Howard A. Neilson, 79

Howard A. Neilson, 79, passed away suddenly, in Sandpoint, Idaho, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2006.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, in Coffelt's Funeral Chapel, 109 N. Division St., Sandpoint, Idaho. Chuck Wigton, Post Falls, Idaho, will officiate at the service.

Friends may call, to pay their respects, on Tuesday from noon until 6 p.m., at Coffelt Funeral Service, 109 N. Division St., Sandpoint.

Howard was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 24, 1927. He graduated from Penn High School, Penn Township, Pa., in 1945.

He joined the U.S. Army and served during World War II.

Following World War II, he married Betty Rimmel in 1947 in Pittsburgh. She preceded him in death in 1988.

He worked in a hardware store in Jamestown, N.Y., moving to Camarillo, Calif., about 1960. He worked for Civil Service, for the U.S. Navy as a model maker — non-metal until retiring in 1980.

He moved to the Sandpoint area in 1981 and enjoyed working in his shop. He married Lafaye (Sheffler) Dewey on April 1, 1991, in Sandpoint and she preceded him in death in January 2006.

He was a member of the First Christian Church in Sandpoint.

He is survived by five children, Roberta (and David) Weihl of Lompac, Calif., Jeffrey (and Virginia) Neilson of Reno, Nev., Robert (and Pat) Neilson of Racine, Wis., Mary Jo and (James) Ramsay of Milwaukie, Ore., and Andrea (and William) Johnson of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

His parents and a sister also preceded him in death.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.