Vera Cottle Campbell, 89

Vera Cottle Campbell, 89, of Sandpoint, Idaho, passed away peacefully due to complications following a stroke while at the Kootenai Medical Center in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010.

Funeral services will be conducted at the Sandpoint Stake Center, located at 602 Schweitzer Cutoff Road in Sandpoint, on Saturday Sept. 4. Viewing begins at 9 a.m. in the Relief Society room; services begin at 10 a.m. in the chapel.

She was born on Sept. 3, 1920, in Stone, Idaho, the seventh child of Walter D. and Helena Cordellia Lee Cottle. Helena died five months later, and Vera grew up under the care of Walter's second wife, Leah Louisa Bunderson Cottle.

Vera grew up on a farm in the fertile Cache Valley of northern Utah; she knew the value and importance of hard work, loved learning and music, and served the truth with undying dedication until the very end of her life. She lived the majority of her life in Northern California, where she raised her children together with her husband James.

Active in many areas, she played first-chair trumpet in her high school band, loved singing with her family and in many choirs, played on some of the first women's softball teams, and was invited to join one of the first women's pro softball teams, the Oregon Footprinters.

While driving a cab, she stepped up as the only driver willing to provide services to Lena Horne, who had just completed a performance for troops during World War II. Vera also served many years in the LDS Church's extraction program (now called indexing), which makes available handwritten genealogical records for computer-driven searches. Over the last few years, Vera had indexed more than 180,000 names in the church's modern Indexing program. (For more information or to volunteer, go to http://FamilySearchIndexing.org/.)

Vera loved to read and teach, and found many opportunities to apply the things she learned in various capacities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many positions, including ward music director, Relief Society president, and Sunday school teacher for both adult and children's classes.

Vera also served her community and took active part in the political process. She worked in numerous campaigns over the years for both local and national candidates, and oversaw the running of elections in her local precincts.

For many years, Vera drove bus for the special needs children and adults in California, and worked as a supervisor for Martinez Bus Lines. Vera often found herself placed in a leadership role whenever she undertook a new endeavor, thanks to her hard-working nature, her ability to see the big picture, and her understanding of the long-term implications of immediate decisions.

She is survived by her siblings, Elva Elizabeth Cottle Fletcher, Vellis Cottle Salway, Helena Cottle Andrews, Mary Louise Cottle Spackman, Walt Bunderson Cottle, and Leah Cottle Keiser; her children, Rhonda Smith Hanks and her husband T. Doyle Hanks, Charles William Campbell and his wife Lee Lautman Campbell, Joanne Campbell Martin and her husband Allen I Martin, and daughter-in-heart Joanna Dickey Tucker,; and 12 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Eagar Campell; former husband, Priday Smith; her parents, Walter D and Helena C Cottle; her siblings, Erma Helena Cottle, Merlin Walter Cottle, Joseph Archie Cottle, William Lee Cottle, Gordon Henry Cottle, Neldon Bunderson Cottle, Dee Bunderson Cottle and Lawrence Bunderson Cottle; and her grandson, Wayne Alan Hanks.

To send flowers or leave a message for the family, please visitwww.CoffeltFuneral.com. Alternately, donations can be made to the LDS Church Perpetual Education Fund via www.LDSphilanthropies.org.

Following the funeral, and according to Vera's wishes, a celebration of life gathering and potluck lunch honoring her 90th birthday will be held at Sandpoint City Beach pavilion. If you wish to attend, please bring a salad; main dishes and dessert will be provided. Activities include lunch, visiting with friends and family, and swimming at the beach.

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

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.