Stephanie Reynolds, 73

M. Stephanie Reynolds passed away Dec. 31, 2022, at the Newport Hospital in Newport, Wash.

She was born to Forest and Mary (Hufford) Reynolds on April 5, 1949, at the Newport Hospital. As a small child, she lived on the family ranch in Priest River, Idaho, for about three years and then moved to Idaho Hill so her siblings, and then she, could attend school. She graduated from Idaho Hill Elementary and then attended Newport High School, graduating in 1967.

She worked several jobs around Newport and Oldtown: waitress, receptionist, cashier and short-order cook, and then made the move to Sandpoint, Idaho, to work at Schweitzer Ski Resort. She met and married a fellow Schweitzer employee, Wayne Parenteau, and moved to Hope, Idaho. They welcomed a son, Darren, in August 1972 and a daughter, Niki, in April 1974.

While living at Hope, she became employed with the United States Postal Service and continued with them in Hope and Sandpoint for 30 years, retiring in 2004. She very much enjoyed her Postal Service family. Prior to retiring, she returned to her parents’ ranch south of Priest River and built a home, residing there for the last 24 years. She had cattle and chickens, along with cats, dogs, geese, peacocks and whatever else wandered onto the ranch. During this time, she wed Ed Hansen and enjoyed trips to Belt, Mont., to visit his side of the family and to gather Diamond Willow branches to make walking sticks. She and Ed also enjoyed fishing on the local lakes.

Several years after Ed passed, she became reacquainted with one of her classmates, Gil Ritter. They enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s many sporting events, along with family gatherings with his two daughters, Leslie Ritter-Meek and Julie Turner. Gil was with Stephanie in her home until his passing.

She was also the caregiver for her brother, Wayne, taking him to a variety of appointments, cooking healthy meals for him and seeing to his needs. Wayne would accompany her to some of the sporting events for Gil's grandchildren as he really enjoyed sports.

Stephanie enjoyed making a yearly trip to Baker, Mont., with her sister, Susan, to visit their Aunt Betty and all the cousins from the Hufford side of the family. They enjoyed seeing the large ranch and picking up pieces of petrified wood scattered in the soil.

Stephanie enjoyed fishing, traveling, family get-togethers and, most of all, her chickens — “the girls.” Many people in the area have enjoyed their delicious eggs. She became involved in a number of social groups; she loved lunches with her "Birthday Gals" and the "Red Hat Ladies" at different restaurants in the area. One of her special gatherings became the "First Cousins" lunch group. They would meet at a local restaurant, but one time, Aunt Joy Reynolds stopped by, saw the amount of people, and offered her place for the gathering — after all the Reynolds group can get pretty noisy! It was a time for catching up with the families and to see how all were doing. Her life was full and she enjoyed it.

Her greatest joy was her daughter, Niki, and her adventures as a research space scientist at NASA Ames Research Center on Moffett Field. She would tell anyone who would listen about Niki's adventures — gathering samples at Yellowstone National Park, and speaking at national conferences, and was always willing to babysit Niki's dog while she was away.

Stephanie is survived by her daughter, Niki; her sister, Susan Jones of Oldtown; sister-in-law, Linda Reynolds of Idaho Hill; nephews, Duane Jones and Jason Reynolds; niece, Lynne Reynolds; her Aunt Betty Johnson of Baker, Joy Reynolds of Priest River, Sonja Reynolds of Georgetown, Texas; one uncle, Ed Hamacher of Coeur d'Alene; and many close cousins and friends.

Stephanie was preceded in death by her parents, Forest and Mary Reynolds; and the tragic early death of her son, Darren; her two brothers, Larry and Wayne Reynolds; and half-sister Patsy Lewis.

Services will be held Jan. 13, 2023, at 1 p.m. at the Sherman-Campbell Funeral Home in Priest River, Idaho, and internment at the Evergreen Cemetery, with a reception to follow.

Sherman-Campbell Funeral Home of Priest River is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are welcome to visit their website at www.shermancampbell.com.