Melvin 'Dewey' Plank, 96

| August 16, 2023 1:00 AM

Melvin Dewitt "Dewey" Plank, 96, passed away Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Buhl, Idaho, with his family by his side.

A Rosary will be said at 10:15 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sandpoint, Idaho, followed by a memorial Mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, with Father Rob Cook officiating.

Dewey was born April 2, 1927, in Santa Monica, Calif., to Melvin and Mary Plank. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1944, where he participated in baseball and football. He then attended Santa Monica City College before entering the United States Army, serving in Florida and Virginia.

Dewey married Marlene Stephenson on April 7, 1951, in Los Angeles. He served 30 years in the Los Angeles County Fire Department, retiring as captain. The family lived in Bishop for 13 years before Dewey retired in 1981, finally ending the 400-mile commute between Bishop and Lancaster. Both Marlene and Dewey taught skiing to students in Bishop for many years up at Mammoth Mountain.

After retirement in 1981, they sold their house in Bishop and moved to Hayden Lake and then Sandpoint, Idaho, for the next 40 years, close to Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort and Lake Pend Oreille. Dewey and Marlene enjoyed volksmarching, RVing, tennis, boating, skiing and traveling, and were very active in the Catholic Church wherever they lived.

Dewey is survived by his sister, Ann Boothby, in Colorado; his four sons, Bob (Marci), John (Tami), Ken (Jeannine) and Jeff (Jackie); his nine grandchildren, Heidi (Melissa), Misty (Keith), Jason (Stephanie), Jeremy (Laurie), Emilee, Riley, Hannah, Brett and Kamber (Bryson); and his nine great-grandchildren, Max, Sam, Liam, Luke, Dylin, Jacob, Cameron, Haley and Emberlee.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Marlene (2020), and sister, Carol O’Conner.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling all funeral arrangements. Please visit Dewey’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.