Carol "Kris" Lefebvre

On May 4, 2022 Carol Kristin “Kris” Lefebvre (Chubb) succumbed to cancer with her husband John at her side.

Kris was born in Bonners Ferry on December 23, 1948, to Bill and Carol Chubb and lived in Bonners Ferry until graduating high school in 1967. She met her future husband John at a dance in 1964 in the parking lot next to what is now Larson’s. After her attendance at the Universities of Washington and Idaho, John’s persistence eventually resulted in their marriage on December 26, 1970 and subsequentially four children; John, Amanda, Matthew (Mac), and David.

John’s career with Weyerhaeuser took the family to several stops throughout the Northwest: North Bend, Enumclaw, and Oroville in Washington and lastly Rainier, Oregon for the children’s’ high school years. Kris put her full effort in the work of raising four kids, all born within three and a half years of each other, and was always willing to volunteer as Cub Scout/Brownie leader, Junior Women member, May Day Celebration Planning Committee, or school volunteer. She took pride in the two years she worked as a Reading Aide at Oroville Elementary school. She worked tirelessly to make sure her children participated in scouting, FFA, jobs, travel volleyball and baseball, got homework done, read books, played music, had matching Chip and Dale Chipmunk costumes for the Christmas Concert, and had a curiosity about the world, all while keeping them clothed and fed.

Her passion in life was travel – “I always like to have a plane ticket for my next trip in my top drawer.” One of the many gifts she gave to her family was the appreciation of the world beyond the rural Pacific Northwest of the 1980s. As a teenager she had the opportunity to travel to Europe, The Soviet Union, and the Holy Land. After her kids left home, she and John enjoyed traveling to exotic locales such as Japan, Germany, Mexico, Twentynine Palms CA, and Goldendale WA to see her kids, prepare nurseries for new grandchildren, put in gardens, and coach her kids through the terror of becoming parents. Later in life, she and John took trips went to New Zealand and throughout Europe; she liked to point out that after the third cathedral or museum for the day her husband would abandon the itinerary and could be found sitting in a café on the town square sampling local beverages.

Upon John’s retirement in 2007, Kris and John built a log home on John’s childhood ranch on Ball Creek; fortunately, their marriage was able to survive the contentious home design and construction process. This home was the setting for the best chapter of her life – over a decade of preparing beds, making meals, planning “Ball Creek Summer” activities for carloads of grandchildren coming out to ‘the cabin’ for Christmases, Thanksgivings, summer days in the pond and s’mores down by the creek. There was nothing that made her happier than being a mother and ‘Mimi’ to her children and eleven grandchildren, in which she invested herself completely and has their eternal gratitude.

Kris was preceded in death by her mother and father, brothers Bill and Jim Chubb, and nephew Jim Chubb. She is survived by her husband John; son John (wife Nora and children William and Lina), daughter Amanda (husband Andy Freeman and children Jack, Kana, and Liv Freeman), son Mac (wife Holly and children Miles, Adalei, and Tyra), and son Dave (wife Jana and children Elena, Dale, and Martin). She is also survived by brother Marc Chubb, sister-in-law Sandi Chubb, brother-in-law Bill Lefebvre, nieces Carisa McAlister, Ketta Everhart, Melissa Riesen, Cara Guenther, and nephew Derek Chubb.

A memorial is planned for July 7, 2022 at Kris and John’s home.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the many friends and family that have supported the Lefebvre family in recent weeks and were able to tell her how important she was in their lives. Your stories and laughs with Kris have been a bright spot in this otherwise difficult chapter.