Beulah ‘Babe’ Martel Turley Furnish, 79

Beulah “Babe” Martel Turley Furnish, age 79, of Coeur d’Alene, passed away on June 7, 2019.

Babe was born Feb. 27, 1940, in Kalispell, Mont., to Paul and Dorothy Turley. Babe was the oldest child, with one sister and two brothers. The family moved to North Idaho in 1948. Babe graduated from Kellogg High School in 1958.

Babe enlisted in the Navy after high school but was sent home after a bad infection in her mouth. So she started working at the Boat and various other restaurants in the area. She also played piano for the Lodge, where she met the love of her life, Paul “Jim” Furnish. They began dating in December, were engaged on Valentine’s Day and married on April 30, 1960. They had five children: Laura, Linda, Jim Jr., Jeanette and Willard.

They moved from the Silver Valley of Idaho right after the Sunshine Mine fire to try to keep Jim out of the mines. Babe helped out with a painting business that she and Jim ran while in Seattle. She painted, did maintenance work and even learned to do the books for the company. Eventually, Babe got a very good job doing books and cost-accounting, which gave Jim the opportunity to go to college. Babe then worked for IDD Aerospace and Boeing before retiring in 1997.

Babe and Jim traveled all around the United States in their fifth wheel for 2 1/2 years. They were offered a job as caretakers at a private campground in So Cle Elum, Wash. After six years of doing that, they decided to move to Newport, Ore., where for three years they tried their hand at running a small motel right on the ocean. Then they moved to Coeur d’Alene to be closer to family. They began a new chapter in their life by moving into The Village at Orchard Ridge.

Babe is survived by her husband and their five children: Laura (and Fred) Pilon, Linda (and Mark) Laurent, Jim Jr., Jenny (and Darin) Mueller and Will (and Cheree) Furnish. She had many children that came into her life that she helped along the way who also called her mom. She is also survived by her two brothers, Milt (and Kay) Turley and Troy (and Gail) Turley. She has 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Dorothy Turley, and a sister, Marcella.

A great big thank you to the staff at Orchard Ridge for taking care of both of our parents and loving them as much as you do. Your staff has given us peace of mind in their safety and care.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. on June 21, 2019, at The Village at Orchard Ridge.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Hospice of North Idaho Schneidmiller Hospice House.