Louise Avery

Louise Avery was born Mary Louise Ward on June 23, 1935, in Moscow to Olen Thomas Ward and Vella Mae Ward. She grew up in Moscow and Palouse and graduated from Moscow High School in 1953. After graduation, she moved away and had a family. She worked as a retail clerk for Safeway while the family grew up.

Louise was widowed in 1970, after which time she went back to college for her accounting degree. She met Jasper Avery in 1973. They dated until she finished her degree in 1977, when they were married. Jasper passed away in 2013, and Louise continued to live in Moscow until moving to Bishop Place Assisted Living in August of 2023. She passed peacefully in her sleep on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

Louise loved to travel. She and Jasper would often take trips in their RV or visit family in other parts of the country. She traveled to London, England and Stockholm, Sweden, in 2015 with her granddaughter, and often visited family in Reno, Nev. She also loved to square dance, which is where she met Jasper. Her granddaughter, Lyndsey, remembers “going into Grandma’s closet and seeing all of her sparkly square dance shoes” when she was younger, and thinking how special that was. Louise very much enjoyed book club, and her friends in the “lunch bunch” and “coffee club.” She was also a volunteer for Gritman Auxiliary while Jasper was with her. She lived a remarkable life and was overjoyed to see her great-granddaughter born in 2018.

Louise is survived by Richard Nordlund, Ann Nordlund, Les Cummins, Derek Nordlund, Jerri Richardson, Lee Richardson, Don Avery, Mina Avery, Rowena Avery, Pauline Avery, Lyndsey Filantres, Anthony Filantres and Sofie Filantres.

Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Moscow Cemetery, with a reception to follow at the First Presbyterian Church, 405 S. Van Buren St., Moscow.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be pleased to have any donations sent to Gritman Auxiliary, Gritman Cardiac Rehab, Kootenai Heart Health or the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department.

Short’s Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge of arrangements and condolences may be left at shortsfuneralchapel.com.