Iris Lavonne House (June 7, 1941 – December 4, 2022)
Iris House, 81, of Star, Idaho, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2022.
Iris was born on June 7, 1941 to John and Ruby Elder in Las Animas, Colorado. She graduated from Bent County High School in 1959, after which she was awarded a scholarship to Western Colorado University for exemplary academic achievements and her work in the school and community newspapers.
Iris moved with her parents in 1960, joining her favorite Aunt Iris in Boise, Idaho. She worked various secretarial jobs in Boise, including at the Idaho Legislature and State Department of Insurance. It was during this time that Iris met her future husband, Michael House. Mike was a policeman for the City of Boise and had stopped by a friend’s party on Warm Springs Boulevard one evening, only to leave and discover Iris and her friend attempting to steal his patrol car. Their 60-year adventure began then and there.
For their first date, Iris wore a beautiful knee-length black silk dress with heels and gloves. Being the romantic that he is, Mike took her out to dinner at Manley’s Café, where they sat on beat-up barstools lining a formica counter and ended the night watching car races on the dirt track at Meridian Speedway. Iris commented many times that she was covered in dirt from head to toe after that first date.
Mike and Iris were married July 13, 1962 in Boise. Their daughter Brenda was born in 1966. They lived in North Boise, and then Eagle, for many years. Iris was a social butterfly who relished in being the neighborhood “Avon Lady” and “Fuller Brush Man;” she opened a ceramic studio in the family’s garage and spent hours painting ceramics she later sold at the original Eagle Christmas Bazaar. Kids and adults loved visiting the house to paint and socialize in the fun and lively environment.
Iris and Mike retired, sold their house in Eagle and moved to their cabin in Long Valley. They spent 25 years traveling by RV and wintering in Yuma, Arizona. The pair made perfect travel companions as he drove and she “watched the road!” They loved exploring small towns and stopping along the way to see local sights and search antique stores for treasures. Iris’s favorite place they visited was Charleston, South Carolina. They also took many trips to southeast Colorado to visit her beloved brothers and their families.
Iris made friends everywhere she went and loved to host parties, especially during the holidays. When Iris turned 70 years old, she hosted a big party and friends and classmates came from all corners of the country to celebrate. She especially adored her classmates from the Las Animas High School Class of 1959, many of whom she remained in close contact with until her final days.
Iris was a cherished mother, sister, aunt and grandmother who enjoyed everything she did with her granddaughters. Her granddaughters loved their Granny deeply and always appreciated her fun, lively, supportive and encouraging presence.
She is survived by her husband Mike, daughter Brenda, son-in-law Bruce Weaver, her granddaughters Kelsey and Carly, her brother Bill, sisters-in-law Jean and Virginia Elder, and many special nieces and nephews and their families.
There will be no services at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Boise Women’s and Children’s Alliance . The family would like to thank Country Time Assisted Living in Star, Idaho for their compassionate and high-quality care. A special thank you to Sara Smith, NP, Victor Bartling, DO, and Ancora Hospice.
Iris’s family grieves their loss, but will cherish their memories and remember Iris as she was in life—funny, vivacious and typically found singing, dancing, cooking, crafting and making her opinion known. She will be deeply missed.
“There is a sacredness in tears, they are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief… and unspeakable love.”
Washington Irving