Grace Ann Dirks

Grace Ann (Holdeman) Dirks, (60) died at home on May 12, 2010, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, after a five-month courageous battle with cancer. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, May 17, 2010 at 10:00 am in the Woodland Mennonite Church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho with interment following in the Mountain View Mennonite Cemetery. Grace was born to Laurence and Beth (Williams) Holdeman in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, on November 29, 1949. She was the second child in a family of ten children, spending her early years in Harrison, Michigan. On December 27, 1961, she was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite by Richard Mininger. Her faith remained precious to her all of her life. When she was thirteen, she moved with her parents and nine siblings to Ithaca, Michigan. In the fall of 1969, she moved with her family to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where she lived the rest of her life. She married Bill Dirks on March 1, 1970, and they enjoyed forty years together. Their home was blessed with two children. Grace was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was a gifted and creative cook, and especially enjoyed bread-making. She loved gardening and preserving and canning produce. Plants flourished under her care and she had a special touch with orchids and African violets. She loved nature and exploring the surrounding mountains with her husband and children. She was a born caregiver, helping many people in the community with her healing hands. She worked at the Community Hospital and Nursing Home for a number of years, later beginning her own business as a massage therapist. Here she became valued by many for her talent with massage and her compassionate and caring nature. She will be missed by her husband Bill; two children: Sherry of Portland, Oregon; Jeff and Gail, grandchildren Joshua, Kelli Rose, and Jason, all of Uvalde, Texas; mother Beth Holdeman of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; nine siblings: Joy and John Friesen of Fort Vermillion, Alberta; Faith and Leonard Isaac of Kleefeld, Manitoba; John and Elizabeth Holdeman, Daniel and Gloria Holdeman, David and LeAnn Holdeman, all of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; Rebecca and John Condon of Portland, Oregon; Nathan and Lana Holdeman of Barron, Wisconsin; Rachel Holdeman and Priscilla Holdeman of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; mother-in-law Opal Dirks of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; two sisters-in-law: Rosemary and Lyle Unruh, Sandra and Tom Koehn, all of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death was her father, Laurence Holdeman, and father-in-law, Henry Dirks.