Margaret Bideganeta

Margaret Elma Bideganeta, 89, of Mountain Home, passed away on Jan. 4, 2013, at Cedar Crest Care Center.

Wednesday, Jan. 9, a viewing will be held at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel from 4 p.m. until the rosary at 6 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m., on Thursday, Jan. 10, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery.

Margaret was born June 19, 1923, in Arimo, Idaho. She was the daughter of Ether E. and Thelma McNeil. Her childhood was spent in Forest Service camps throughout Idaho during the Great Depression, finally settling in Boise in her teen years. She graduated from Boise High School in 1942 and took a job at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

She met John Bideganeta on the tennis courts in Mountain Home in the summer of 1942. They were married in San Diego, where John was stationed on the Navy base, on July 30 of the following year.

While in San Diego, Margaret worked at the Firestone Appliance store. Diana, the first of four children, was born while they were there.

After the war, Margaret lived with John's family in Mountain Home while he attended college at the University of Idaho. John was accepted to Northwestern University Dental School and Margaret, John, and Diana moved to Chicago until he graduated in 1953. They returned to Mountain Home at the request of Dr. Malone Koelsch to start a partnership with him in a combined medical/dental practice. Margaret was John's first dental assistant and bookkeeper.

They made their lifelong home in Mountain Home and their three other children, Alisa, Kim and John were born there.

Margaret enjoyed a wonderful companionship with their friends, Lou and Art Smith, Chris and Claude Bermensolo, and Betty Jo and Malone Koelsch, better known as the infamous "BBKS."

Margaret worked at the Towne Shoppe clothing store and Velva and Dan's Fabric Store. She was an amazing seamstress and knitted and quilted many wonderful things for her family.

Margaret loved to golf, and although she wasn't a long driver, she always played "right down the middle." She was past president of the Mountain Home Ladies Golf Association and was instrumental in the development of the Mountain Home Municipal Golf Course.

She was very active in PEO, and was past president of the organization. She also was past president of the American Cancer Society -- Mountain Home Chapter.

Above all, Margaret loved her family. She did everything to create a home that everyone was welcome in, until she moved into Cedar Crest in 2005. Margaret was loved by everyone at Cedar Crest and she will be sorely missed there.

Margaret is survived by her brother, Boyd, her husband, John, daughter Diana Witherspoon, daughter Alisa Bideganeta Urquidi and husband John, daughter Kim Bideganeta --Uriona and husband José, son John and wife Tracy, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters, and one grandchild.

Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Atten: Donor Services, 6126 W. State St., Suite 305, Boise, ID 83703, Desert Canyon Golf Course, c/o City of Mountain Home, P.O. Box 10, Mountain Home, ID 83647, or PEO, c/o Valerie Price, 1315 N. 18th East St., Mountain Home, ID 83647.

The family would like to thank Cindy Adamson, Charlene Humphreys, the girls at Cedar Crest, Dr. Michael Koelsch and Linda Shaw for their great and special care over the years.