Charlene Joyce Kidner

Charlene Joyce Palmer Kidner
November 8, 1934- November 2, 2022

Charlene Kidner, called Charlie in her youth, had many fond memories of growing up in the mining town of Lead, South Dakota. She loved to roam the northern Black Hills near the home she shared with her parents, Perry and Helen Palmer, sisters Pat and Carolyn, and brother Jim. She jokingly said that she was surrounded by aunts, uncles and a loving granddad who all thought it was their sacred duty to discipline her. As descendants of miners from Cornwall, England, where John Wesley often preached, her family became staunch, properly pious Methodists. She described herself as a staunch Methodist, just not so proper or pious. She was without a doubt a staunch Christian, a believer who was “joyfully alive.” She looked forward to being able to touch the hands of Jesus when she died; she was able to do so on November 2, 2022, just a few days short of her 88th birthday.

After graduating from Lead High School in 1952, Charlene attended nearby St. John’s School of Nursing. She met her future husband, Everett Kidner, through his sister, a fellow nursing student. Everett and Charlene married soon after she graduated in 1955 and enjoyed 59 years of marriage. When Everett graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines, they moved with their baby girl to the Pacific Northwest. Everett took a job with the Idaho Department of Transportation which moved them to several towns in Idaho (Coeur d’Alene, St. Maries, Rigby, Boise, Shoshone). She returned to nursing after their five children were in school, working for many years at St. Benedicts in Jerome and later at St. Alphonsus and the Good Samaritan in Boise.

After retiring, Charlene and Everett built a home overlooking the Payette River in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, a decision she said they never regretted. Charlene was active in the Women’s Club, the Senior Center, the Library Board, and “exercising” at John’s Hot Springs. The couple were also active in the Collister United Methodist Church in Boise. After Everett’s death in 2014, Charlene began attending both Valley Christian Center and Grace Lutheran Church in Horseshoe Bend.

Charlene is survived by her five children, Lura (Neal) Kidner Miesen, Martin (Maria) Kidner, Curt (Shirley) Kidner, Ron (Tiffany) Kidner, Sam (Gino) White, ten grandchildren (Chris, Liz, Anna, Pat, Andrew, Sashi, Jon, Breanne, Isabel, Matthew) and two great-grandchildren (Sophie, Clara), as well as her younger sister Carolyn (LeRoy) Kropuenske.

A Memorial Service will be held for Charlene at Grace Lutheran Church, 405 Idaho Highway 55,
Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, on December 28 at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow at the Horseshoe Bend Senior Center, 109 S. Riverside Drive, Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.

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