Wilma Jean Mace, 94

Wilma Jean (Deubel) Mace, 94, passed away Friday, December 12, 2025, in Sandpoint, Idaho. 

A private celebration of life for both Jean and Lew Mace will be held in the summer of 2026.

Jean was born June 8, 1931, to Barney and Rose Deubel in Sandpoint, Idaho, where she grew up and attended school.

Jean and Lew met while skating at the Sandpoint Roller Rink in the fall of 1945. The following spring, the state of Idaho Roller Skating Pair Dance Championship meet was held at the Sandpoint Roller Rink on Monday, March 4, 1946, benchmarking the inaugural meet for the state of Idaho. Skaters came from all over the state to participate. Jean and Lew won the second-place award. 

Jean married Lewis Ethbert Mace, born in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, February 28, 1926, on October 13, 1946, in Sandpoint, Idaho. They made their home on North Highway 95 and raised Judy, Ginger and Jim there until the family moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in the fall of 1954. Jean and Lew owned Bonner’s Ferry Flying Service from 1956-1972, and the Rex Theater from 1963-2000.

Jean was a well-known artist in the Northwest. Though the acclaimed Mace Gallery is no longer in operation, a watercolor series commissioned by the state of Idaho depicting six Boundary and Bonner County waterfalls can be seen at the Columbia Bank Building in Sandpoint, Idaho. Jean signed her most recent work, “WJD Mace.”

A native of North Idaho, Jean’s work reflects her surroundings. Jean said it best, “The food and water which nurture my body come from the same earth which nurtures every other living thing growing in our beautiful country. I paint my life, and if you choose to view my work, my hope is that my paintings produce some feeling within you.” Jean also treasured her canine, feline and equine pets.

A multi-media artist, Jean was best known for her watercolors. Jean was a charter member of the Bonners Ferry Art Club and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Boundary County Museum. She also enjoyed working in oils, pastels, conte or graphite. Her subjects included landscapes, still life, and the people of the Northwest. Jean exhibited in juried Northwest Western Art Shows in Washington and Montana. Her paintings are a part of collections throughout the Northwest, California and the Midwest. Jean also had many solo shows and participated in annual shows in Canada for the more than four years. A member of the Idaho Watercolor Society (IWS) and the Midwest Watercolor Society, Jean was awarded First Place in the 1988 IWS juried Membership Exhibition twice. Jean attended workshops conducted by world renowned artists Zolton Szabo, Joe Bohler, Andrew Wyeth and Stan Miller.

Jean is survived by her daughter Ginger Lou Mace (Walter Richard) Collins of Spokane Valley, WA; son Dr. James Lewis (Mary Suzanne Hagan) Mace of Wildwood, MO; four grandchildren Heather Lynn Colliins Burnett Meyer, Holly jean Collins Grazette, Chadwick Lewis (Jamie Partridge) Mace, and Jeffrey Christopher (Chrissy Painter) Mace; seven great grandchildren Victoria RosEve, Calvin Lee Richard, Aliyah Mace, Carter Lewis, Matylda Suzanne, Harrison James, Adalaide Helen; and one great-great granddaughter, Scarlett Rose. She is also survived by her sister Linda Rose Deubel Crane Hoffman of Idaho Falls, Idaho; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to express their eternal loving gratitude for the care, the love and respect Jean received in the home of Mark and Sheila Huber, Sandpoint, Idaho, for the final 5 years of her life.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Bernard Gottlieb and Rose Flora Hale Deubel; her husband of 71 years, Lewis Ethbert Mace; their daughter, Judith Lynn Mace; and Jean’s two brothers, Robert Bernard and Donald Sherman Deubel.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint, Idaho, is handling the arrangements. Please visit Jean’s online memorial at lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.