- Date Of Birth: May 13, 1937
- Date Of Death: March 8, 2020
- State: Idaho
Elwood Wayne Kintner passed away in his home March 8, 2020 to his Heavenly Home after a brave fight with Lewy Body Dementia. He was born May 13, 1937 to Olive and Clarence Kintner in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was an only child, and tragically, his father died suddenly when Elwood was an infant. He grew up on a potato, dairy, and hay farm learning to work hard and love animals including horses, cows, and dogs. His favorite dog was Silver and his horse was Peanut.
He was a western country boy at heart. He was active in 4-H, loved ice cream and potato chips, and loved playing baseball. He showed Jersey cows in 4-H and was awarded a trip to the National 4-H Congress in Chicago, IL in 1953. He played baseball through his high school years, helped coach little league teams as an adult, and carried love and knowledge of the game throughout his life.
He received his bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Idaho where he was a charter member of the Farmhouse Fraternity. He enjoyed college, but early on, a traumatic fire in his dorm nearly cost his life.
In 1960, he married Judith Ann Bailey, his wife of 27 years. Together they had two children: Randall and Laura. Elwood worked for John Hancock in Idaho Falls, ID; Omaha, NE; and primarily in Spokane, WA making loans for farms, orchards, and vineyards in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
He developed a taste for fine wines and coffee and was a long-time member of the Spokane Enological Society. He believed that life is too short to drink bad coffee or bad wine! He was a member of the Spokane chapter of the German American society. He loved to play the accordion, act with the Ham on Regal players, and enjoyed listening to many genres of music, especially country music. His connection with music was a source of joy and comfort during his dementia journey.
Elwood had a winning smile, gave big hugs, and made life-long friends in business relationships and during his timeshare travel days to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
He is survived by Vernice; son Randall (Martha) Kintner; daughter Laura (Todd) Inman; grandchildren Nathaniel and Aaron Kintner, Paige and Luke Inman; and cousins including Karen Rohwer, DeLoy Meppen, Bonnie Howard, and Marilyn Laird. He will be greatly missed, especially for his smile and bear hugs.
His family is grateful to his many loving caregivers from Dementia Care Solutions, who made it possible for him to stay in his cherished home until the end of his fight with Lewy Body Dementia.
As Elwood often said upon parting, “God bless.”
