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William Chesney Moe, 82

William Chesney Moe, 82, of Spirit Lake, Idaho, passed away on May 7, 2019, at his home. William was born Sept. 2, 1936, in National City, Calif. His parents, Clarence Oscar Moe and Mona Ruth McCleese, raised him and his identical twin, Robert, in Chula Vista, Calif.

He graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1955. He and Robert went to work as cowboys in Payson, Ariz. Looking back, theirs was probably the last of the cowboy generations; all they had was a horse to do the job. Nowadays we see cowboys using cell phones, ATVs and helicopters. He would go back to work a second time as a cowboy after he served in the Navy, that time near Yuma, Ariz.

Upon his return to California he joined the Navy. After boot camp and training as a hospital corpsman and a dental technician, he was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force, a branch of the Navy where physicians and dentists and their support staff were assigned to the U.S. Marines. He spent about a year and a half with the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa. He was then assigned to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California. In 1959, he entered the U.S. Navy Reserve and served for the next 16 years. During this time he worked at General Dynamics in San Diego on the Atlas Missile Program as site dispatcher.

In 1964, he married Sharon DeJarnett and they were blessed with a daughter, Kimberley, and a son, William. After their divorce in 1982, he married Juanita Navarro and her two children, Susy (Kraft) and Adam Navarro. They moved to North Idaho, where they welcomed their youngest daughter, Katie (Cleveland).

William had many accomplishments. He was a professional dog trainer — training Labrador retrievers, judging field and obedience trials and conducting dog obedience classes for 20 years. He studied for, and became, a pilot with a Commercial Multi-Engine Rating and flew charters throughout Southern California. He also entered the government service arena for one year, serving as the Mayor of Spirit Lake, Idaho. William’s hobbies were stamp collecting and bird watching, which he started doing in 1966. He had a “Life List” of more than 400 birds.

William leaves behind his wife, Juanita, of 36 years; three daughters, Kim (Connie) from Airway Heights, Wash., Susy of Salem, Ore. and Katie (Joey) of Hayden, Idaho; as well as two sons, Bill (Denise) of Ramona, Calif. and Adam (Elaine) of Keizer, Ore. His grandchildren have given him many years of joy. There are seven grandsons, Drew Sand, Austin Moe, Cody Felts, Adam Moe, Mason King, Aaron Moe and Johnny Cleveland. He has two beautiful granddaughters, Anna and Ellis Navarro. He also leaves behind his twin brother, Robert (Carolyn) of Schwenksville, Pa.; brother, Jim (Gayle) of Carlsbad, Calif. and sister, Connie (Gary) Earls of Chula Vista.

A visitation will be held from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2019, at Yates Funeral Home – Hayden Chapel, 373 E. Hayden Ave. A graveside service is planned for 11:15 a.m. on Friday, May 31, 2019, at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, Wash. The memorial service will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 15151 N. Meyer Road, Rathdrum, Idaho.

Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit William’s online memorial and sign his guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com