Donald Elwin Hilde

Obituary of Donald Elwin Hilde
Donald Elwyn Hilde (79) resident of St. Maries, ID passed away at the Schneidmiller Hospice House on March 26, 2024. He was born to Grant and Ellen Hilde on October 16, 1944, in Everett, WA. Donald grew up in Spokane, specifically the Hillyard area. He graduated from Upper Columbia Academy with the class of 1963.
Following high school, Don married his high school sweetheart and love of his life Sharon Locke on April 12, 1964, at the Spokane Valley Seventh Day Adventist church, a church he was still an active member of and served as a Deacon back in the day. They met and started dating when Don was just 14 years old and just missed celebrating their 60 wedding anniversary by a couple of weeks. The couple made their home in Spokane, and then Mica, WA where they raised their children and took on 14 foster children over the years. Don went to work for Kaiser Aluminum at Trentwood. He ran heavy equipment and dedicated 39 ½ years to them before retiring. Once he retired, he went back to work for Car Quest for 3 years, and then he fully retired.
When he was able, Don liked horses and enjoyed "hobby farming" raising cows and chickens. Raising cows was a passion for him, and he always said, "Cows don't care". He collected anything John Deere and roosters, even painting his shop office in John Deere Green. Sharon and Don used to ride motorcycles, and they took a very memorable trip into Canada on them. They also traveled back East to visit family. Don was an old soul and loved anything "old fashioned". He even had his grandchildren call him Grandfather and wanted to farm with horses instead of tractors. Dressed in a cowboy hat and boots most of the time, he enjoyed westerns and reading all about history. The family shares a lot of memories of camping trips and Don's love for fishing. Oshkosh striped bib overalls were also a favorite, and each one of his great grandkids will be sporting a pair. He was a bullheaded Norwegian, and proud of it. He was family oriented and loved his family so much; specifically, his grandchildren as he was a kid magnet, and they had him wrapped around their fingers.
Don is survived by his wife Sharon Hilde formally of St. Maries; children Jim (Lisa) Hilde of St. Maries, ID, Kim (Doug) Anderson of Battleground, WA, Jay Hilde, Joanne Hilde, and Rena Hilde all of the Spokane, WA area, and foster child Shawn (Jordan) Ayars; 5 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Gary Hilde.
A memorial service will be at a later date to be announced.