Betty Lou (Gill) Shear, 74

Betty Lou (Gill) Shear, 74, passed away on Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006, at Coffelt's Funeral Chapel, 109 N. Division St., Sandpoint, Idaho. Burial will be at Pinecrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Betty Lou (Gill) Shear was born and raised in Priest River, Idaho. She was active in sports and as pianist and cartoonist for the high school.

In 1949 she moved to Sandpoint, where she met and married Water Shear in November of 1950. Betty was a homemaker and together with Walter, had four children.

In 1966 Betty and Walt moved the family to Thompson Falls, Mont. While there Betty became an avid gardener, golfer and snowmobiler. After moving to Spokane, Wash., in 1974, she joined the Liberty Lake and Hangman Ladies 18 hole golf clubs. It was at this time she also took up oil painting.

Finally settling in Post Falls, Idaho, in 1979, Betty became a member of the Avondale Ladies 18 Hole Golf Club and began to exhibit her landscape paintings throughout North Idaho. It was one of her artworks for which she took second place, state, in the Idaho Chapter of American Mothers contest in 1986.

She was active in other forms of artwork including sewing, crocheting, needlepoint, woodcrafts and snow sculpting.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Lucille Gill and brother Bill Gill of Sandpoint.

She is survived by her husband Walter Shear of Post Falls; her children, Mike Shear of Thompson Falls, Doug Shear of Thompson Falls, Sandy Jensen of Spokane, Wash.; Russ Shear of Spokane; and sister, Sherry Kisamore of Priest River. Betty has seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.