Camy Dee Popiel, 54

Camy Dee Popiel, 54, of Post Falls, Idaho, passed away peacefully at her home on Aug. 2, 2018. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on August 18, 2018, at the English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls. English Funeral Chapel in Post Falls has been entrusted with the arrangements. Per Camy’s request, no suits or ties required (casual dress).

Camy was born on Nov. 19, 1963, in Glendive, Mont. She was raised in Glendive and graduated from Dawson County High School with the class of 1982. Camy moved to the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area in 1992, where she worked 25 years as an insurance agent for Horace Mann. Camy won numerous awards for her outstanding work as an agent, but will be remembered mostly for the dedication and care she provided to her clients, many of whom she considered her closest friends.

Camy’s legacy lives on through the Learning with Lucky program, which she co-founded in 2005 and earned her the “Friend of Education” award for multiple years. Learning with Lucky is an incentive-based system that motivates first-grade students to earn privileges and rewards while working alongside their “reading buddies.” Each student receives a black or yellow stuffed Labrador “reading buddy” along with a book log. The students spend time with their reading buddy each day in the classroom and work together as a “team” on a variety of projects designed to encourage reading. This program has touched the lives of over 30,000 students across Idaho, Washington and Montana. To learn more about Learning with Lucky please go to www.learningwithlucky.net.

One of Camy’s many passions was collecting and selling all-things vintage, especially Pyrex, where she was known as the “Pyrex Queen” in many circles. Whether family or friend, to meet Camy was to never forget her. Her enthusiasm for life, high energy and direct approach exemplified her uniqueness and she will be missed dearly by all those who were a part of her life.

Camy is survived by the love of her life John Proen of Spokane, Wash.; her mother, Carolyn Toepke of Missoula, Mont.; her brothers, Cary (Elaine) Toepke and Lindsay (Jennifer) Toepke of Fort Collins, Colo., and Missoula; her sister, Heide Toepke of Olympia, Wash.; her dogs, Memphis and Midas; numerous nieces; a nephew and family and friends, who will all miss her dearly.

In lieu of flowers, Camy has requested that donations be made to the Learning with Lucky program she co-founded. This can be achieved by going to www.gofundme.com/learning-with-lucky or by sending checks to the Idaho Community Foundation on behalf of the Learning with Lucky by Camy Fund, 210 W. State St., Boise, ID 83702, 208-342-3535.