Timothy Joseph Waters

Tim Waters left this earth peacefully on September 1st after a long battle with COPD. He fought the disease on his own terms and avoided being hospitalized until the end. 

Tim was born in Coeur d’Alene to Warren and Dorothy Waters, joining sister Vici. He attended St. Thomas Elementary and was in the last graduating class from IHM in 1971, where he excelled at sports (if not so much in the classroom!). In 1972 he married Melanie Koep and they welcomed son Ben in 1976 and daughter Susie in 1979 before later divorcing. In 1987 he met Tori who he nicknamed Princess and after a whirlwind 17-year courtship they married in 2004.

Tim began working in high school to supplement the family income. He later worked for Boise Cascade, retiring from there as an outside salesman after 36 years in 2014. He put a lot of miles in every week traveling his territory and made many life-long friends over the years at his customer’s locations. 

Tim was a natural athlete and good at any sport he tried. He was also pretty good at beer drinking and there are many wild stories to back that up! He loved to fish, especially for steelhead, and had a lot of fun with the guys on fishing trips to Lewiston. His fishing buddies called him Pa, as he was the one to get up early to make breakfast and then pack lunch for the boat. He was an awesome cook, rarely using a recipe but just throwing things together – like his famous “gruel” that everyone loved. He was the Thanksgiving cook for decades, famous for his yummy spaghetti, and able to easily whip up a big breakfast for a group. 

After retirement Tim led a quiet life as his COPD slowly worsened. He was a man of simple pleasures and it didn’t take much to make him happy. He loved doing the daily crossword puzzles but always had to be in front of the TV at 8 when back-to-back episodes of Leave It To Beaver came on! To hear him on the couch actually laughing out loud at the Beav’s shenanigans was a joy. He also loved all the old westerns and military shows. He was famously “early to bed, early to rise”, usually asleep before most people had dinner. He also had an impressive vocabulary of swear words which he did not hesitate to use when needed – and they were often needed! – but under his gruff exterior was a sweet, tender heart.

Tim was not one to show a lot of affection but loved his family deeply and always wanted to know what was going on. He showed his love in other ways – such as cooking up the meals! He adored his Princess and encouraged her love for travel even though he didn’t want to go with – he stayed home and held down the fort and never complained. 

Tim is survived by his wife Tori, sons Ben and Scott, daughter Susan, and sister Vici. He is also survived by grandchildren Maya, Lily, and Aiden and great-grandson Ronan, as well as nephew Steve and other relatives. He also leaves behind a wealth of lifetime friends who all have a “Timmy” story or two to tell! 

Rest in peace, honey. I’ll love you forever. I hope you are hearing the whirr of a fat steelhead on the line as your boat drifts perfectly down the river… 

Services will be held on Friday, September 9th at 2:00 pm at English Funeral Chapel in CDA, with a reception there to follow.