Anna Charbonneau, of Clarkston, celebrated her 102nd birthday Friday. Several celebratory visits are planned when family members are in town during July and August.
She was born July 5, 1922, at the family home in Tuttle, N.D., to John and Alvina Rath.
As a youngster, she helped family and neighbors by caring for their children. She also helped her dad at his various jobs and pumped gas at the local service station. She fetched beer for Lawrence Welk when the musician and his band performed on Wednesday nights.
She attended school but had to quit in the eighth grade so she could stay home to help her mother with her eight younger siblings.
Early in the 1960s while living in Spokane, she returned to school, earned her general education development certificate and completed a licensed practical nurse course. Over the course of her life, she has worked as a dishwasher, office assistant, caregiver and mother.
She came to Sandpoint in 1940 to visit her aunt and uncle. She and David Eveland were married in 1941 in Sandpoint, and they had four children. They divorced in 1947.
She and Walt Sonsteng were married in Sandpoint in 1948. They had a daughter before divorcing in 1954.
From 1961 to 2011, she lived in Spokane and maintained her three-story home there.
On Sept. 11, 1967, she and Segius “Lefty” Charbonneau were married in Sandpoint and he brought his three children to their family. Her husband died in 1992.
In her younger years, dancing was one of her favorite activities. As a young woman in North Dakota, she belonged to the Jitterbugs of Tuttle, and when she lived in Spokane she joined a square dance group and attended senior center dances. Traveling was another favorite hobby and she enjoyed many trips with Alpha Omega Tours, based in Spokane, visiting 40 states.
In 2004, she joined Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and served with them until 2012, and especially enjoyed opportunities to ride along with the police.
In 2014, she moved to Clarkston to be near her daughter.
She has three sons, two stepsons, two daughters, one stepdaughter, 21 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
She especially loves her family and remembers many of them by sending birthday and anniversary cards. She enjoys phone calls and letters from family and friends. She credits Jesus for her longevity.
