Darlene J. Dionne, 87
Darlene J. Dionne, 87, of Priest River, Idaho, passed away on March 12, 2020, due to complications of congestive heart failure, with her family by her side.
Darlene was born and raised in Priest River to parents Edwin and Ethel Peterson. She enjoyed her small-town childhood with her siblings Leona, Daunice, Shirley, Duane and Karen.
After high school she attended and graduated from Kinman Business University in Spokane, Wash. She worked as a bookkeeper at Central Pre-Mix, where she met Sherman Dionne.
They married in 1955 and shared 54 years together before his passing in 2009.
Sherman and Darlene had three children: Scott, Craig and Yvonne. The family moved to Moscow, Idaho, in 1965. Darlene was the ultimate homemaker and stayed home to raise her children on a short rural street called “Dave’s Avenue.” The Dionne house was the neighborhood hangout for the other neighbor children where they could enjoy the family’s acreage behind the house, playing baseball, riding motorcycles, snowmobiling and whatever other mischief kids could come up with.
She enjoyed cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, crocheting, reading, gardening, camping and doting on her children. The Dionne children have many fond memories of the family vacations every summer in their motorhome.
The family later relocated to Hayden Lake, where Sherman and Darlene spent more than 30 years together in the family home.
Darlene was a strong person and a fighter. In the early 1980s she survived stage-4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The family is so grateful that she pulled through and went on to see the birth of her first grandchildren, Emilee and Riley Plank. She was a very caring grandma and was a big part of their lives and shaping them into the people they are today.
In addition to Emilee and Riley she had four other grandchildren. There are Scott’s children Colette and Simone, and Craig’s children Brenan and Carter. Although she did not get to spend as much time with them as they lived out of state, she was always worrying about them and was with them in spirit.
Darlene is survived by her children, Scott Dionne and Peishan Shieh (Portland, Ore.), Craig Dionne and Shay Bachman (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Yvonne Dionne (Coeur d’Alene); one remaining sibling, Duane Peterson of Priest River, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Edwin and Ethel Peterson; and siblings Leona Baker, Daunice Baker, Shirley Wylie and Karen Heffling.
She had relocated back to her hometown of Priest River a few years ago, where she was able to enjoy spending time with her younger sister, Shirley Wylie, and younger brother, Duane Peterson. The three remaining siblings were known to relatives as the “3 Musketeers,” spending as much time together as they could. Her dear sister, Shirley, and best friend passed away two years prior. Darlene and Duane continued the family legacy, residing on Old Priest River Road.
She enjoyed living with her younger brother, Duane, and cooking for him. They lived in the country where she fed her deer every night from the deck of their house.
The people that were blessed to have known Darlene will remember her selfless, and caring nature. She will be truly missed.
The family would like to thank the staff at Kootenai Health and the Hospice House of Coeur d’Alene for their excellent care of Darlene; and to her niece Liz Barker who helped out tremendously with her care the past couple of years.
The family is planning a celebration of life for Darlene, to be held at the Senior Center in Priest River this upcoming summer. More details will follow on Facebook and the newspaper.
Please visit Darlene’s memorial and sign her online guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.
