Both of our beloved parents, Steven Joel Weeks and Ruth Hiltbrand Weeks, passed away within the last year, and are now at peace together. Ruth passed on February 12, 2020 due to complications of lung cancer, and Steve followed on July 15, 2021 from complications of ongoing health issues.
Mom was born on June 9th, 1941 in Idaho Falls Idaho to Wesley and Margaret Hiltbrand. She attended Idaho Falls High School and was a graduate of BYU. When she graduated from BYU, she returned to Idaho Falls and taught high school English at Skyline High.
Dad was born on October 14th, 1938 in Idaho Falls to Arvey and Joann Weeks and lived in Swan Valley. He also attended Idaho Falls High School. After high school he attended the U of I for a short time and also was in the Army for 11 months but was asked to return home to help on the family farm.
Mom and Dad met in Idaho Falls at the old Hawaiian Bar and were later married on August 9th, 1967. They lived in Swan Valley until 2002 where the family’s farm and ranch were located. Mom continued teaching at Skyline High School for a few years after they were married, and when they would attend the “Emotion Bowl”, dad would cheer for IFHS from the Skyline side, much to our mother’s embarrassment. Mom decided to stop teaching to raise her children full time and to help out on the farm. She was an excellent cook, and her bread recipe and chocolate chip cookies were always a hit with friends. Mom also raised “bum” lambs and baby calves every year and was proud of her bottle babies. Mom was also known for her gardening skills and her well-manicured lawn and flowers in both Swan Valley and Cope. Dad always joked that the lawn kept expanding every time that she mowed. Mom and Dad were both avid skiers and were active with the Swan Valley Ski School and dad was a skilled horseman who shared his love of horses with his kids. Dad was also a prankster, who loved a good joke and was always making us laugh. If you ask family friends, they always have a story that ends with much laughter. Dad was also a pilot and loved to fly his small plane around the valley to check cows. He normally had at least one passenger with him, whether it was his dad, his kids, or even his dog.
In 2002, mom and dad packed up and moved to Cope Colorado where they resided on a new farm and ranch, and also where they met many new friends, who all became family. As the years went on, dad started to have health issues and mom was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 2018. After some major coercing by the family, they moved to Meridian Idaho where they resided at Touchmark Assisted Living and then Memory care until they passed.
Survivors include their three children, Jennifer (Monte) Watson of Boise, Spencer Weeks of Cope, and Holly (Shawn) Feigel of Boise, along with their 5 grandchildren, Parker, Carter, Benjamin, Samuel, and Margaret. Also surviving is mom’s bother, Rush (Judy) Hiltbrand of San Luis Obispo. They are proceeded in death by their parents, Wesley Hiltbrand and Margaret Hiltbrand, Arvey and JoAnn Weeks, and siblings Ann Sherrick, Sharon McFee, Kenyon Weeks, and Diane Aguilar.
Mom and dad did not want a big to do or services, so a celebration of life will be held at a later date at Holly’s residence in Boise. We would like to thank all of the amazing nurses, doctors and staff at the Yuma Hospital in Yuma Colorado, St. Lukes in Meridian Idaho, and the hospice staff for Keystone Health in Boise. We would also like to say thank you to the staff at Touchmark in Meridian for taking care of both mom and dad in assisted living and also the memory care unit.
2021-07-22