Edith Ann Duhamel

Edith Ann Duhamel passed away on Sunday April 28th at Petersen Place in Hayden, Idaho at the
age of 86. In the end Dementia took everything from her. She was born on December 11,
1937, to Alice Shrosbree and Thomas L Jernegan in Seattle Washington. She spent her
childhood snow skiing, participating in Girl Scouts and enjoying numerous outdoor activities.
She graduated from Holy Names Academy in 1955. After high school, she enrolled at Seattle U
where she would meet her first husband, Frank Foto of Cle Ellum. They married in October
1956. After the wedding, they moved to Enumclaw for Franks job as Avalanche Forecaster with
the Forest Service. Frank and Edie got to help with finding the location of Crystal Mountain Ski
Area which later opened in 1962. She worked as a ski instructor for Snoqualmie Pass and
Stevens Pass. During this time, Frank became ill and died from brain cancer.

After his death, Edith moved to Lake Chelan. She was building a house on the lake when she
met Edward “Bud” Duhamel who had offered to help her. They were married in 1963 and had
four children. The family spent summers on the lake and the winters at Stevens Pass and Echo
Valley. Edith was an incredible seamstress. She designed and created her own patterns.
When she first started sewing in her teens, she gained experience at the Roffe ski clothing
company. She used this experience to start a children’s ski clothing company called Youth
Togs so she could help fulfill a need in the community.

In 1976, Bud purchased a pharmacy in Garfield, Washington and the family moved there. Five
years later, Edith returned to school at Washington State University to complete her BA degree
in Vocational Technical Education/Psychology. After finishing her degree and getting divorced,
she moved to Blackfoot, Idaho to start the beginning of a 20 year teaching career in Industrial
Special Education. She taught at Blackfoot High School. In 1987, Edith returned to Seattle and
earned her Master's Degree in Special Education/Vocational Special Education from the
University of Washington. Edith resumed her teaching in Idaho Falls at Skyline High School, and
later Taylorview Jr High School until she retired. All through the years, she continued to teach
ski lessons at Kelly Canyon and Jackson Hole. Edith was also a skilled white water rafting guide
who took many of her friends and family on whitewater trips. She spent her summers on
Idaho’s great rivers like the Snake, the Lower Salmon and the Main Salmon. She also rafted
many other rivers in Washington, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. In her retirement, she joined the
Idaho Falls Ski Club and spent time travelling around to numerous ski areas like Sun Valley,
Snow Basin, Grand Targhee and Big Ski in Montana.

When her only grandchild was born, Edith used her incredible sewing skills to make beautiful
doll clothes. She took pride in her creations down to the last intricate detail. One of her other
talents was woodworking. From hope chests to doll furniture, just like with sewing, she would
make her own patterns and then build what she created. Woodworking is a skill that she
passed on to the hundreds of special educations students that she taught every year. They
built bread boxes and sold them in the community. Her main purpose was to give each of them
skills that they could use in their future.

In 2017, Edith sold her home in Idaho Falls and moved to Post Falls to be closer to family. She
lived on her own for a year and a half before moving into Peterson Place where she resided
until her death.

Edith’s greatest love was her Norwegian Elkhounds. Over her lifetime, she has raised and
rescued no less than 9 dogs. One of her dogs, Stein, was famous for wandering into the 8 mile
tunnel on Stevens Pass. He was found by railroad crews clearing the tunnel before the next
train. In her later years, she mainly rescued neglected and abused Elkhounds and gave them a
wonderful home to live out their lives. These dogs had to be giddy with excitement as they
welcomed her into heaven on Sunday morning. Reunited at last!
She is preceded in death by her father, Thomas L Jernegan, mother, Alice Shrosbree brother,
Thomas A Jernegan and niece, Susan Jernegan. She is survived by her four children, Dave
(Seattle), Jim (Post Falls), Mary (Jeff Lange) (Newman Lake) and Bill (Post Falls) and one
grandchild Megan Lange. In lieu of flowers, Edith would be thrilled if you donated to a local pet
rescue organization in her name.