Audrey Fredstrom, 95

Audrey Fredstrom, 95, passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Saturday morning, July 9, 2005, at the Valley Vista Care Center.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 14, 2005, at Coffelt's Moon Chapel with Pastor Brian Noble from the Sandpoint Assembly of God Church officiating. Burial will be at Pinecrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Born Cleo Audrey Van Patten, the daughter of Vede and Elsie VanPatten on Sept. 11, 1909, in What Cheer, Iowa.

Audrey had been a resident of Sandpoint and the surrounding area since she was 8 years old, when her family moved to Idaho from Iowa. She attended Kootenai School and Sandpoint High School, where she walked three miles each way.

When still in her teens, she met Malcom "Moppy" Fredstrom and they were married on Dec. 23, 1927. They were blessed with three sons, Malcolm Neal, Darrell Alex and Bruce Arbie.

They were divorced in 1942. While on her own as a single mom, Audrey worked many jobs, including the laundry and Dub's Bakery.

Hard work paid off and Audrey was able to purchase a large home for her and her boys at 719 N. Third Ave. in Sandpoint.

Besides raising her family there, some rooms were converted for boarders. The rooms were often rented to the military families stationed at Camp Farragut.

Audrey made many enduring friends during this busy time of her life. She corresponded with some of them up until her death.

While running the boarding house, she met Chester Buckout. He was retiring from the Navy at the time. They were married and shared nearly 40 years together until "Buck" passed away in 1981.

After Buck's death, Audrey and Malcom, now both widowers, rekindled their romance. They remarried and were together until Malcolm passed away in 1998.

Audrey loved to bake all kinds of goodies and serve them to guests in her home. She enjoyed both knitting and crochet and did very intricate work. She loved flowers, and always had a garden, until tending one became too difficult for her.

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Thema Lake and Lois Ellison; a son, Neal; two grandsons and both husbands.

She is survived by two sons, Darrell and his wife, Rose, of Sagle, Idaho, and Bruce and his wife, Lori, of New Brunswick, Canada; her sister-in-law, Francis Fredstrom; 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren; and very dear friends, Debbie Kemp of Sandpoint, and Bud and Margaret Thompson of Spokane.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Coffelt Funeral Service of Sandpoint.