Alice Mae (Sheaffer) Wells, 95

Alice Wells, 95, of Boise, Idaho, passed away at a Boise care center on Oct. 29, 2005. Born April 24, 1910, to Edwin and Bertha Sheaffer in Carrington, N.D., Alice graduated from Carrington High School in 1929, and held various jobs in North Dakota before moving to the Flathead Valley in 1934.

She worked at the hospital off and on, helped build a log cabin at Nine Mile Lake, rented out boats, ran two trap lines, hunted, fished, picked huckleberries and loved living in the woods.

Alice met and fell in love with Virgil Wells, and they were married Nov. 26, 1938. They had a son, John, and daughter, Norma. They lived in Kalispell, Polson, Swan Lake and a short time in Eureka, Calif.

Their son John's untimely death in 1967 was devastating and left a huge void in their lives. In the mid-1980s, they moved to Washington state to be closer to Norma and her family. Virgil passed away in 1990, and Alice continued to live in Washington until she moved to Boise with her daughter and son-in-law in 2000.

Loving the outdoors, Alice and Virgil spent time hiking, camping, huckleberry picking, hunting and fishing. Photography was a favorite pastime, and in later years she used her photos to create beautiful oil paintings of the surrounding area. There was hardly an art or craft that Alice didn't try, and she enjoyed everything she pursued.

Alice is survived by her daughter, Norma, and Mike Sullivan of Boise; three sisters, Ima Donnell of Virginia Beach, Va., Jeanne Craig of Selah, Wash., and Kay and Jack Caughran of Post Falls, Idaho; brother, John, and Bobbette Sheaffer of Bothell, Wash.; eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Virgil; son, John Wells; five sisters, June Presnall, Luella Sersen, Daisy Schoenbechler, Fay Marxen and Betty Casey; brother, Edwin Sheaffer II; and her parents.

A graveside memorial service will be held in the spring in Bigfork, to be announced at a later date.