Imogene Ione Vassar, 89, passed away on Oct. 27, 2016, at her childhood home in Lewiston. It was the house her father built when she was a young girl and is the current home of her youngest daughter.
Imogene was born on Feb. 26, 1927, in Ione, Wash. Her family soon relocated to Lewiston, where she attended school, graduating from Lewiston High School in 1945. Imy was the youngest of Rome and Lema Jane Webster's four children. Her brothers, Ralph and Doyle, along with her sister, Gladys Daniels, preceded her in death.
Imogene met Joseph Maurice Vassar while they were both employed at Stillings & Embry Florists in 1945. After Joe's many invitations, Imogene finally accepted and News Year's Eve 1946 was their first date.
They married on Feb. 22, 1947, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, which remained their life-long parish.
In 1959, Joe and Imy purchased Stillings & Embry Florists. With their family, they owned and operated the business together until retirement in 1989.
Imy enjoyed working with people and put her talents to work as a volunteer in the Elizabeth Gift Shop at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was proud to be honored as the SJRMC Volunteer of the Year in 2000. She put in 10,000-plus hours as a volunteer. Imy was also active in her church and other projects, such as voter registration, and she was a lifetime member of the Northwest Florists Association.
Imy and Joe spent more than two decades celebrating their anniversary and her birthday while visiting friends in Maui.
Imogene is survived by her four children: Steve and Linda Vassar, their daughter, Jodi and Craig Heiss and their daughters, Lindsey, Megan and Molly; Nancy Vassar Smith and her husband, Don, and their daughters, Ericka and Mark Rupp and Jessica and David Hardy; Jody Vassar Phillips and her husband, Rich and their children, Joe and Paige Phillips, Stephen and Steph Phillips and Bree and Eric Woodhouse; and Pattie Vassar and C.A. Anderson and Stephanie Jo Ruddell, Betsey and Charlie Evers and Michelle and Drew Klinsing.
Ten and one half great-grandchildren were blessed by Imogene's life.
Imy also enjoyed her many nieces and nephews and their families.
Family was very important to Mom, and she was dearly loved by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as many wonderful family friends.
A funeral mass to celebrate Imogene's life will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. Immediately following the service, the celebration will continue in the parish center.
Burial will be at 10 a.m. the following morning at Normal Hill Cemetery.
If considering memorial donations: Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, P.O.Box 8095, Chicago, IL 60608; Monastery of St. Gertrude, 465 Kueterville Road, Cottonwood, ID 83522; St. Joseph Family Hospice, 1250 Idaho St., Lewiston, ID 83501
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Wednesday, November 2, 4:00 PM
- Location
-
St. Stanislaus Church
633-5th Avenue
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
Get Directions - Additional Details
- Burial will be 10:00 a.m. at Normal Hill Cemetery on Thursday.
Condolences
George E. Riep
I am very saddened to learn of Imogene's passing. I work for her & Joe in my Lewiston High School Senior year in 1959-60. Wonderful couple treated me like a son. My prayers for the family. God Bless!
Friday, November 4, 2016 7:29 AM
Sally Morrisroe and Family
Dear Steve, Nancy, Jody and Patty and ,Vassar Cousins and families, Our sincerest sympathy and prayers for you all. Aunt Imy was a delight and I loved to talk with her and hear her laugh. She was always a supportive and cheerful person to me. I can only imagine how happy Joe and Grandmother and the whole family are to have her with them all again. The circle of their generation is now completed. Love, Sally
Monday, October 31, 2016 9:46 AM
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