Lois Josephine Harbison, 81

Lois Josephine Harbison, 81, passed away peacefully at Bonner General Hospital on July 20, 2006.

Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2006, at Coffelt's Moon Chapel. The Rev. Steve Neuder will officiate. Interment will follow in Pinecrest Memorial Park. Friends may call to pay their respects at Coffelt's Moon Chapel on Tuesday, July 25, 2006, between noon and 6 p.m.

Born Oct. 9, 1924, to Edward and Elizabeth Durr, Lois graduated Jefferson High School in New Orleans, La., where she lettered in volleyball. She was briefly employed at a grocery store, where she later met and married Ralph Harbison, an Army dental technician on Nov. 13, a Friday, in 1943. They later moved to Ponderay, Idaho, which was her first time seeing snow. They built and moved to the Rock and Gift Shop at Sagle in 1971.

She enjoyed being a rock hound, finding gems all over the Northwest. Ralph would cut and polish the stones they found, which she would later set into jewelry findings. She also enjoyed gardening and canning, earning numerous ribbons at the county fair.

Her greatest pleasures were the rock shop and her family. The home she and her husband built in Sagle was the focal point for all the family to gather at during the holidays, where they enjoyed many great memories. She was a blessing and will be missed by all.

She is survived by her husband, Ralph Harbison; son and daughter-in-law, Durell and Gale Harbison; daughter, Lorna McNearney; four grandchildren, Annie (and Jerry) Nash, Jess (and Lora) Harbison, Mark (and Teresa) McNearney and Lisa (and Sam) Anderson; five great grandchildren; a brother, Raymond Durr; and a sister, Audrey Crockett.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Albert, Edward, Merlin and Karl; sister, Vera Purch; and son-in-law, Charles "Sam" McNearney.

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