Mabel Laura (French) Wheeler (1911 - 2013)

Born 29 Jan 1911 in Moscow, Idaho, United States

Ancestors

Died 6 Sep 2013 at age 102 in Colfax, Washington, United States

Biography

Obituary

Mabel Laura Wheeler, 102, long time Colfax resident, passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, September 6, 2013 at the Whitman Hospital. A funeral service celebrating her life will be held Friday, September 13th at 10:00 am at the Bell Tower in Pullman. Burial will follow at 4:00 pm at the Moscow Cemetery. Mabel was born January 29, 1911 near Moscow, Idaho. She was raised alongside 15 siblings in the Moscow mountains and led a “farm-girl” life ever since. She learned hard work at an early age and would share stories of all the children in her big family carrying water from a nearby creek uphill to their house every day. As she grew older, Mabel kept the farming lifestyle, earning $4 a week as a cook and housekeeper for farm families throughout the area. She would cook for up to two dozen men during harvest. She also did ironing and could recall the hot, steamy work of pulling irons from the stove to press the men’s chambray work shirts and stiff jeans. It was on the farm that she met James Alva (Al) Wheeler. The couple married November 9, 1935, and together lived the farm life, working for large families like the McCroskeys and LaFollettes. Al and Mabel had three children. The couple were devoted members of the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs organizations and regularly attended dances at the Whelan Grange Hall. She was an excellent cook and baker and found great joy in putting up fruits, vegetables, jams and jellies. Even when the couple moved to town in 1967, she kept a big country garden. One of her favorite activities of all time were trips into the pine trees of the mountains to pick fresh huckleberries. She continued to pick the juicy berries well into her eighties. She sewed quilts from used fabrics for all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All of this aside, the joy of her life were babies. Mabel was never boastful or unkind and lived a simple life in prideful goodness. Mabel was preceded in death by her husband James Alva Wheeler, parents William (Bud) French & & Lilly Virlee (Hurt), brothers Walter French, Richard French, Daniel French, Robert French, & Roy French, sisters Caroline Wiebe, Molly Quist, Lillian Gibbs, Maude Hall, Virginia Wetherelt, Mary Eaton, Edith Burton, and Francis Schultz. She is survived by brother Benjamin French, son James Wheeler (& Gayle) LaGrande, Or, daughters Marie Kallenberger, Colfax & Barbara Belala, Davenport, grandchildren Kathy Marquard, Laura Belala, Linda White, Sharon Schultz, Sue Gilchrist (& David), Judie Pollock, Robin Wheeler, Ryan Wheeler, & Bret Wheeler, 11 great grandchildren & 6 great-great grandchildren. On-line guest book is at www.bruningfuneralhome.com

Bruning Funeral Home of Colfax is caring for the family. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.bruningfuneralhome.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2232233&fh_id=13165

• "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDC5-9NQ : accessed 20 Oct 2014), Mabel French in household of William T French, Four Mile, Latah, Idaho, United States; citing sheet 2B, family 51, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1820292.