty profession and went to work for the Bonner County School District in 1971. She became the kitchen manager for Priest River Elementary in 1978 and started serving the high school students at Priest River Lamanna High School in the new cafeteria in 1988 and retired from that position in 1999. She watched seven of her 12 grandchildren play sports and graduate from the high school during this time.

Mary Lou was a good Lutheran who became a very devout and strong Catholic and a member of Saint Catherine's Catholic Church. She was confirmed with her son, Mike, in 1963. She was an active member of the Altar Society and Ladies Guild and served as an officer for many years and also as a deanery delegate. She worked on many of the renown Italian Dinners held at the Catholic Church and learned the art of Italian cooking first hand. Mary Lou was also a member of the Bonner/Boundary Cattlewomen Association and Eastern Star. She also served as both project and resource leader in the Bonner County 4-H program for more than 40 years and, in her later years she led her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She served as a judge for static projects and for Know Your Government. Mary Lou was also very active in the local schools. She was known for her undying dedication to the communities' youth. She was chairperson of the local Girl's & Boy's State for more than 19 years and was responsible for sending many Priest River student delegates to Boise State Convention each June. Mary Lou and Robert also have sponsored an annual scholarship for a PRLHS graduate for the past 14 years.

One of Mary Lou's passions was sports. She dreamed of always being either a P.E. or a home economics teacher and played sports throughout her high school years. She also coached girls' softball and soccer and served on the Spartan Adult Booster Club. She sponsored, organized, and prepared sports banquets and dinners for Priest River High School Athletes for many years. During the '80s and '90s Mary Lou made lunches and special treats for the high school traveling teams.

In more than 40 years Mary Lou only missed five home games and kept stats on all the teams starting with her son and through her grandchildren and great-grandchildren through all their sports years. She said, "That is how I watch the games and beside I have the right stats." In her later years she also kept stats for all of the televised basketball games of her beloved GU Zags. In 1990 Mary Lou was the recipient of the Idaho High School Activities and Athletic Association Distinguished Service Award as Sport Booster of the Year.

Mary Lou loved reading, gardening, saying her daily prayers, needlepoint, cooking for all and living on the ranch. Every summer Robert had no problem getting and keeping a hay crew because of Mary Lou cooking. They always knew they would be well fed not once but twice a day. In fact, Mary Lou was so well known for her cooking that saying her name made your mouth water. It was her Italian mother-in-law, Flora, that helped turn her into one of the best cooks in the region. She was best known for her lasagna, breads and cinnamon rolls, and Italian sauces, her red velvet cake, and Italian scalidi and turdilli to name but a few.

Mary Lou and Robert were named Bonner/Boundary Beef Family of the Year in 2005 and Bonner County Fair Queen in 2008. She loved the spring time on the ranch with the new crop of baby calves.

In the summer of 2011 Mary Lou became the recipient of the Medtronic Carevalve to replace a damage aorta valve through a non-invasive surgical procedure and as part of a special medical study at the Clinics Northwest. She was the 31st to receive the special heart valve in the Spokane region and the 165th in the USA. The surgery was a success but Mary Lou's battle was lost from other health complications.

Mary Lou loved her family, the Lord, her dear friends, John Wayne, The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Going My Way. Robert often referred to her lovingly as "Matilda" or "Your Ma." "Ma" is resting peacefully in the arms of the Lord. May she perpetually Rest In Peace.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation and gratitude to the following: Dr. Rink and staff and the Clinic Northwest; Dr. Siwek and Katie Crawford; Dr. Joshi and staff, Liberty Dialysis; Kootenai Medical Center ICCU staff; Sandcreek Medical Supply; Barb Adkins for their loving care of our wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt.

Memorials may be made to the Mary Lou and Robert Naccarato Scholarship Fund, the Idaho Children's Trust; or the St. Catherine's Knights of Columbus Restoration Fund.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held at 11 a.m. today, Dec. 22, 2011, at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Priest River. A celebration of her life and dinner reception immediately following at Priest River Lamanna High cafeteria.

Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home, Priest River, is in charge of the arrangements. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at sherman-knapp.com.