Ilene Hebble

M. Ilene Hebble

November 6, 1926 - December 26, 1924

Miriam Ilene Wick was born November 6, 1926 in Coulee City, Washington at the home of her Father’s parents, Philip John Wick and Loie (Kelso) Wick. Her Dad, Earl Clifford “Bud” Wick decided she should be named after her mother, and her Mom, Miriam Elsa (Gilbert) Wick liked the name Ilene.

Ilene lived with her parents and her brother, Gilbert Earl Wick, on a wheat farm west of Coulee City. Growing up she helped as needed around the farm, and began helping her mom cook for the harvest crews from age 10.

She went to a country school, the Gilbert School, until she finished the 8th grade, then went to high school in Coulee City. She started first grade at age 5, skipped the 3rd grade, and finished High School at 16 in 1943, with her ambition to become a secretary. Ilene went to Washington State College for a year then finished schooling at Kinman Business University in Spokane.

Gram met her husband Charles Russell “Bud” Hebble in Spokane on Memorial Day, 1944. Their first date was a week after they met - they went to dinner and a movie. They married on April 14, 1945. One of the most vivid memories of her wedding day was trying to find a place to eat, as everything was closed due to the death and funeral of President Roosevelt. She said her most memorable wedding gift was money from her parents for a train trip to Chicago to visit Bud’s parents, and New Orleans to see his sister and family.

Their first home was in a basement apartment in Pasco, Bud was an ordnance man in the Navy Air Corps and Ilene worked as a secretary and receptionist for a real estate and insurance company.

In 1946 Ilene had her first daughter, Claudia Anne, and then in 1949 her second daughter, Penny Jean. The family moved from Coulee City to Whidbey Island, to Connell, and then to Walla Walla, where Ilene lived for the majority of her adult life.

After having children, Ilene was a homemaker until 1957, when she went back to work for a lawyer for 2 years. She then worked at the Corps of Engineers for 14 years. She quit, did a lot of volunteering and temporary work, and went to work again, part time, for another lawyer for several years.

While Ilene lived in Walla Walla, she was active at work, in civic organizations, with her creative hobbies, and volunteering her time. She was very active in the First Congregational Church, even deputizing her granddaughters to help her mimeograph the announcements and set out the coffee service. Her granddaughters spent their summer vacations with Bud and Ilene. It was a busy time playing in the pool, working on projects, reading, eating, having all of the neighborhood kids over, and generally enjoying family time.

In 1998, Bud and Ilene moved to Bonney Lake to be closer to family. Once they settled in, Gram soon found a church family, and began volunteering at the Lions Club. She also began babysitting her great-grandchildren, which kept her very busy.

When Bud passed away in 2008, Ilene moved to Buckley and lived alone (for the first time in her life) for four years until her granddaughters told her she had to move to some place where she had more social interaction. She chose Farrington Court, where she bloomed. She quickly became part of the welcoming committee, the garden club, the library book rearranger, the bingo money counter, and made true friends. Her family lived nearby, and they would drop in to watch the Seahawks or Mariners with her, take her out to lunch, or hang out with her and her friends at dinner. Two of her great granddaughters ended up working at Farrington Court, which meant she was able to see plenty of her family.

Thoughts she wrote down:

She was proud of all of her family, their accomplishments, and how well they have grown.

Everyone thought she shouldn’t, but she was glad she married Bud when she did.

She felt very strongly about being with family as much as possible.

She really enjoyed having her grandchildren spend summers and vacations with her, and thought that watching her great-grandchildren grow up was the best of all.

Ilene’s cousin Karen said this about Ilene:

The “greatest generation” had values of personal responsibility, duty, honor, faith and commitment. I think we all saw those qualities lived out in Ilene’s life. Ilene’s faith was a foundation…why she always participated in the community around her. She lived her life with intelligence, hard work, a faith based understanding of life's joys, disappointments, or deep sorrows and loss. She just kept going forward, and found ways to fully live.

Ilene was proceeded in death by her husband Bud, and her youngest daughter, Penny. She is survived by her daughter, Claudia; as well as her granddaughters Tracie, Marnie, and Jen and her great-grandchildren Elsa, Nicole, Nolan, Julia and Mallory.