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Estella Whitlock
Published 12/1/2012 in Obituaries
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Estella Georgene Whitlock, 92, of Boise, Idaho, passed on Nov. 25, 2012, of natural causes.
Stella was one of 12 surviving children born to Frank and Hazel Betts in Garden City, Kan., on April 3, 1920. She attended grade and secondary schools in Garden City and received an associate of arts degree in teaching at Garden City Community College.
After graduating, Stella took a short stab at the teaching profession but soon decided it was not for her — after all, you have to get up in front of people and things like that. During this time, a friendship with a handsome young man by the name of Jerry Whitlock bloomed into a true and enduring love. Jerry found work in the shipyards of Seattle, Wash., and Stella soon followed him to Kirkland where they were married on Sept. 30, 1941. Their first son, Norm, was born in November of 1942.
Stella spent time in Denver and then returned to Kansas while Jerry served in the Navy. Their second son, Michael, was born in Garden City in 1946 where they continued to live until their move to Idaho in the early 1950s.
Stella and Jerry loved the mountains and camped with their boys at every opportunity. They later bought property in McCall and spent many happy weekends building a cabin there.
Stella was completely devoted to her family and made every holiday a celebration to be remembered. Her grandchildren will forever cherish the happy and fun-filled times they spent as a result of her detailed planning of each event. Birthday cakes were personal, incredibly unique and usually extremely humorous. She loved to decorate her home and had a talent for making prudent purchases look like high design. Stella loved a good pun, had a real gift for poetry and spent countless hours drawing her rib-tickling cartoons.
Every Friday and Saturday evening Stella and Jerry could be found taking their weekly rides in the country. We won't say that Stella was set in her ways, but if Jerry ever deviated from the usual route, he was admonished to quickly back-track and "get it right."
She was a steadfast member of the Seventh-day Adventist church for most of her life and was active in many capacities throughout her younger years.
Jerry passed in March of 2011 and Stella lived the remaining days of her life mourning the loss of her loving companion.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Norm and Gayla and Mick and Cathy; grandchildren, Amy and Kevin Chen, Matt and Ava Whitlock, and Brodie Whitlock and husband Curtis Thaden. Stella also leaves great-grandchildren, Jadon and Ivy Chen and Ollie and Zeke Whitlock. Her loving siblings, Marty Miller, Daryle Betts, Ron and Lillian Betts, Kelly Moore and Monte Betts also mourn her passing. Stella was preceded in death by siblings Hazel Cecil, Marguerite "Midge" Miller, Jack Betts, Kathryne Kahrs, Geraldine Earnest and Carole Johnson.
The family would like to thank Grace Assisted Living, Grace Memory Care and Legacy Hospice for the kindness and support extended to Stella.
Burial took place at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery and memorial services are to be held at Summers Funeral Home, Ustick Chapel, 3629 E. Ustick Road, Meridian, Idaho at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.
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