Floyd C. Cardwell, 83

Tugboat Captain of the Florence Lee

Former St. Maries resident Floyd Clyde Cardwell, a resident of Hayden died Oct. 30, 2012 following a long battle with COPD and Cancer.

He was born Feb. 9, 1929, to in Tekoa to Clyde and Rosa (Davis) Cardwell of Sanders.

The family moved to Oregon where Floyd, at the age 13, Floyd helped his dad on the ships in the Columbia River.

In 1945, at age 16, Floyd enlisted in the Merchant Marines. He had a year of adventure on the Merchant Marine ship seeing ports all over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. After his time with the Merchant Marines he hopped a boxcar on a train to Oregon where he once again worked on ships on the Columbia River.

Around 1946-1947, Floyd and his dad made their way to St. Maries where they started logging and were able to move the rest of the family here.

In 1948, Floyd met and married Geraldine Hill.

Floyd continued to work logging and in 1949 his son Randy was born. Three years later his daughter, Carole was born.

In 1954, Floyd went back to his real love of working on the tugboats and was employed with Lafferty Transportation Co. He captained the Pine Cat/Mary Louise. His tugboat took the logs private contractors dumped into the St. Joe River, towed them past St. Maries to Lake Coeur d’Alene. The logs were stored temporarily at the bay near Conklin Park and twice each month the tugs made the 30-hour trip to the mill at the north end of the lake.

During the 1970s, however, he did take a short time off from the ships to buy and run a fleet of trucks for long-haul trucking. He then returned to the tugboats, now owned by Foss Maritime, where he captained “The Florence Lee” until he retired.

In his retirement, he enjoyed woodworking. He made beautiful cabinets and outdoor furniture. He could make anything with wood and was a true craftsman. He and his wife loved birds, and Floyd made many birdhouses for his wife to paint and decorate. His children and grandchildren and many neighbors all enjoy his birdhouses or woodworking projects he gave as gifts.

Floyd had a love for horses. He and his dad had a team of horses they logged with and Floyd especially loved his Tennessee Walker, “Stormy.” He was also an avid hunter and loved to fish. He loved working outdoors in his yard.

Survivors include his wife, Geraldine (Jeri), at their home in Hayden; his son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Kathy of Hayden; and his daughter and son-in-law, Carole and Richard Harwood of St. Maries. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, Charles Harwood, Travis Harwood, Jannell Farrell, Anthony Cardwell, Tom Belway, Sarah Belway and Shawnee Kraack; 14 great-grandchildren and his brother, Leonard Cardwell of Spokane. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde and Rosa Cardwell; and his sisters, Shirley and Glenna.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, at the Eagles Lodge in St. Maries downstairs. The family suggests memorial contributions in Floyd’s name to River City Hospice in Post Falls.

Visit the online memorial and sign his guest book at www.belltowerfuneralhome.com.