William Raymond Lefebvre

William R. (Bill) Lefebvre, 83, of Bonners Ferry, ID, died April 24, 2025 at Sunset Home Assisted Living after a short hospitalization. He was born August 9, 1941 in Spokane, WA to William and Lina (Ripatti) Lefebvre. A life-long resident of Bonners Ferry, he attended Southside and Valley View Schools, and graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1959 and Heavy Equipment Operator School in Weiser, ID the next year. His favorite childhood memories were fishing, 4-H Club, and riding horses with West Side neighbors Pat and Ted Coffey, Doug, Tom, and Earl Smith, and Pete and Roxie (Buckshot) Runyon. He also enjoyed New Years family parties with the Peterson and Knoles families sledding and playing pinochle.

Bill enjoyed working with farm and construction equipment from a young age, when his family bought its first tractor in the early 1950s. He got his Chauffeur (Commercial) Driver License on his 15th birthday, and started hauling wheat from District 12 that same day. His career included running tractor for Weishar Brothers on District 12, building roads, including Ball Creek Rd, for Don Wagner Logging, driving log truck for Louis Culzyk, operating equipment for Haverson and Krause Construction, hauling grain and fertilizer for D&D Services, and starting in 1985, working 25 years for Kramer Crane and Construction, running cat, grader, and drag line. His proudest professional achievement was 26 straight days of running dozer on the Trapper Peak Fire in 1967. Additionally, he raised cattle and grew hay on his family farm on the West Side of the Kootenai Valley.

Bill was an avid outdoorsman, and enjoyed fishing, hunting, backpacking, and competitive shooting. He enjoyed hunting deer, elk, cougar, moose, and mountain goat with the Sweets and the Schnuerles in the mountains of the Kootenai Valley. His proudest hunting achievement was taking a mountain goat on the west side of Fisher Peak. He also was proud of his 33 years of competitive shooting with Kootenai Valley Rifle and Pistol Club, winning eight state and one multi-state regional championships. He also enjoyed handloading ammunition, building rifles, metal working, playing guitar, learning to fly aircraft, and fighting a life-long battle against the Kootenai River eroding his pasture.

Bill was married to Sue (Stephenson) Lefebvre from 1983 until her death in 1990, and was married to Michelle (Lunquist) Lefebvre from 1991 until 2010. He was preceded in death by parents Bill (1969), and Lina (1986), wife Susan (1990), brother John, and sister-in-law Kris (both 2022). He is survived by nephews Mac Lefebvre (wife Holly, children Miles, Addy, and Tyra), Dave Lefebvre (children Elena, Dale, and Martin), John Lefebvre (wife Nora, children William and Lina), niece Amanda Freeman (husband Andy, children Kana, Jack, and Liv), and dear friend Judy Lefebvre. Uncle Bill was loved by generations of the Lefebvre, Ripatti, and Shields families.

A private burial ceremony was conducted April 28, 2025, and a Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 10:30 am, at the Boundary County Fairgrounds Event Center. Bill requested donations to Kootenai Valley Rifle & Pistol Club (PO Box 111 Bonners Ferry ID 83805) in lieu of flowers.