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Laura Plumlee Coffman, 95

Laura Plumlee Coffman passed away quietly on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, into the great mystery. If there is a self-awareness she carried into it, her family hopes she found it to be another “butterfly moment” as she called them and wrote about in books; the sudden, unbidden moments of wonder and joy the universe/God offers as reminders of the goodness, life and love that she understood life was intended to be.

Born March 4, 1924, Laura was seventh out of nine surviving babies born to Elizabeth and Harvey Plumlee, farmers of Manhattan, Mont., and second youngest of two children born after her father survived being shot in the back by a hired man. After losing the farm to the drought and depression of the 1930s, Harvey found work in Bozeman, where Laura began school. She and all her siblings excelled in school; Laura especially loved science and music. They all eventually graduated from Montana State College (MSU), even after serving in various capacities in World War II.

While working at an armory as a drafting technician in Rock Island, Ill., Laura and a coworker, Wayne Coffman, met and fell in love. Wayne soon joined the Navy and was assigned as a weatherman to Point Barrow, Alaska, and Laura returned to school. They were married in Bozeman on March 25, 1945, shortly before the war ended. After the war, Wayne de-enlisted and they both started college, living with Laura’s parents until graduation. During that time, daughter, Karen, and son, Gary, were born. Wayne was disappointed by the unavailability of architectural jobs (his degree), but was employed by the U.S. Weather Service. He was assigned to Butte, where youngest son, Carl, was born, and then to Billings, where Laura obtained a teaching certificate and taught science and French. They remained in Billings throughout their careers and their children’s school years.

After retirement and several trips abroad, they adventurously left many friends to seek warmer climes. In Green Valley, Ariz., they found a new, beloved community at the Presbyterian Church. Their life in Green Valley became a period of spiritual deepening for both of them and Laura began writing as part of their adult spiritual growth classes. They remained both politically centrist and progressive in their faith. Laura’s writings gained an audience, being passed friend to friend, so her pastor encouraged her to write a book; “Butterfly Moments” was the first of three books she wrote.

After their years in Green Valley, Wayne and Laura felt age creeping up on them and decided to move closer to family. Once again, they left friends and moved to Coeur d’Alene to be near son, Gary, and family. Once again, Laura and Wayne found community at the Presbyterian Church and Laura found fans of her book that encouraged her to write another.

Wayne soon began to decline in health and after many struggles, died on their 64th anniversary, on March 25, 2009. After losing Wayne, Laura maintained an independent life until 2017, when she moved to the Village at Orchard Ridge. It was a wonderful new home to her, but the move was difficult and she found life’s changes more and more difficult to adjust to. There, after saying goodbye to each of her last three siblings, she prepared herself for her own withdrawal from life. Though death eluded her longer than she hoped, Laura never lost her loving spirit and appreciation of the butterfly moments she still watched for.

Laura is survived by children Karen (Joe) Loos, Gary (Becky) Coffman and Carl Coffman (Cheryl Sterns); grandchildren Talia Loos (Alyx Kesselring, Nada Djordjevic), Elizabeth Loos (David Jolley), Jeremy Steffman (Merissa Watkins), Kenneth Caswell-Steffman (Vera Hawley), Camber Coffman (Doug Bonesteel); and great-grandchildren Dexter and Silas Bonesteel.

A memorial service for Laura is 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, at First Presbyterian Church, 521 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814.

Please visit Laura’s online memorial at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.