Patrick 'Rick' McCrum, 67
Patrick “Rick” McCrum, 67, of Dover, Idaho, passed away on Saturday, July 9, 2016, with his wife by his side at Hospice House of North Idaho. His passing marked the end of his hard-fought battle with colorectal cancer.
Rick was born on March 26, 1949, in Sandpoint, Idaho, to Pat and Barbara McCrum. He graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1967, earned his bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology from Idaho State University in 1972 and went on to earn a master of science degree from Portland State University in deaf-blind education in 1973. Rick started his career at the School for the Blind in Salem, Ore.
In June 1975, Rick met his wife, Linell, while she was visiting Salem on a two-week vacation.
That two-week vacation never ended and they married in May 1976.
Rick spent over 30 years working in the field of special education as a teacher, trainer and program manager, most of that time in Alaska. His work in Alaska began in Anchorage working on a grant through the Easter Seals Foundation serving low-incidence populations in the rural parts of the state. He went on to work for South Central Regional Resource Center, Northwest Arctic School District and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
As an educator, Rick loved having his summers off to pursue other fields of work. He spent many years commercial fishing in Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound and Bristol Bay. He also worked in the field of construction. In his spare time, he enjoyed recreational dog mushing. Rick retired from education in 2005 and moved back to Sandpoint to be close to family. He chose to work part-time after his retirement, most recently for Another Screw Machine Company until his cancer treatments forced him to quit.
Rick is survived by his wife of 40 years, Linell; his sons, Matthew and Ryan; his brothers, Tim (Robbin) and Mick (Cheri); his mother-in-law, Lucille Shipley; and his aunt, Margaret Bergstrom. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Sally Shipley; and his sister and brother-in-law, Dawn and Glenn Bartholic. He is survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Pat & Barbara McCrum; his father-in-law, Charles Shipley; and his brother-in-law, James Shipley.
The family will be holding a celebration of Rick’s Life in the fall. Until then they encourage you to consider scheduling yourself or a loved one for a colonoscopy. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of North Idaho.
Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene, has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Rick’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.