On March 2, 2018, Charles Eric ‘Eric’ Staehling passed away peacefully at his home in Sandpoint, Idaho, after battling merkel cell carcinoma, skin cancer. He was 94 years old.

The Neptune Society of Spokane is providing the funeral home services. An interment application has been filed for Eric to be laid to rest with military funeral honors in the Washington State Veterans Cemetery Medical Lake this summer; date to be determined.

Eric was born Charles Eric King on Oct. 14, 1923, in Los Angeles, Calif., to Charles (aka Adolph Karl “Karl”) and Isabella (McKecknie-Ashby) King. Karl took Eric to Germany where they lived with extended family and where Eric attended school from fifth through eighth grade. They returned to Los Angeles and Eric attended Manuel Arts High School in Los Angeles graduating in 1946. Eric and his parents later legally changed their last name from King to Staehling.

Eric worked in electronics for Douglas Aircraft in Inglewood, Calif., before spending over three years in the 450th Army Air Force Base Unit. Eric attended the radio school at Scott Field, an Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Ill., where he was trained as a radio operator/maintainer. Eric was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. When the war ended, he was honorably discharged from service and he went to work for Contel which later became Verizon. He worked there for 15 years and retired at the age of 55.

Eric had a passion for traveling and bicycled extensively throughout Europe including Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and North Africa (Morocco). Also, he drove the full length of Mexico. And, he spent time on the South Pacific islands of Tahiti and Moorea.

Eric married Yvonne Jacque-line Doorn-bos. Yvonne had a young daughter Margaret “Margie” from a previous marriage. Yvonne had been employed as a registered nurse. Eric and Yvonne owned a trailer park near a ski resort. They divorced in 1981 after 10 years of marriage, but remained friends.

Eric married Eva Lorraine Nelson “Lorraine” on Sept. 27, 1986, in Ukiah, Calif. Lorraine was employed as a secretary and bookkeeper at the Ukiah Junior Academy. She died May 13, 1992, at Ukiah Valley Medical Center from thyroid cancer.

Eric married Loretta Morton on Nov. 6, 1994, in Redlands, Calif. They honeymooned in Palm Springs, Calif., followed by a two-week cruise through the Caribbean Islands. They settled in Ukiah, where Eric took up flying lessons, receiving his solo flight certificate and where he built a Europa kit plane. Later they lived in Kelseyville, Calif., Sequim, Wash., and College Place, Wash. In 2016 they moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, to be close to Loretta’s family.

Eric is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He volunteered for over 10 years in one of their hospitals. In 1995, he went to Nepal on an Adventist Development Relief Agency work project to build an addition on the out-patient surgical center of the Adventist Hospital. Eric and Loretta have been supporters of the ADRA and Maranatha Volunteers International. Through Maranatha, they funded the building of SDA churches in India and Mexico. Also, they funded the development of a water well in Zimbabwe. Throughout his life Eric enjoyed religious studies, aviation, radio repair, classic cars, classical music and playing the piano, organ and harmonica, tennis, sailing and traveling. Eric had a FCC Amateur Radio License. He also had been a member of the Prospector Chapter of the Four Cylinder Car Club of America and helped coordinate the Apple Valley, Calif., sport car charity “Auto-Cross.” Eric and Loretta had a camper trailer and they used it to visit national parks, his stepdaughter Margie and her family in California, family in Idaho and friends in Arizona.

Eric is survived by his wife, Loretta Staehling of Sandpoint; his stepdaughter, Margie (Bill) Shaw (ex-wife Yvonne) of San Diego, Calif., and two grandchildren; his stepdaughter, Lisa (Ken) Morton-Gramyk (wife Loretta) of Sagle; and his stepsons, Les (Lona) Morton of Cherry Valley, Calif., Larry (Trudi) Morton of Moscow, Idaho, Stan Morton of Ponderay, Idaho, Bob Morton of Ponderay, Vern Morton of Sagle, Idaho; and 18 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

Eric was preceded in death by his parents, Karl and Isabella Staehling; elder stepbrother, (deceased wife Isabella), Wesley Ashby; and stepson, (wife Loretta) William Morton, DDS.