Anna H. Hunter

2/15/1932 — 12/3/2019

Service Date: 12/13/2019
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On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, northern Idaho lost one of the hardest working pioneer women ever to settle this country, Anna Helen Hunter.

Anna lived by the motto “You have not lived a perfect day until you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” After 87 years of hard work and sacrifice, Anna finally decided she had done enough to earn herself some rest and passed away peacefully at her home in Lenore.

Anna was born Feb. 15, 1932, to Ben I. and Eva (Slatter) Smith, who lived on a farm in Park near Deary. As the eldest of five, Anna cared for her younger brothers and sister, kept house and prepared the family meals while her parents made a living. The Smith children attended grade school at Park, which was a mile and a half walk uphill (both ways). When Anna was 14, she moved to Kendrick to attend school, where she worked for a family in exchange for room and board. She graduated from Kendrick High School in 1949 and then attended Lewiston Business School.

In 1950, Anna married Roy L. Weber of Deary. Anna and Roy settled in Juliaetta, where Roy worked at the sawmill and Anna cared for their growing family. Soon after Christmas of 1958, tragedy struck the Weber family as their house caught fire and burned to the ground. Not long after, tragedy struck again as Roy sustained a severe head injury in an accident at work that left him with debilitating headaches. Roy underwent brain surgery in Seattle. Anna, pregnant with their seventh child, was sent home to return to her children while Roy recovered. Upon returning to Juliaetta, she received a call from the Seattle hospital notifying her that Roy had unexpectedly died from complications following surgery June 16, 1960, at age 39.

Anna, widowed at 30, struggled to find permanent housing for her family of seven children younger than 10 years of age. After arrangements were made to move a house onto the lot of the burned home, Anna helped dig the foundation for the family’s new home. Anna would not allow her family to depend on public assistance and, despite their situation, accepted only a single welfare check during those lean years.

Anna married Roscoe Hunter on July 26, 1963, and the family moved to his farm above Lenore on Sunnyside Bench. Roscoe helped raise Anna’s seven children, as well as his two daughters who spent summers with them. The family raised cattle, wheat, hay, turkeys, chickens, hogs and sheep. The farm was a perfect place to raise and teach kids good work ethics.

The children rode the school bus 26 miles each direction to the nearest school at Lapwai. As no transportation was available for preschool children, Anna drove her youngest child to preschool. When word got out that she was driving to Lapwai every day, Anna was asked to stop and pick up other preschoolers along the way. Anna’s daily preschool run evolved into a part-time bus driving career with the Lapwai School District that lasted more than 32 years.

Anna and Roscoe enjoyed nearly 26 years of marriage, which included a trip to Hawaii, before Roscoe died of a heart attack March 2, 1989, at the age of 61. Anna continued to live on the farm, where she raised hay to sell and also grazed cattle for market. She was always helping family and friends. Anna belonged to the Willing Workers Club of Lenore for approximately 56 years. She was busy with community affairs and activities at the Lenore Community Center.

Anna was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Roy Weber of 10 years; husband Roscoe Hunter of nearly 26 years; two brothers Jerry and Don Smith; brother-in-law Clinton Smith and a stepdaughter Rhea Burns.

She is survived by sister Ethel Smith of Deary; brother Clem Smith (Judy) of Lewiston; sisters-in-law Jody Smith of Juliaetta and Eniss Smith of Troy. Also surviving are her seven children Helen Meyer (Greg), of Central Point, Ore.; Diane Packer, of Kennewick; Ben Weber (Vickie) and Tom Weber, of Lewiston; Don Weber (Margaret), of LaGrande, Ore.; Mike Weber (Earlene), of Lenore, Roy Weber (Kate), of Lewiston; and stepdaughter, Verna Bachman (Craig), of the Boise area. She has 31 grandchildren, 59 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren as well as many loving nieces, nephews and many, many friends.

A memorial service will be held for Anna at 1 p.m. Friday at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home, 920 21st Ave., in Lewiston. Burial will be at Sunnyside Bench Cemetery in Lenore.