Terriann Yochum

3/20/1960 — 6/27/2020

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March 20, 1960 — June 27, 2020

On Saturday, June 27, 2020, Terri got her wings. She passed away at her home in the arms of her husband surrounded by family. Some people have the chance to fight their cancer; unfortunately, she didn’t have that option as it came to her fast and furious. Terri was diagnosed May 1 of this year. Although it happened so quickly, there were a multitude of setbacks every step of the way, that regardless of her commitment to fight and the dedication and skilled hands of our surgeon, the body could only handle so much. Born to Richard and Maryanne Clark on March 20, 1960.

Terriann entered this world full of life and ready to go. In 1963, she was joined with a brother, Nick, and a sister, Cheri. They lived in Twisp, Wash., until moving to Lewiston in 1967, where she enrolled in school. Upon entering junior high at Sacajawea, she met the love of her life, Chris Yochum. From Sacajawea, she went to Lewiston High School. She went on to marry Chris in May 1977; they just celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. In her younger years, she spent her summers swimming in her backyard pool, which developed her into an amazing athlete. She won several awards and broke records competing at swim meets. To this day, she could still beat us all doing the butterfly stroke.

In September 1977, Chris and Terri, at just 17 and newly married, welcomed their first child, Trever. The following year, they moved to Pierce, where Chris got a job at Potlatch Corp. in Headquarters. Terri managed the local swimming pool and felt right at home. In August 1980, they had their daughter Laci. Two years later, while visiting her parents, Terri’s father suffered a spinal cord injury in the family pool, leaving him a quadriplegic, and because of Terri’s training, she was able to save him from drowning.

Soon after, Potlatch Corp. in Headquarters shut down and they moved back to Lewiston to raise their family. Terri enrolled in night school, where she earned a degree in dental assisting, and worked for more than 20 years as a dental assistant. She later decided to work for the Lewiston Independent School District as a cook and settled in at Webster Elementary, where she absolutely loved everything about that job, especially the kids. Terri was a great cook whether she was making dinner at home, making meals for the school or their hunting camp cook — dinner was always on the table.

She spent so much of her time over the years sitting in bleachers being her family’s biggest fan. Whether it was at her daughter’s sporting events, her son’s bullriding events or the many miles she traveled to watch and support her husband racing cars, she didn’t miss an opportunity to cheer us on. Everyone knew who was hollering “YEE-HAW” from the stands. There was rarely a time that you would see Terri without her sister, Cheri, who, besides just being her partner in crime, was also her best friend. Terri and Cheri spent thousands of miles on the backs of their husbands’ Harley-Davidson motorcycles, taking trips with their friends to Sturgis, along with several other trips around the states. Their brother, Nick, was never far behind driving their support vehicle.

Terri was not only the matriarch of her family, but to her group of friends as well. Whether she and Chris were hosting their weekly NASCAR party or just simply a friend’s birthday, you could always find her sitting at the hen house table with a smile on her face and a beer in her hand. Chris and Terri also loved hosting their friends and family at their cabin in New Meadows, Idaho. She always enjoyed having her grandkids at the cabin on Christmas morning, as Christmas was her favorite holiday.

Terri is survived by her husband, Chris, truly the love of her life; her son, Trever (Darci) Yochum; her daughter, Laci (Matt) Thorson; her mother, Marianne Clark; brother Nick (Julie) Clark; sister Cheri (Brad) Cleveland; and her grandchildren, Lucas, Sayler, Scout, Tai and Ava Jo.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Bud and Florence Peters; father Dick Clark; nephew Ricky Clark; and this past October, she lost her grandson, Malcolm Thorson, to cancer as well.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Terri’s name to the Lewiston Independent Foundation for Education, 3317 12th St., Lewiston, ID 83501; or to the Jackson’s Pay It Forward Foundation, 3527 Eighth St. C, Lewiston, ID 83501.

The family would like to thank Dr. Alexi Matouseik for his unwavering support and care through this process, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Hospice and Kindred Home Health.

Because of COVID-19, the family will hold a private memorial.

Terri’s life can not be summed up in so few words, but she lived her life her way, and to the fullest. She encouraged others to do the same.

We love you to the moon and back.

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