Larry Wayne Stinson, 79

Larry Wayne Stinson passed away surrounded by his family July 7, 2026, at 1:10 p.m. at the Hospice of North Idaho house. Born to Pauline (Edwards) and Charles (Buck) Stinson on Dec. 14, 1946, Larry was the second oldest of five children.

At a young age, Larry and his family moved to the Silver Valley, Idaho, from Smithville, Okla. His father was a logger, and his mother was a housewife. He graduated from Kellogg High School in 1965 and was the first in his family to earn a college degree from NIC and the University of Idaho. He worked his way through college at Bunker Hill on weekends and in the summers. He LOVED history and reading, and used those skills for a short while teaching in Kellogg. While working at Bunker Hill in 1967, he met his future wife, Brenda Rose, who also worked at the smelter. They were co-workers, friends and each other’s favorite dancing partners no matter what the circumstance, and eventually married Nov. 23, 1974. In 1977, he and Brenda welcomed their first daughter, Angela. In 1979, Brenda and Larry found their paradise, a small ranch in Cataldo, Idaho. They purchased the ranch, and Brenda started a small business that year with a friend, making bags for the mines in a back bedroom of the house, so she could stay home with her children. Cassandra, their second daughter, was born in 1981. In 1982, when Bunker Hill closed, like so many others, Larry lost his job. He was offered several lucrative jobs from other mines around the country, but ultimately, he did not want to leave North Idaho, so he started working with Brenda to build the business they called Silver Needle, manufacturing safety clothing. The first three years they made next to nothing, but with all the hard work they put into building their business, the company went from supplying local mines to now providing Silver Needle safety clothing all over the world!

Larry was a member of the Kellogg Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer for Silver Horn ski resort, and an integral part of LID (Local Improvement District) in improving uptown Kellogg by replacing sidewalks, planting trees, etc. He loved working on the farm, remodeling buildings and homes, traveling, camping at Priest Lake, reading thousands of books, listening and playing music, but near the end he loved nothing more than spending time with his great-granddaughter, who was, in his own words, “his reason for living, even though he was in so much pain.”

Larry is survived by his wife, Brenda (Rose) Stinson of Cataldo; his daughters Angela Duhamel of Post Falls, Cassandra and Jason Waller of Cataldo; his sister Chandra Caddy from Post Falls, four grandchildren: Theresa Waller, Kylie Duhamel, Alexandra Waller and Gage Waller, as well as one great-grandchild, Harley, and many nieces and nephews. Larry was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings, Linda Stinson, Peggy Neff and Charles Stinson, and his nephew, Jesse Neff.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, at 1 p.m. at The Worship Center, Smelterville, Idaho. A reception will follow the services at the church. 

Memories of Larry and messages of condolence may be shared online with his family at www.shoshonefuneralservice.com. Shoshone Funeral Services of the Silver Valley is caring for the Stinson family.