Donna Charlyn 'Char' Kristin

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, Charlyn passed away peacefully at age 73 with family by her side. She was born on Feb. 12, 1947, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Harold and Donna May (Evans) Wise. Her family moved to Coeur d’Alene when Charlyn was 10 years old. She met her future husband, Bill, at Coeur d'Alene High School. Years later, they would smile at the fact that within their graduating class of 1965 he was “Mr. Shy“ and she was “Ms. Personality,“ but they were the perfect match. Charlyn and Bill were married in 1967. She went on to earn her BA in education with honors from the University of Idaho in 1968. She loved children and taught second grade in Pullman for two years before devoting her life to being a stay-at-home mom.

Charlyn enjoyed being active and her favorite place to be was outdoors, admiring nature. She owned her own hiking boots, ice skates, roller skates, roller blades, snowshoes, downhill skis, cross-country skis, road bike, city bike, golf clubs and clog dancing shoes. And she used them all, sometimes more than one on the same day. She appreciated all of the beauty the outdoors had to offer and took every opportunity to soak it in, capture it in photographs, and share her love of Mother Nature with others. She was quick to say “yes” and her zest for life and positivity were infectious. Charlyn/Char/Mom/Grandma/Goggy had an unparalleled ability of making every single person — especially kids — feel incredibly special and loved.

Charlyn will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 53 years, Bill; her three children: Mark (Heather), Staci (Chris Burke) and Shawna (Anders Hopperstead), her six grandchildren (whom she cherished): Sophie, Wilson, Sydney, Simon, Tekla and Gustav; her siblings, Ron (Marsha) Wise, Susan (John) Gundle and Brent (Debbie) Wise; sister-in-law, Kay; brother-in-law, Keith (Sarah); their children; cousins; and many, many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Robert “Bob” Wise.

Bill would like to thank the staff at Brookdale Nine Mile for their compassionate care.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date when it is safe to gather together. To celebrate Charlyn now, please take the time to appreciate a beautiful flower, a spider in an intricate web, a bird in a nest, or a child's laughter, and remember how much she treasured all the beauty that life has to offer. In lieu of flowers, a donation could be made in memory of Charlyn Kristin to an organization that makes you think of her and smile.