Barbara Thelma Daniel
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| June 2, 1922 ~ January
8, 2012 |
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January 10, 2011 |
 Barbara
Thelma 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.
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