Barbara Thelma Daniel
Barbara
Daniel, better known as Thelma, age 89, passed
away from this earth to be with her Lord on
Sunday, January 8, 2012, at the Boundary
Community Nursing home. A celebration of her
life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, January
14, at the Chic-n-Chop Restaurant in Bonners
Ferry.Thelma spent her growing up years in and around Ballarat, Australia, enjoying outdoor activities, especially swimming, camping, riding bicycle, and playing softball. She also enjoyed the young people's activities at her church and singing in the church choir. After she finished school, she worked at a textile mill, where she was eventually promoted to head cutter.
It was in June of 1942 that she met the love of her life, David Daniel. He was from the USA and was serving in the army during WW2 when the harbor of Darwin, Australia was bombed.
He was on rest leave in Ballarat recovering from injuries suffered in that bombing when they met at a dance put on by the Ladies Auxiliary of the hospital. He asked her to dance and a romance blossomed. They were married on December 5, 1942, and celebrated 63 anniversaries together. Because of the war, they were not able to see each other very often; in fact they were separated for over three years until the war was over and she was able to come to the States by a special "war brides" ocean liner, arriving here on March 7, 1946.
She was in for a huge adjustment from being a city girl in Australia to becoming a country girl living in a small cabin on a stump ranch in North Idaho. Of course, there was the language and culture differences to overcome, also. It was to be 12 years before she was able to return to Australia to visit her family.
She was a hard working helpmate in every capacity; clearing the land for a farm, running a dairy herd for 14 years, cattle ranching for some years and then crop farming as more land was purchased and cleared.
She did all that plus raise a family of four children: Wendy, Marilyn, Tom and Dianne.
Along with all the other work, she also helped David as they cut logs from the property and constructed a larger home for the family.
She was a wonderful encourager to her children, nieces and nephews and anyone she was around. She just loved children. As there were always many chores to do with the farm and garden, she had a slogan for the children that she quoted often, printed, framed, and hung it in several locations.
"We must do the things we must before the things we may. We are unfit for any trust until we can and do obey."
A swimming pool was hand dug and constructed and put into use about the time the grandchildren came along. She enjoyed swimming; but she especially enjoyed teaching most of her grandchildren, and also children from the community, to swim. She loved her flower beds and had a "green thumb" when it came to growing things.
Her philosophy was always "whatever will be will be" and she was well known for using that quote and singing the song "Que Sera, Sera." Her love of music was evident, as she was often at least humming, if not singing aloud, as she went about her activities.
After she had been in the United Statesfor 12 years, the entire family of six made the trip by ocean liner while it was winter in the U.S. to Australia, where it was summer.
The children took their school studies with them; the trip was an education in itself and an opportunity for the children to meet relatives they had never met and to do some traveling in Australia as well. She spent many years doing genealogy for both David's family and her own, hand typing and compiling five thick history books. She also helped with the compilation of the Boundary County history book.
After retiring she and David traveled around the U.S., spending a number of winters in Arizona and also making two more trips to Australia together.
She made special effort to have a wonderful relationship with each one of her grandchildren, and they all love her dearly. She was artistic in many ways. She painted with oils and worked with pastels in creating scenery, still life and portraits. She was an accomplished seamstress and hand knitter and also did beautiful embroidery work. She was a perfectionist, so everything she did was beautiful.
She was a long time member of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Bonners Ferry. She was a part of, and enjoyed, the women's guild activities.
She had spent the last four years living at the Boundary Community Nursing Home. She was wonderfully taken care of there and was loved for her beautiful smile.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her three brothers in Australia, one brother-in-law and two sisters-in-law, all from Australia; one infant grandson, one son-in-law, four brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, and two nephews in the States.
She is survived by her sister, Violet, cousins by the dozen, many nephews and nieces, and sisters-in-law in Australia; and sisters in law Larena Daniel and Faye Daniel of the United States. Her children Wendy (Don) Kramer, Marilyn (Dale) Lofthus, Tom (Sandy) Daniel and Dianne (Steve) Oxford. Her grandchildren Rory and Damon Kramer, Lori (Pruitt) Sabin, Mike and Dan Pruitt, Wade, Shelby and David Daniel; Amy Oxford, Keri (Oxford) Abbey, Pat Oxford, many, many great grandies, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to sign Thelma’s book at www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Bonners Ferry Funeral Home.