Barbara J. Riggs

1/9/1933 — 5/11/2023

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Barbara Riggs, 87, of Lewiston, passed away Thursday, May 11, 2023, of a brain aneurysm, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.

I am going to start her obituary with this information from a bookmark we handed out at our Jan. 28, 2023, birthday party. Now I am going to tell readers about some things in order what they have to do with my beloved Barbara.

Barbara and Dick were both born in Lewiston’s St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dick on Jan. 9, 1933, and Barbara on Dec. 28, 1935. They both graduated from Lewiston High School, and then Barbara began working in a bank. Dick graduated from the University of Idaho and was commissioned as a lieutenant. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, 16 months in Korea, he started his 34 years as a public school educator. Life had been good to him, but on Aug. 19, 1960, it got much, much better when he married his beloved Barbara. Their lives together started in Seattle where Dick taught, and with Jolyn they watched the Space Needle be built and went up in it while attending the 1962 World’s Fair. Dick finished his master’s degree and wanted to try school administration. He was a principal and superintendent until he retired in 1992 in Lewiston.

In retirement Barbara has been very busy in their Congregational-Presbyterian Church. She is in the Tsceminicum Club and Chapter BL of the PEO where she served both for two terms as president.

Dick has found fun and enjoyment in writing about local history and more and has published 10 books. He writes tidbits of items that interest him and sends them to the Lewiston Tribune. Readers tell him they enjoy his letters. He was president of the Nez Perce County Historical Society for 15 years, and in 2006 he received the state of Idaho’s Esto Perpetua Award for contributions to history.

As boosters they have supported the Lewis-Clark State College Lady Warriors basketball team since 1997, and were awarded the college’s Aletha Pabst Award. Their biggest and most important award has been their 62 years of enjoyment together. Dick and Barbara’s children and grandchildren are the late Jolyn Dahmen and her husband Ed. Jolyn passed away in 2005. Their boys are Zach and Joel and his wife Lona. Zach lives in Boulder, Colo., and PGA golfer Joel and Lona live in Scottsdale, Ariz. Dick and Barbara’s first great-grandchild, Riggs William Dahmen, was born Jan. 19, 2023. Son Doug and Laurinda and their son Lane live in Lewiston. Matt and Leah and their children Moira, Shamus and Keely reside in Bremerton, Wash.

Weaskus Grade School was in North Lewiston where Barbara also attended Hatwai School as part of the same school district. Soon she and all of the North Lewiston kids were sent to the College Normal Elementary School (Now Lewis-Clark State College) where she attended through the eighth grade. She lived part of the time in North Lewiston with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Evans. She lived the last 30 years of her life at 701 Ninth Ave., in J.B. Evans house.

Our party was at the Congregational Presbyterian Church, a block from our house. Barbara was a Christian who loved the Lord with her heart and was very active in our church in the 30 years we belonged there. She was past president of the Women’s Association, once served on the church board and attended a Bible study at the church. By 7 a.m. every Saturday she went to our church and prepared the kitchen for Sunday gatherings. As I said she loved the Lord.

Barbara and Dick were both born at St. Joseph’s Hospital as were six of their children and grandchildren. Before she attended Lewiston High School, Barbara was the Orchard’s Blossom Festival queen. In my biased opinion Barbara was, using an old term, a “good looking girl,” and stayed an attractive lady until her death. Her 1955 Lewiston High School “The Bengal” annual next to her picture says, “The girl with a smile that won’t come off.” Activities were listed in this order, acappella, gymnastics, Loyalty Squad, girls chorus, P and G Council, Sextet, homecoming princess and YAC Sweetheart Princess. The gymnastics activities was because she was a tumbler and had been since her junior high days at the Normal. She enjoyed singing in high school and as an adult sang in her choirs and the LCSC College Choirs.

The bookmark article says that on Aug. 19, 1960, life got much, much better for Dick when he married his beloved Barbara.

Here is how the marriage came about. My good friend and LHS Bengal teammate, Mel Ruark was married to Benita Schroeder. Benita graduated from LHS with Barbara, and they worked at First Security Bank together. Benita got me a date with Barbara, and we all went out together. We dined and then danced at The Stables. I was immediately in love, and we got married three months later with Mel and Benita standing up for us in the Grace Lutheran Church in Lewiston.

We moved to Seattle where I taught for two years, and then I became a principal and superintendent and dragged poor Barbara to Spokane, Asotin, Kooskia, Riggins and Anatone in the 1960s. In the 1970s we had a good five years in Craigmont and 15 in Asotin. In our 30 retirement years she enjoyed PEO and the Tsceminicum Club, and served both as president, but she did not like being president. She has enjoyed monthly 1955 luncheons, and since 1992 has loved being an LCSC Lady Warrior Basketball Booster. She loved being an LC Scholarship Booster and we had a girl we supported each year.

Like any mother and grandmother, she enjoyed her three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her heart was broken on April 18, 2005, when our 46-year-old daughter Jolyn died of cancer. Jolyn was an all-American girl and lady. She graduated in 1976 from Craigmont’s Highland High School where she was class valedictorian and most valuable basketball player.

Since Jolyn has passed away, I have written a short letter to her each day telling her what our life, including her boys’ lives, are doing. Now I am writing the letter to her mother and her. Jolyn’s boys are doing well, 37-year-old Zach graduated from Whitworth University and now works in a business in Colorado. 35-year-old Joel Dahmen is a successful PGA professional golfer who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife Lona and Barbara’s first great-grandchild, Riggs William Dahmen. Riggs is named for his grandparents and his mother’s maiden name. Barbara and I enjoyed following Joel on TV and the internet each week. Jolyn was a true Idaho Vandal, sports fan, president of her sorority and a high honor student graduate. She married Ed Dahmen and then taught kindergarten at Lewiston’s Whitman Elementary School. I have written a book about her called, “Memories of Jolyn.”

Matt Riggs and his wife Leah both graduated from the University of Idaho. They live in Bremerton, Wash., where she is a teacher and he is a beer brewmaster. Their children are Moira, who graduated from the University of Idaho and is now working on a master’s degree in Canada, Shamus, a forest service firefighter, and Keely, a freshman college student in Bremerton.

Doug Riggs and Matt Riggs both graduated from Asotin High School, and then Doug served in the U.S. Navy and graduated from LCSC. He works at the Clearwater Paper mill. He and his wife Laurinda’s son Lane is a senior at Lewiston High School where he is a good music and drama student.

Shelley Wagner, Barbara’s sister, also survives her in Los Angeles.

Barbara loved her home and yard and her house was spotless and her yard lawn was always mowed and green. However, she also loved to travel and did quite a lot with Dick and some with a friend. With Dick they went to Hawaii and took drives a few times, to Walt Disney World by themselves and took their children and grandchildren to Disneyland. They took vacations to Montana, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Mexico, Canada and to the NAIA National Ladies Basketball Tournament in Tennessee. With friends Paul and Deanna Stewart they went to the NAIA Ladies National Tournament in Montana, took a tour of the New England states, and went to San Francisco, Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe and Boise with them. The four of them also went to the 10 northern Idaho courthouses. With friend Sunday she went to Israel, England, Alaska and on a cruise.

Barbara had a life well lived as a very pleasant Christian lady with a friendly smile for everyone.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Donations may be made to the Congregational-Presbyterian Church or to the Lewis-Clark State College Lady Warrior Basketball program.

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