Joella Sausen, 83

Joella Felicie Smith Sausen, 83, passed away May 13, 2023, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She was born April 3, 1940, in Minneapolis, Minn., to Faith Bevernick Smith (late Faith Bevernick Claxton) and Webster DeRoyce Smith. Through her father’s line, she was a direct descendant of William Bradford of the Mayflower.

She spent her early years in Palos Verdes, Calif. Joella earned a nursing degree and a speech pathology degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she was a member of the social sorority Delta Delta Delta and Mensa, the International High-IQ Society.

She also lived in Germany for a time, where she was able to travel around Europe and research her family history.

She worked as a Speech Therapist and nurse in Illinois, California and Ketchikan, Alaska, where she met and married the late William Sausen. After 25 years, they moved to Coeur d’Alene to care for her mother.

Joella was an avid reader. She loved Jesus and shared her faith with those around her. She is survived by her cousins, Andrea Hilburn Yates and Dr. Jeffrey Woody Hilburn and family in Indianapolis, Ind.; her niece, Elisa Burks and family in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; her special “daughter,” Sarah Cool in Missoula, Mont.; and her sister, Pamella Hupp and family in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Joella’s final resting place is beside her beloved, Bill, at Forest Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene.