Chase Lavonte Hochstrasser

Chase Lavonte Hochstrasser
1935-2015
Chase Lavonte Hochstrasser, 79, of Boise, passed away Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015 at his home of natural causes. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 at the Eagle LDS Stake Center located at 2090 N. Eagle Road, Eagle. Bishop Ryan Biberston of the Eagle 7th Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officiate. A viewing will be held prior to the service from 11:00-11:45 a.m. at the church. Family will also greet friends from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5, 2015 at Relyea Funeral Chapel, 318 N. Latah St., Boise. Interment will follow the service at 2:00 p.m. at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery, 10100 Horseshoe Bend Rd.
Chase was born May 10, 1935 in Boise, Idaho to Chase Lavonte Hochstrasser and Annie Catherine Hoopes. He married the love of his life, LaVarna Myers, on June 8, 1956 in the L.D.S. Idaho Falls Temple. Chase and his sweetheart were working on their 60th year of marriage.
He is survived by his wife, LaVarna; sons, Joel, Jeffrey (Jan), and Benjamin (Pam); and daughter, Jennifer (Jameson). He had seven grandchildren, Shasta (Bolduc), Marcus Chase, Micah Chase, Sierra, Jenna, Bill (Jameson), and Brooke (Jameson) and two great-granddaughters, Rei and Piper. He is also survived by brothers, Alan and Jerry and sisters, Alma (Lamkin) and Linda (Garner). He was preceded in death by brothers, Max, Bill, Jim, and Michael and sister, Delores (Walters).
Chase was a very energetic and athletic young man at home and at school. At Boise Senior High School he lettered 3 times playing baseball. Chase attended and completed studies at Boise Junior College in two years. Chase volunteered to enlist in the Army instead of waiting to be called up in the draft. He attended Radio Operators School at Fort Riley in Manhatten, Kansas. LaVarna joined him and Joel was born there. After two years of service, they returned home. He enrolled in the College of Idaho in Caldwell while working full time at the Boise Cascade Lumber Mill in Emmett. Being a full time student and working full-time meant very little sleep for him during this time. He graduated from C of I with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education.
Chase went right to work at Hawthorne Elementary School in Boise. Being an extremely dedicated teacher, he proffered a rigorous curriculum which his students loved him for. Everyone wanted to have Mr. Hochstrasser for their 6th grade teacher. Chase spent some summers attending Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande, Oregon and earned his Masters Degree in Elementary Administration in 1971. His hard work was immediately rewarded in being hired as Principal at Roosevelt Elementary in Boise. From there, he transferred to be the Principal at Pierce Park Elementary which was much closer to home. After many years of being in elementary administration, he returned to his passion and spent his last years teaching at Cole Elementary. He retired from Boise Independent School District after 33 years of service including countless summers teaching Drivers Training.
When Chase retired, he needed something else to occupy his time and exercise his mind besides just gardening, camping, fishing, traveling to see new sights, fixing his sprinkler system, wacking down the brush on his land, motorcycle riding, doing the daily crossword puzzle, solving the word jumbles, playing Scrabble against the computer, watching wildlife programs, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and BSU football games. As a result, he added woodworking to his list. He became very accomplished in building a variety of wood projects. Being a perfectionist by nature, his expertise using his scroll saw cutting detailed scenes and objects was unrivaled. He made so many nightlights and door harps each year that he and LaVarna began attending Christmas bazaars, setting up booths and selling his handicrafts. When his health began to fail he had give up the woodworking, but nothing else.
Chase leaves behind a legacy of hard work, ingenuity, honesty, and service to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. A heavenly reunion with him is looked forward to with much anticipation by his family and loved ones.