Stan Verlan Mastre

August 20, 1929 ~ January 27, 2018

January 29, 2018

Stan Verlan Mastre, 88, Bonners Ferry, passed away Saturday evening, January 27, 2018, at Hospice House in Coeur d'Alene, the result of a short lung illness. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 31, at Mountain View Mennonite Church, 510752 U.S. Highway 95, with Willis Dyck, Shane Ensz, Ben Nystrom and Glenn Ensz officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Dad was born to Gust and Alma (Amoth) Mastre on August 20, 1929, at Grafton, North Dakota. He received his education at various schools, finishing grade school at Hillsboro, Kansas. At the age of 11 he felt the need of a Savior and answered God's call. Upon confession of his faith he was baptized into the Church of God In Christ, Mennonite, on March 21, 1941, by Minister Frank Wenger at Hillsboro, Kansas. Although he struggled in his youth he reconsecrated his life in his mid-20s, returning to the Lord with an unwavering faith in God and His church until the end. Dad's growing up years were spent during the dust bowl years in North Dakota, Kansas and Colorado, moving so often that Dad worried when leaving for school that his parents would have moved away before he returned! When Dad was 18, he was working for his Uncle Clifford in Grafton, North Dakota, when his father unexpectedly passed away in a tragic car accident in Scott City, Kansas. Shortly thereafter, his mother, he and eight of his siblings loaded their few belongings and the family dog in two cars and moved from Scott City, Kansas, to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where Dad's uncles resided. On October 23, 1955, he was married to me, Lillian Koehn, in Winton, California. We enjoyed life together for 62 years. To our home were born two sons and five daughters, and many precious memories were made. As the children grew older, his concern was that they would serve the Lord. Dad was a kind, gentle father and a lover of children. We remember him reading many stories, singing many songs and rocking his children and grandchildren. We have great memories of living in the house on the hill overlooking the valley. With fondness, we remember his cheerful whistle and ever-present coffee cup! He had various jobs in the farming and timber industry. He started his backhoe business in the early 70s, working alone until his sons grew old enough to join the family business. Dad went through a difficult time when he lost his oldest son, Pete, to cancer. He really enjoyed his work and the many friendships formed in the community. During his retirement years, Dad worked as a maintenance man for South Hill Water District. He was a man of integrity and generosity. Dad enjoyed exceptionally good health until near the end of his life. On January 22, 2018, Dad was admitted to the hospital in Coeur d'Alene, where we were told that he wouldn't recover. He was then moved to Hospice House, also in Coeur d'Alene, where he peacefully passed away with his wife and children around him. Those who are left with precious memories include his wife, Lillian and children Karen and Kirk Seaman, Bonners Ferry, Candace and Martin Koehn, Buhl, Idaho, Roxanne and James Miller, Kidron, Ohio, Sherri Mastre, Bonners Ferry, Lance and Faith Mastre, Bonners Ferry, Jen and Maurice Wedel, Galva, Kansas, Judith and Chad Isaac, Bonners Ferry, 31 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, sister JoAnne and Ernie Dirks, Bonners Ferry, brothers: Cyril and Lillie, Grant, Nebraska, Bob and Joanne, Roy and Marlyn, all of Bonners Ferry, Bill and Barbara, Grandview, Idaho, and Lloyd and Delores, Montrose, Colorado, brother-in-law Leonard and Ruth Unruh, Grafton, North Dakota, sister-in-law, Carol Mastre, Bonners Ferry, and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Pete, four sisters and one brother.