Mary Ellen Black, 98

Mary Ellen Black, 98, passed away on Monday, April 25, 2016, at Hearthstone Village Assisted Living in Kootenai, Idaho.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at the Lakeview Funeral Home, with a reception to follow.

The story begins on a cold and snowy Nov. 30, 1917, at Meadow Brook Farm 11 miles north of Priest River. After breakfast, Daddy Huff had hiked up to Prater Creek and shot a buck. When Mamma Huff started going into labor, Myrtle, who was the oldest daughter, went to the porch and blew into the conch shell, which was only used in emergencies. Daddy Huff heard it and returned home. Brother Ronald was sent to get Mrs. Chambers to help with the birth. The big table was cleared and prepared. At 2:30 a beautiful baby girl was born, Mary Ellen Huff. Her Daddy said she was to always be called Mary Ellen.

At 3 years old, her sister sat her on her lap and showed her how to play “Mother McCrea” on the piano, and to everyone’s surprise she played it back and her music career began. She never learned how to read music, but if she heard a song once she could play it back. All the musicians loved playing with her because if they suddenly switched keys, mom would follow. She played for dances in the Blue Lake area as a teenager, then she played around the Priest Lake area with the Burns Brothers, Chet, Jim, Roy and Ray, starting in the 1950s and continued playing with Roy and Ray for many years.

She started playing with the Old Time Fiddlers in the early 1970s and continued for many years. At that time she started playing with Gil Gibbs and they played in all the senior homes in the Sandpoint area and continued until about 10 years ago. She said it brought her so much joy to see the older people slumped in their wheelchairs and when the music began that they would look up with a smile and start tapping their fingers or toes.

Growing up, all the kids in the neighborhood called them Grandpa and Grandma Black. Anytime anyone came to the house they were offered something to eat, just as it had been in the home she grew up in. She touched so many lives in such a positive way throughout her life, always giving the most that she could.

She was a member of the Martha Chapter of Eastern Star. She served as Grand Guardian of Job’s Daughters in 1959. She served as Worthy Grand Matron as well as holding the music chair for many years. She was selected as a Woman of Wisdom in 2006, what a Great Honor.

She was the last of her generation, with stories of traveling by horse and buggy into the 1930s, where it was an all-day ride to come to Sandpoint. They would sit on one tanned hide and cover up with another and were never cold. She experienced having electricity for the first time in 1938 and dad went down and bought her a new washing machine and an electric iron. Just imagine the changes that the people of this generation have experienced in their life.

Mary Ellen married Leo Black on Nov. 14, 1934, and they were married for nearly 50 years before Leo’s passing in 1984. She is survived by her son, Duane; and 11 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 21 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Leo; her sons, Mike, Glen and Clair; and a great-grandchild.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Mrs. Black’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.