Bea Boston went to sleep in the peace of the Lord on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. Bea endeared herself to all who knew her and was a tender example of love and kindness. Bea lived life to please others and loved her family unconditionally.
She was blessed with two daughters, Willean and Laurie, four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren—all whom she adored, and she was affectionately known as “Grammie” by countless more. Bea’s loved ones will celebrate her life on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at Potter’s Funeral Chapel in Emmett. Bea’s family asks everyone planning to attend to please wear Huskie blue (and/or gear) or Bronco blue and orange to the ceremony.
Bea was born to an early Owyhee County pioneer family, Charles A. and Mary T. (Kelly) Johnston, who welcomed her as the seventh of their eight children on August 2, 1921. She was raised on a working sheep (and later) cattle ranch. Her family was self-sufficient and raised their own fruits and vegetables, milked cows, rendered lard, and raised sheep, cattle, and pigs.
Bea was raised with a solid moral foundation and her family taught her the value of hard work, fairness, and the importance of lending a helping hand to others. She was proud to inherit her mother’s hospitable Irish nature and enduring spirit. Bea’s mother died when she was three, which made her even closer to her father, whom she adored.
This tragic loss formed an amazingly steadfast bond among Bea’s siblings, especially with her younger brother, Calvin and her two older sisters, Anna Mary and Irene. They always looked out for one another and remained closely-connected. Bea, her siblings, cousins, and neighbors attended a one-room school house in Wilson for grades 1 – 8.
At Melba High School, she was a good student, participated in girls’ basketball, and was Senior Class Secretary. While Bea and her father shopped in Nampa at a local corner grocery store, a young, tall, good-looking Southern boy caught her eye across the meat counter. She married Bill Boston on October 4, 1941 in Nampa and they shared 56 years of marriage.
As a part of the “Greatest Generation”, she remained at her dad’s ranch and sacrificed to support those fighting during World War II, while Bill served in Europe. After Bill’s return from the war, they lived their early years in Nampa owning a corner grocery store. Then, when Bill went to work for Swift & Co., they moved to Boise where they resided the remainder of their married life.
While maintaining her home in Boise, Bea and her two girls spent the weekends with her brother, Calvin, helping him take care of his ranch. She and Bill also loved spending time at their Salmon Creek Ranch, located above Reynold’s Creek in Owyhee County. This was her parents homestead, before they moved to the Wilson area to ranch and always held a very special place in Bea’s heart.
She especially enjoyed taking her grandkids there to “rough it” with no running water or electricity. Bea was known for her delicious home cooking and her amazing ability to produce banquets from simple leftovers. As a child, she learned to cook on a wood-burning stove and could make the most delicious biscuits, controlling the temperature by merely adding more or less wood chips.
In addition to these melt-in-your mouth biscuits, she made the best sugar cookies and macaroni salad and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren would always request one or all of these specialties at any family gathering. Bea was blessed with a close-knit and extended family in Emmett. Since 2005, Emmett became her second home while she lived with Willean and Denny.
She became a dedicated “Huskie”, and was the biggest fan of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s activities. She was also a very avid Boise State Bronco fan, listening to football and basketball games on the radio or watching them on TV. Bea is survived by her two daughters and their husbands, Willean & Dennis White and Laurie Boston & Gus Crank; her grandchildren and their spouses, Wendy (White) and Matt Johnson, Jodie (White) and Travis Farnsworth, Heidee (White) and Tony Browne, and Bill and Sharla White; and her great-grandchildren, Mason, Cael, and Tessa Farnsworth, Hunter, Carter, and Nick Browne, and Davis, Easton, Eliana, and Amalia White; her special cousin, Virginia Almquist, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death, by her parents, her husband Bill, her brothers Ed, Tom, Walter, and Calvin Johnston, and her sisters Edith Johnston, Anna Mary (Johnston) Curtis, and Irene (Johnston) Markley. Bea will be greatly missed by all who knew her, but her pioneer spirit, the lessons she taught, the recipes she shared, and the good times she spent with family and friends will live on in the hearts of her loved ones and cherished in their memories as her lasting legacy. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Huskies AAA Boosters, ℅ Kathy LaVergne at Emmett Middle School 301 E 4th St, Emmett, ID 83617 or to a charity of your choice.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
