Obituary of Doris Irene LeCoultre

Doris Irene LeCoultre (85) passed away at Valley Vista Care Center in St. Maries, ID on March 14, 2017. She was born to Robert and Irene (Scott) Manning in Ferrell, ID on June 1, 1931. When Doris was a child, her father passed away. Her mother remarried Bert Werdell, and he adopted her and her siblings. The family relocated to Bremerton, WA where she attended grade school. The family returned to Idaho later, relocating to St. Maries. Doris graduated from St. Maries High School with the class of 1949. Following high school, she married Roland LeCoultre on September 11, 1949. The couple started their family, having 4 children. Doris stayed home to raise their family. Aside from being a homemaker, Doris and Roland operated LeCoultre and Sons Shingles. Doris was the bookkeeper for the business but worked very hard bundling the shingles for shipment. She also kept a large, bountiful vegetable garden as well as many flower beds around the home and taught her kids and grandkids about all the plant names. Doris was an accomplished watercolor artist. She enjoyed painting, gardening, and camping. She also enjoyed all the family road trips and looked forward to their annual visits to Ocean Park, WA on the Long Beach Peninsula. One year, Roland and Doris drove the perimeter of the United States together in 6 weeks, only with the help of paper maps, road signs, and each other’s company. Doris was known as the Scrabble Champ of the family, and her kids and grandkids learned to define and spell words by playing with her. She was an avid fisherman whose choice of bait was worms, and she could catch a fish when no one else could. Doris served as secretary of the St. Joe Valley Association and was involved with the St. Maries Art Gallery. At one time, her and her friend Betty Bennett started BennTree Crafts as a hobby where they made plastic castings out of resin. They were successful in selling their art. Doris gave her children two important gifts. One gift was the definition of hard work. She would work in the family’s shingle mill until evening, weed the garden on her way to the house to cook dinner for her family, wash the dishes, and return to the shingle mill to finish her day. The second gift was teaching her children to always treat others the way you want to be treated. She consistently demonstrated what it meant to be there and care for the ones she loved; we could always depend on her when in need of a cup of coffee (or Doris’ special “coca-mocha”), a visit, a meal, a bit of advice, or a warm bed. Doris was one of a kind and an incredible role model to her family. Her life story really highlights why. She will be missed dearly by all of her family and friends. Doris is survived by her daughters Shirley (John) Sines and Janette Walker both of St. Maries; sons Ron (Sherry) LeCoultre and Andy (Crystal) LeCoultre both of St. Maries; sister Carol Sherrard of St. Maries; and brother Lee (Barb) Werdell of Arizona. Also surviving are 16 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband Roland LeCoultre, her parents Irene and Bert Werdell, her sisters Shirley Manning and Nadine Maiden, and her brother Robert Werdell. Also preceding are her great-grandchildren McKya Cordle and Cedric Moore. A memorial service will be planned later this spring.