Walter D. Shear, 77

Walter D. Shear, 77, passed away on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, in Post Falls, Idaho.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Coffelt's Funeral Chapel, 109 N. Division Ave., Sandpoint, Idaho. Interment will be held at Pinecrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Walter Duane Shear was born on Dec. 10, 1929, in Sandpoint, Idaho, to George and Roberta Shear. He was the youngest of three children.

Walt went to school in Sandpoint and graduated in 1949. It is here that he met and married Betty Lou Gill on Nov. 11, 1950.

Shortly after they were married, Walt was called overseas to Korea, missing the birth of his first child. A corporal in the Korean War, Walt operated massive refrigerator barges from Pusan, Korea to Okinawa, Japan.

He returned in 1952 and together with Betty, stayed in Sandpoint until 1966 raising four children.

Walt had a variety of jobs from log trucker to carpenter, having worked on the Noxon Rapids dam, but the lumber industry was where he made his career. Walt worked as a forester for the Pack River Lumber Company, having been trained by his father-in-law, Ernie Gill.

In 1966 he was re-located to Thompson Falls, Mont. While there he oversaw nearly 100 million board feet of timber.

In 1974, Walt was transferred to Spokane, Wash., where he took over the inventory management for nine sawmills in Washington, Idaho and Montana.

By 1979, Walt moved to Post Falls to become the resource manager for the WI Forrest Products, Northwest Timber Sawmill, in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, where the current Riverstone Complex is located. By 1992, the mill closed and by 1993 Walt retired from WI, but not from the timber business.

Not one to remain idle, at the age of 64, Walt bought a logging truck and became an independent logging truck driver working throughout Idaho and Montana. He enjoyed this and continued until he was 74 years old, keeping up with men a third of his age.

Walt finally stopped in order to take care for his wife Betty who had advancing Alzheimer's disease. Walt was also soon diagnosed with Cerebral Atrophy, a form of advancing dementia.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Herbert; and his wife, Betty. Walt is survived by his sister Twyla Shear of Polson, Mont.; his children Mike Shear of Thompson Falls, Mont.; Doug Shear of Thompson Falls, Mont.; Sandy Jensen of Spokane, Wash.; Russ Shear of Spokane; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Family and friends are invited to sign Walt's online guest book at www.coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.