Constance (Connie) R. Salesky February 19, 1931

Life's journey ended Dec 12.2021

Connie was born in Springdale Gardens in the winter month of February 19th on the southside of Priest River the youngest daughter of Con and Beatrice Wear.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John, her parents, her sister, Marie Woods Rodney and her brother, Leonard.

She grew up enjoying all the summer and winter activities that involved life on the Pend Oreille River which ran in front of the family home. She told stories about summer swimming and winter sledding with other neighbor kids who lived nearby, and she often said how lucky she was to grow up in North Idaho.

Connie attended schools in Priest River and graduated from Priest River High School in 1949 along with twenty-eight of her classmates.

Directly out of school she worked for the Pend Oreille County Prosecuting Attorney's office in Newport, WA . She was also a part-time secretary for the Pend Oreille Abstract Co.

Connie often credited the late Katherine Thompson, a faculty member at the Priest River High School for the secretarial skills she learned in Thompson's commercial classes.

In 1952 she received a letter from a friend working for the Forest Service in Juneau, Alaska telling her about the plentiful government jobs up north. With the lure of good wages and with a spirit of adventure, she applied for and was hired by the Bureau of Public Roads in Juneau. She eventually took on a second job working part-time for the Alaska Communications System in Juneau.

Connie was on vacation in Priest Ri v er when she became reacquainted with her future husband, John, who was also in town from his job on the Bering Sea. They both returned to their respective jobs in Alaska and a year later they were married on October 3, 1954.

In 1957 their son Craig was born followed by two more sons, John and Scott. After the boys were older, Connie went to work for the Priest River Times owned and published by O l ive Woods and her sister, Marie.

After the newspaper was sold in 1976, she became active with the Priest River Library group and in 1982 she was hired as the first paid librarian for the City of Priest River . She t ook extension classes in Computer Science from North Idaho College to facilitate her job as city librarian.

The Priest River Library eventually became part of the state library system which required more of her time than she was willing to give and a few years later she resigned her position.,

In 1994 she was asked to join the staff at the Bonner County Museum in Sandpoint where she helped with historical exhibits of Sandpoint and surrounding communities and along with other members published a popular museum newsletter.

Connie was a life member of the Order of the Eastern Star and was one of many who served as Worthy Matron of the organization.