Gwen Evangeline (Adams) Wollan

Gwen Evangeline (Adams) Wollan, 94, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, went to be with God on May 15, 2018. Gwen was born on Dec. 19, 1923 in Bainville, Montana, to Arlington Elias Adams and Angeline Louise Gardiner Adams.

Gwen attended school in Bainville and lived in Bainville until her father passed away in 1933. The family then moved to Pass Christian, Mississippi, to be near relatives, living in a house built before the Civil War. In 1936 they moved to be near family in Kalispell, where Gwen attended Flathead County High School, graduating in 1941. During high school, Gwen worked at Woolworth’s until March of 1941. After graduating, she moved to Seattle where she worked at Associated Shipyards. She moved back to Kalispell in 1942 and got a job at the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant for six years.

In 1947 she married Melford Wollan, and in 1953 the family of four moved to the Bissell community west of Whitefish. They lived in the Bissell area until 1992 when they divorced, and Gwen moved to Kalispell. During her life she was an active member of the Stillwater Lutheran Church, Christian Woman Club, 4-H leader, Grange, and Bissell Homemakers Club. She worked as clerk of the board for the Bissell-Olney School District and school bus driver for the Bissell School. She was a volunteer at the Kalispell Regional Hospital for three years.

In 1994 Gwen moved to Colville, Washington, to live near her son Doug, his wife Sandra and their family. She attended many school functions and was grandma and cheerleader to the kids and all their friends. She was an auxiliary member for Mount Carmel Hospital and attended various churches and a Bible study group.

In 2002 she moved with Doug and Sandra to Spokane Valley, Washington. She enjoyed her home with her constant companion Taffy, overlooking Shelly Lake and as a hobby made floral arrangements for the resident’s tables at the Washington State Veterans Home in Spokane where Sandra worked. She spent those years “watching” her TV shows between listening to books on tape and enjoying Bible study and church by audio recordings as she had lost most of her sight.

In 2014 when her health necessitated additional care, she moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to Legends Park Assisted Living where she lived until her death in Hospice Care. She was again baptized at the age of 92 and became a member of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. She was a lifelong devoted Christian.

Gwen was preceded in death by her mother, Angeline, and father, Arlington, brothers, Raymond LeRoy Adams and George Albert Arlington Adams, sisters, Louise Doris Adams Thompson and Iva Angeline Adams. She was also preceded in death by her former husband Melford R. Wollan.

She is survived by her daughter Linda Wollan Gray and son-in-law John Gray of Hayden Lake, Idaho, and her granddaughters Michelle Gray (Dwight) Robins, great-grandchildren Austin and Rachel of Whitefish, and Jennifer Gray (Steve) Page, great-grandchildren Andrew, Mathew, and Joshua of Kennewick, Washington.

She is also survived by her son Douglas Lee Wollan and daughter- in-law Sandra Wollan of Yuma, Arizona, and her granddaughters Dr. Melody Wollan, Charleston, Illinois, Angela Wollan (Mike) Barr, great-grandchildren Gabriel and Gracelyn of El Paso, Texas, and Dr. Melissa (Tyler) Wollan-Francis, great-grandchildren Lillian and William, of Lake Oswego, Oregon. Survived as well by numerous nieces, nephews, and family friends she loved so much.

Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho. Burial will be announced at a later date, when she will be laid to rest at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Gwen’s name to: Legends Park Assisted Living, 1820 Legends Parkway, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.