Ida Laurabelle Riffle, 92

Ida Laurabelle Riffle, age 92, passed into the arms of her Savior and Lord Jesus Christ on Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, at her home in Hayden, Idaho.

Ida was born to Charles and Velma Scates on March 29, 1927, in Lancaster, Calif. She was the fifth of seven daughters. She was raised in various cities in southern California and enjoyed working with her father drilling water wells, and with her mother at home in the kitchen. She committed her life to Christ at a young age and later attended Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) where she met her husband, George A. Riffle.

They married on May 29, 1948, and a life of both blessings and hardships surrounded them throughout their 53 years of marriage. They lived in California, Colorado, Idaho and Washington and had many wonderful times in each location. Ida loved to do crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, knit, crochet, read, play the piano and sing, but most of all, she poured her life and love into her friends and family, especially if there were children involved.

She served faithfully by George’s side as he pastored churches in smaller communities in each state where they lived. Their belief and faith in God were deep and strong, and they were committed to sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with both their neighbors and their family.

Ida is preceded in death by her husband, George; son, David Howard Riffle; her parents; and sisters Catherine, Evelyn, Caroline, Elizabeth and Iva.

She is survived by children Jane Riffle, George (Carol) A. Riffle Jr., Naomi (Charles) Valencia, Ruth (Tom) Alstot, Jon (Terri) Riffle, Dan Riffle, Velma (David) Robinson and Lois (Dan) Harless; 39 grandchildren (including spouses); 38 great-grandchildren; sister, Charlette Britt; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to give special thanks to Grace Miller and her team of caregivers who lovingly cared for Ida the past couple of years.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2020, at Rathdrum Bible Church, 15127 Stevens St., Rathdrum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Northwest Independent Church Extension (NICE), P.O. Box 2225, Sumner, WA 98390.

To see Ida’s online memorial and to leave a message for the family, please visit www.englishfuneralchapel.com.