Loneita A. Atkinson, 54

Early Saturday morning, July 9, 2005, Loneita Ann Atkinson (Pitkin) passed away peacefully in her sleep after a short-lived battle with a rare liver disease.

A celebration of life gathering will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, 2005, the Yates Funeral Home, Hayden gathering center at 373 E. Hayden Ave. in Hayden, Idaho.

She was born on Oct. 2, 1950, in Kalamazoo, Mich., to two loving parents Daisy and William Pitkin. Her childhood was spent in Toledo and Elyria, Ohio and she graduated from Elyria High School in 1968.

She traveled during her 20s and 30s, arriving at destinations such as Cleveland, New Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Barbados, India, Spokane, Sandpoint, and finally making a home for her family in Coeurd'Alene, Idaho.

She was an accomplished musician with talents ranging from voice and piano to the African xylophones known as marimbas. As a 13-year member of the highly celebrated band Coeurimba, she helped to produce two highly acclaimed CDs.

Those closest to Loneita would describe her as a deeply loving, generous, and selfless individual who was known to have a deep and lasting spiritual connection to nature.

She was always an advocate for human rights and was an active member of the Spokane Task Force on Race Relations.

She was preceded in death by her father William Pitkin; she is survived by two lovely daughters Aimee Loneita and Estrella Ford Atkinson, mother Daisy Pitkin, two sisters Kay and LuAnn Pitkin, brother-in-law Tak Tang and nephew Thomas Tang.

Please visit and sign Loneita's online memorial and guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.