Faye Frome

1928 - 2024

Estella Faye Clark Frome passed away on August 17, 2024, in Bozeman. She was born March 15, 1928, in Archer, Idaho, to Wallace and Floella (Robinson) Clark. Faye lived her childhood on a wonderful, productive farm with parents who taught her how to work hard and treat all people fairly. She remembers her mother feeding many hobos out of their garden during the Depression. She truly was a child of the Depression, saving and scrimping on everything - we had quite a row with her during her first move trying to convince her that we were not going to pack her neatly rolled up balls of tin foil to put on the moving van! Her childhood was very idyllic until she had to go to high school where the city kids ridiculed the farm kids but she showed them her athletic prowess by beating them in baseball. Mom was kind of a tomboy.

Faye Clark married W. K. Frome on December 20, 1947, in her parents' living room in Lyman, Idaho, during a raging blizzard. They lived in St. Anthony, Idaho, where the new Ford garage, Frome Motors, was just being opened by our grandfather and dad. Mom started her first teaching job at Central Elementary but was very irritated when the school board made her quit in January 1952 because she was "showing" with their first child.

Faye worked extremely hard to earn her full bachelor's degree by teaching all day, taking night classes and so many summer classes, always leaving our dinner prepared for us. Mom truly hated professors who wasted her time by making her learn useless stuff (who needs to play a recorder?!) but she excelled academically. She graduated with a BA in 1967 from BYU and continued on to teach another 34 years at Central Elementary in the Fremont County School District, mostly as a 4th grade teacher specializing in Idaho history. Our family road trips consisted of stopping at every historical road site as she told us about this settler or that Indian tribe. We and many other kids sure know our Idaho history thanks to her! Mrs. Frome respected and treated her students fairly - if they worked hard she rewarded them and if they didn't she wasn't afraid to flunk them and tell their parents why. She delighted playing baseball with her students during noon recess. Her former students were always stopping to visit with her wherever she was. She taught her three daughters the importance of being educated so you could take care of yourself - she was pretty disdainful of a woman who could not financially care for herself. After a long day of teaching she relished curling up on the couch to read the newspaper with this comment to us, "Don't bother me unless there is blood."

Her grandchildren were blessed to be invited to "Grandma Camp" each summer - a week alone with her and grandpa where a daily romp to dip into the Sandbar on the Snake River was expected.

And then Fremont County built a golf course and she discovered the game of golf!

Faye was a serious, skilled competitive golfer and loved to travel to tournaments anywhere - her name was usually on the winner's leaderboard. Faye was a Fremont County Club Champion many times. It was always a fun time golfing with mom (unless you missed a crucial putt!) and she played that sport until she was 89.

K. and Faye Frome shared 57 years together working extremely hard running a business, raising a family and knowing when to have fun. Mom dragged dad onto the golf course and he was always exasperated when she beat him soundly. She was his listening board in dealing with customers. And we girls were never surprised to see them break out dancing in the kitchen - we watched in awe one year as they cleared the dance floor on the Coeur d' Alene lake boat and put on quite an exhibition to big band music! They listened to 33's of 40's music on our big old console stereo a lot and valued their chance to watch Lawrence Welk every Saturday night. They welcomed their many friends and our friends, regardless of religion, politics or anything around their kitchen table sharing food and beverages and funny stories. Mom loved our boyfriends' long, thick hair during our hippie days; dad, not so much. We were blessed to have them as parents and teach us how a marriage really should operate.

Faye Frome is survived by her daughters and grand/great children Joy (Jan) Staker, (Megan, Cody, Ford Kennington and Banks Dillon Gullett) of Bozeman, Montana; Fawn Walker (Ric Ricci), Quaker Hill, CT, (Gretchen, Todd, Max Kennington, Norah Therese' Romilly of Mystic, CT and JM Walker, Atlanta, GA) and Holly Frome (Steven Berke) of Hayden, Idaho (Erik , Arohanui Archibald, Archer, Nixon, Rome Wilson of Post Falls, ID and Amy Wilson, Brad Mulvey, Makiah, Saleen, Bodie of Coeur d'Alene, ID.)

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, K. Frome; sisters, Orlena Hall, Alta Rowberry, Glenda Kite and brothers, Pat Clark and Bayne Clark. She is survived by her sister, GayNell Hinckley, Blackfoot, ID and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank High Country Care for their love and care for mom.

If you should desire to donate to a memorial, please consider the South Fremont Education Foundation - P.O. Box 263, St. Anthony, Idaho 83445.

Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com