First woman elected to Whitefish Council dies

The first woman elected to Whitefish City Council without first being appointed to the position has died.

Deidra ‘Dee’ Bryant Faessler died July 29 at Kona Community Hospital in Hawaii from extended complications of acute pneumonia, according to an obituary provided by her family. She is survived by her husband Jack Faessler.

Faessler was elected to City Council in 1985. She was the third woman ever to serve on Council, but the first ever elected who was not first appointed to fill a vacancy, and then run as an incumbent, according to a 1987 Pilot article.

“I've always believed that people don't realize how much power they have at the local level by banding together,” she told the Pilot in 1987. “I try to encourage people to become involved.”

She served on City Council until 1988 when she and her husband relocated to Washington.

From 1985 to 1988 she was Director of Community Relations at North Valley Hospital. She retired in 2007 after a 15-year career within the Finance Division of Qwest Communications in Seattle, Washington. She and Jack retired in 2012.

She married Jack A. Faessler on Feb. 28, 1981 in Anaheim, California. They lived in Whitefish before eventually retiring to Hawaii.

Education was important, her family noted, and she earned several degrees. She also served her community through volunteer opportunities.

Private services are being held. A full obituary appears on page B5 of this newspaper.