Alma J. Reid

Alma Jemmett Reid, 88, passed away peacefully Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, at her home near Blackfoot.

She was born Dec. 21, 1921, in Shelley, Idaho, to Clifford and Daphne Webb Jemmett. She was the middle child of a loving family of four girls and five boys.

Alma was raised along Cedar Creek in the Blackfoot River Mountains. She boarded part time in Firth to attend high school and then went on to business college in Salt Lake City. She worked for the Navy Depot in Clearfield, Utah, until returning to Idaho to marry her cowboy sweetheart, Fred Reid, on December 27, 1942.

The couple managed a successful ranch in Presto and raised seven children. Alma was a devoted wife and mother but found time to pursue her artistic talents in many areas. Watercolors of the Blackfoot hills featuring cattle and cowboys were her specialty. Alma's yard was a masterpiece where many happy family gatherings were held. Her home was graced with countless home-grown floral bouquets. She was an excellent seamstress; the hand-sewn clothes, from wedding gowns to cheerleading outfits to grand-baby nighties, were truly works of art. Mealtimes were events at her home, with anyone who dropped by welcomed at her table. Her forte was hand-dipped chocolates at Christmastime and homemade noodles and doughnuts for the cowboy crew.

Alma was a history buff and never forgot her roots in the Blackfoot hills. She was instrumental in the establishment of a memorial at the site of the Alridge Post Office, which was located inside her childhood home. With the help of her mother, Daphne's, notes, and after 12 years of research and writing between household tasks, she published her book, "Along the Rivers, A Western History," in 1994.

Alma is survived by her husband, Fred; and seven children, Richard (Charlotte) Reid of Firth, Janene (Jim) Cotton of Stevensville, Mont., Donna (Bob) McWilliams of Annapolis, Md., Merle (Jack) Clark of Blackfoot, Becky (Ken) Davis of Firth, Kittie (Steve) Peterson of Blackfoot, and Wendy (Mark) Pratt of Blackfoot; 22 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a sister, Jean Hines, of Idaho Falls; and a brother, Leslie Jemmett, of Nampa.

She was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers and two sisters.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Alma's eldest daughter, Janene, for the loving care given to Mom.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at Hawker Funeral Home, 132 S. Shilling Ave. in Blackfoot. Friends and family will meet from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow the service at the Shelley Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Idaho Youth Ranch, P.O. Box 8538, Boise, ID 83707.