Leonard Eule Plaster, 77

A Sandpoint resident for more than 70 years, Leonard Eule Plaster, 77, passed away Feb. 4, 2010, at Kootenai Medical Center from heart failure. In the two days that he was in the hospital, he was visited by numerous family members and friends. When he passed, his children were at his side.

He was born in Gillette, Wyo., on Nov. 13, 1932, to Oren and Marguerite Plaster, sheep ranchers who moved to Sandpoint in 1936 during the Great Depression. They settled in Dover where they raised a large family, totaling 10 children. As a child, Leonard milked cows for neighbors for 25 cents a week. That was how he developed strong hands; he was known for his vise-grip handshake. As a teenager, he worked odd jobs from logging for Diamond Lumber to construction of the Cabinet Gorge Dam.

He attended Sandpoint High School where he was a four-year letterman in football — in his freshman and sophomore years as a guard, and as a junior and senior at halfback and linebacker. He was selected as one of the two top guards in the Inland Empire and Panhandle League. In his junior year he was chosen as the Second Team High School All American. He also lettered three years in track and played basketball.

Leonard was inducted into the Sandpoint Bulldogs Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, where he wrote about his special memories: “My sophomore year we beat Coeur d’Alene for the first time in 13 years. We beat them 13-0 at Coeur d’Alene. In the first series of the game, Frank Kom, the other guard, and I made a deal with Coach Barlow that we would run a quarterback sneak until Coeur d’Alene stopped us. We did that play over and over and took the ball down the length of the field and scored.”

Following high school, in 1953, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and fought in the Korean War, ending up as a corporal. He earned four medals and was honorably discharged in 1956.

He married Ileene Hagemann on Aug. 9, 1957, raised a family of six children and worked as a logger in Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Oregon and Washington. He operated dozers and built many forest roads, including working for Russell Oliver on Schweitzer Mountain Road. In 2002, he was selected by the North Idaho Timberfest Committee as the Bull of the Woods.

Some of his happiest moments were coaching junior tackle football and watching his sons and grandsons play football. He made a habit of nicknaming everyone he came across and, especially, giving waitresses a hard time, which was his way of showing affection.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Oren and Marguerite; brothers David, Jack and Mike; sisters Shirley, Juanita (Bonnie), Evelyn and Patricia; grandson Travis Carter; and granddaughter Amy Plaster. He is survived by his sisters Vivian (Bud) Willford and Elaine (Chris) Vardas; his children, Debra (Randy) Williams, Donna Plaster, Diana (Jimmy) Shaw, Mark (Billie Jean) Plaster, Christina Buck and Eric (Amy) Plaster; grandchildren Jessica Townsend, Darcy Plaster, Mark Plaster, Corey Stevens, Emily Verwolf, Andrew Verwolf, Ashley Gleason, Kenna Pfel, Luke Plaster, Auja Plaster, Chloe Plaster, Sydnie Plaster, Sean Buck and Alexandria Buck; 10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Viewing will be held at Coffelt Funeral Service Monday, Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Services will be held at First Christian Church, 201 N. Division in Sandpoint, Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m., followed by burial at Pinecrest Memorial Park with military honors. Pastor Ben Ortize of Grace Sandpoint will officiate. Afterward a reception will be held at Mitzy’s Lounge at 5th Avenue. The family requests donations be made to a memorial fund set up for Leonard Plaster at Panhandle State Bank.