Obituary of John Ford Hughes
John Ford Hughes (67), lifetime resident of St. Maries, ID, passed away at home on October 22, 2024 with his loving family and friends by his side. John was born July 28, 1957 to Paul and Dorothy Zimmerman Hughes in St. Maries, ID where he grew up and attended school. John graduated from St. Maries High School with the class of 1975.
Following graduation, John enrolled at the University of Idaho where he met the love of his life, Elizabeth Schreiber, of American Falls, ID. John graduated in 1980 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Although he was offered a position with Boeing in Seattle, John chose to return to St. Maries to continue working for his father at Hughes Heating and Electric, as ACE was called at that time. John and Liz were married in American Falls on April 4, 1981, then Liz joined John in making St. Maries their home to raise their two daughters.
After his marriage, John began working closely with his father to take over the family business and was instrumental in ushering the store through some of its most significant changes. In 1982, John designed and built the building on Center, moving the business from its original location on Main and renaming it Hughes Home Center — which later became Hughes ACE Hardware as John became more active with the ACE dealer group. The Hughes’ employees loved bosses; John and Liz were more like family to their employees, and John viewed the store as his home away from home. John loved injecting his personality into his work and jumped at opportunities, such as his annual birthday sale, to share his sense of humor with others. John and Liz sold the business and retired in 2023.
Throughout his life, John valued building community, and he loved finding creative ways to use his passions to serve and strengthen the communities he belonged to. John’s love of cycling led to the addition of a bike repair shop at ACE and bike donations to the Elks Christmas Basket Program. He loved long distance rides, completing the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride multiple times. He rode from the Puget Sound to Missoula, MT as well as from Chicago, IL to St. Louis, MO to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. John was an avid photographer. He served as annual staff photographer in high school and taught photography to 4-H students. John inherited his father’s love of carpentry and woodworking. John also loved to travel, particularly with Liz, and together they saw the world: from Alaska to the Caribbean, much of Western Europe, and as far south as New Zealand and Australia.
Serving and participating in Masonic Organizations was also a passion for John. He was a member of the St. Maries Masonic Lodge #63 AF & AM and was serving as Worshipful Master, a position he held on and off for several decades. He was a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Calam Shriners, St. Maries Shrine Club, and Crutch Patrol. John made history by serving alongside his wife Liz as Worthy Grand Matron and Patron of the Grand Chapter of Idaho, Order of Eastern Star. He was acting as Worthy Patron of Shoshone Chapter in Wallace and was a past Patron of Idaho Chapter in St. Maries. He was a member of the Community Presbyterian Church, the St. Maries Elks Lodge, and also served as Chairman for the Benewah County Hospital board.
John is survived by his wife Elizabeth at their family home in St. Maries. He is also survived by his daughters Sarah Hughes (Brennan Sprinkle) of Golden, CO, and Laura Hughes (Sean Garrett) of Bothell, WA, his sister Cynthia Hughes of Punta Gorda, FL, his sister-in-law Chris Schreiber and nephew Zach Pohl (Emily Bregman) of Long Beach, CA, his brother-in-law Steve Scott (Valerie) of Kennewick, WA, and his father-in-law Robert Schreiber of American Falls, ID. He was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Dorothy Hughes, his sister-in-law Kathy Scott, his mother-in-law Carol Schreiber, and his brother-in-law Larry Eubanks. The family would like to extend a special thank you to his caregiver Shenelle Pugh and family (husband John, and sons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) of St. Maries, ID.
A Memorial Service for John was held on Monday, October 28, 2024, at 11:00 am at the Eagles Lodge in St. Maries. Following the service, family and friends shared a meal at the Elks Lodge. Memorial donations may be made to: Children’s Miracle Network; Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital: 101 W. 8th Ave. Spokane, WA 99204, or St. Maries Masonic Lodge #63 AF & AM Building Fund: 334 S. 9th St., St. Maries, ID 83861.
