“They don’t make them like they used to.”

Elwin Ray “Speed” Germer died Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in his daughter’s home in Clarkston in the arms of his wife, Hazel, and surrounded by their children. He was 93 years old.

Speed was born in April 1929 to Paul Leonard Germer and Mary Florence (Keogh) Germer. His actual date of birth is disputed; Speed and his mother said that his birthday was April 23, but his birth certificate says April 22.

After growing up on the family farm near Viola with his siblings and attending the local schoolhouse, Speed attended Moscow High School. On May 27, 1947, the night of his graduation, Speed was driving too fast and earned a ticket. The nickname stuck for the rest of his life. Speed attended college at the University of Idaho for one semester before deciding to find work as an operating engineer. He joked that he dropped out of college because he wasn’t smart enough to be a farmer.

Speed met Hazel Lavon Skiens at the St. Patrick’s Day Dance in Moscow in 1950, and they were married three months later at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Moscow on June 10, 1950. They were married for nearly 72 years.

After meeting with a local pastor, Speed fully dedicated his life to Christ in 1960. Throughout his life, Speed made it a priority to spend time alone to pray and study scriptures. Speed and Hazel were members of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Lewiston.

Speed and Hazel raised five children in Lewiston and lived there for several decades while Speed operated cranes and other heavy equipment on a variety of construction projects. He was a highly sought-after engineer, and he left his mark on some of the most impressive pieces of architecture in the northwest, including Dworshak Dam, the Kibbie Dome, the Lewiston Levee Parkway Trail and the Ed Hendler Bridge. He worked on the Revelstoke Dam in British Columbia for only one day because he couldn’t stand to be so far away from Hazel.

Speed retired at age 62 but continued working when requested for Al Haener Construction for several more years. Speed was proud of being active well into his 80s, maintaining a high level of fitness through physical labor and aerobic exercise. He always felt more at home around kids and other energetic folks, and he pushed himself to learn new things every day.

Speed and Hazel enjoyed taking long motorcycle trips, sometimes with the Christian Motorcycle Association, and other times by themselves. They made their way through every state west of the Mississippi River. He also enjoyed family camp-outs, restoring his 1931 Model A Ford, and riling up his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He loved getting a reaction out of people. Speed liked being ornery, but he couldn’t help but do whatever it took to help someone in need.

Speed is survived by his wife, Hazel; his children Alan Germer, Ben (Verna) Germer, Jan (John) Maguire, Karen (Dale) Andrews and Sandra (Gary) Stephens; his grandchildren Jeremy Maguire, Tara Smith, Brock Germer, Janell Teichmer, Bethany Grijalva, Wesley Andrews, Allison Wright, Ashley Stephens, and many loving great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other family members. He was also blessed with his first great-great-grandchild, Gracie Rae McCleod.

He was preceded in death by his father, Paul; mother Mary; brothers George Harvey, Leonard Paul, and Michael Paul; sisters Florence Marie, Ethel Lorene, and Esther Alice; infant son John Mark; and grandson Jason Michael.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the folks at St. Joseph Regional Cancer Center and Elite Hospice for their care and support during Speed’s final days.

The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday May 26 at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home, 920 21st Ave., Lewiston. A luncheon will follow at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2200 11th Ave., Lewiston. The committal will be at 3 p.m. at the Viola Cemetery.