Carol Ann (Nelson) Moens Couch, 85

Carol Ann (Nelson) Moens Couch, 85, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, died peacefully at home on Sept. 29, 2015.

Carol was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1930, to Lila and Everett Nelson. The Nelsons moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1931, where Carol and her two brothers, Bill and Frank, grew up. She graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1948.

She attended Whitworth University School of Nursing after high school, graduating in 1951 as a Registered Nurse. She spent most of her nursing career at the Panhandle Health District in Coeur d’Alene, where she was the Director of Nursing until her retirement in 1990.

After nursing school she met Digby Moens, an outgoing and gregarious man who stole her heart. They married and had four children. Both had adventurous spirits and during the course of their marriage they lived in Cuba and Costa Rica, before settling in Hayden Lake, Idaho. They eventually went their separate ways but remained friends until his passing in 2002.

Anyone who knew Carol knew how much she loved sports and the outdoors. She was an avid skier, biker, tennis player and horseback rider. She was never happier than when she was going Mach 3 down the junior racing hill at Schweitzer, or hitting tennis balls with Louie Spinazza. Biking became her passion later in life and she logged quite a few treks across Europe as well as both coasts of the U.S. She was a hard woman to keep up with!

Carol loved helping people and was an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church for all of her adult life. Her faith was very important to her and she shared it with as many people as possible, freely giving of her time and financial resources. She will be greatly missed by so many. She met Jay Couch, the love of her life, in the mid-80s. They were married from 1988 until Jay’s death in 2007.

Carol was preceded in death by her mother and father, Lila and Everett Nelson; her husband, Jay Couch and her nephew, Kevin Nelson.

Carol is survived by her two brothers, Bill (Lee) Nelson of Twin Falls and Frank {Barbara} Nelson of Euclid, Ohio; her four children, Kelly Moens (Ray Bertoni) of Spokane, Wash., Tracy Moens of New Orleans, La., Mike Moons of Kalispell, Mont., and Chi Chi Moens of Cleveland, Ohio; her nieces, Kim Nelson Quesnell of Twin Falls and Jessica Nelson of Euclid; her nephew, Willie Nelson of Euclid; her five grandchildren, Aaron and Allison Bertoni, Megan and Connor Bowman, and Ashli Foster; her three great-grandchildren, Indica and Leo Reilley, and Zeike Foster; and her beloved wiener dog, Alice.

A memorial Mass was held Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Memorial donations may be made to St. Pius X Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene or the Humane Society in Hayden Lake.

Yates Funeral Home has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Carol’s online memorial at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com and sign her guest book.