Nathan is Back in IDAHO!

Nathan got back on time, with a very warm welcome from the community. Flags lined the streets, businesses had "Welcome Home Marines" signs up and all the news stations had news teams on site. It was really good to see Nathan.
Nathan and Michelle, all smiles
A group photo, Hannah and Jake weren't there
Spring Dash (5 mile run, earlier on Sunday morning) before the race, everyone looked fresh, very nice weather

Nathan is Coming Home!

Hello friends and family. It has been a while. Not sure if anyone visits the blog anymore. But I just wanted to tell you that Nathan will be home on Sunday, April 27, at about 3:30 pm. We all plan on going to the Reserve Center where the men will be bus'd from the airport. It will be a very exciting, joyous welcome home. We are very proud of Nathan. Glad he is out of harms way. I praise God for protecting Nathan every inch of every road that Nathan traveled. Last time I talked with Nathan, he had not even shot his 50 caliber gun, not once. He was shot at but did not return fire. Michelle is very excited to have Nathan home. We will include some pictures of the welcome home. Thanks for checking in on us.

Wonderful Memorial Service

For those that were unable to go to Susan's Memorial Service, it was a great tribute to Susan's wonderful life. It was a Celebration of Life. It was a worship service. Susan impact on all of us was very evident on Sunday by the number of people there. It was a packed house. I was very blessed by the attendance of many and Susan would have been so happy that it was a joyous, glorifying occasion. So here is the Memorial Program, which was folded once, but I unfolded it and scanned it for you to look at. The poem "Legacy" was written by a dear friend Whitney Olsen, just for Susan in her last days. More pictures will be coming. So stay tuned.


This is a full family picture which was taken of the Hall/Vetsch families after the Service and Dinner at the church. Thanks to all that helped in the Service preparation, the dessert social afterwards (Galilean Sunday School Class) and the family sitdown dinner at the church (Johnsons, Shaws, Elmers, Buckners, etc). God Bless you all.

Click here to Sign Susan's Online Memorial on Yates Funeral Home Website

Memorial Guest Book

I would personally like to thank everyone for emailing, writing, praying, providing and just thinking about us during our tremendous loss. Susan leaves a huge void in our lives but with the presence of God in our lives and with people like all of you surrounding us, we are certainly cared for and loved. Please visit the Yates Funeral Home online Memorial for Susan (link below) and if you could and if you haven't already, email me because I would like to personally thank you for your support.

Click here to Sign Susan's Online Memorial on Yates Funeral Home Website

My email address:
dougvetsch@roadrunner.com (just click and type away)

Susan Carol Vetsch; 50

Our beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend, Susan Carol Vetsch, suffers no longer from her 7 year battle with cancer. On April 3, she was ushered into the presence of her Lord Jesus whom she loved more than life.
Susan was born to Jack and Mary Carol Hall on Feb. 26th, 1958, in Billings, MT. As the fourth of five children, Susan was an out-going, life-loving child. She favored outdoor activities such as horse-back riding, swimming, camping, skiing and biking. Her life long interest in 4-H started at the age of ten and continued throughout high school. After graduation from Billings West High, she worked in Yellowstone Park as a waitress and a horse wrangler and a guide on chuck wagon outings. She continued her education in Billings at the Billings Vocational Center from which she graduated and became licensed as a practical nurse.
Susan met her loving, devoted husband, Doug in Billings. They married in 1980 and lived in Bozeman MT, Orlando FL, Idaho Falls ID, Groton CT, Kittery ME while Doug was on board submarines in the US Navy. In 1988, they moved to Simi Valley CA where they played in the sun and had fun. In July 1991, they relocated to Coeur d'Alene (CDA), ID and raised their young family of 9 children. Susan home schooled her children for many years while volunteering her time to all of their activities: AWANA, 4-H, soccer, swimming. She was a leader in MOPS, BSF and a board member for Birthright.
Susan loved people, including them in everything, putting them first and was always showing interest in them. This is what endeared her to so many. She leaves her entire family and all who knew her a legacy of selflessness. The family attended and was active at CDA Bible Church.
Susan was never without a project in progress. Her family, home and yard are testimonies to her endless energy and care. Susan was not ordinary. She was exceptional in the way she cared, loved, gave, played and worked. Everything she did was done with her whole heart.
The hope and courage Susan lived with during her illness, her son’s deployment in Iraq, and the knowledge that she would be leaving young children behind, inspired all of us. Her faith and trust in God were always evident. Susan will be greatly missed by her numerous friends. She touched their lives in ways only angels could. Our community has lost a marvelous lady. Susan had a zest for life and love for people that was unmatched.
Susan was preceded in death by a baby daughter, Elizabeth. She is survived by her husband, Doug of 27 years, son Nathan and daughter in law, Michelle, of CDA, a daughter Hannah and son in law, Jake Hoy of CDA, daughters Leah, Sarah, Mary, Laura, Kayla and sons Jason and Aaron.
Other surviving family members are Susan’s parents, Jack and Mary Carol Hall, Gold Canyon, AZ, her sister Jeanne and Dan Hallock, Bearcreek MT, brothers and sisters in law Robert Hall and Penny Oliver, Bozeman MT, Rick and Cheryl Hall, Gold Canyon AZ, Rory and Connie Hall, Gig Harbor WA. This dear family was loving and supportive of Susan and her own family, through this cancer journey. Susan is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family wishes to send a special thank you to Susan’s doctors and nurses, North Idaho Cancer Center, and Hospice, who so lovingly cared for her.
There will be a Memorial Service at CDA Bible Church, Sunday, April 13th at 2:00 pm to Celebrate the Life of Susan.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Susan Vetsch Cancer Contribution Fund at Bank of America, Silver Lake Branch, CDA that will help other local families burdened with cancer.
Yates Funeral Home, CDA, is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial Service for Susan

The Memorial Service for Susan will be on April 13th, Sunday at 2:00 pm at Coeur d'Alene Bible Church. There will be a dessert fellowship afterwards for all. Let people know that there will be on obituary for Susan in the Wednesday paper, CDA press. I will also have the obituary on this blog site.

Also more on the Susan Vetsch Cancer Contribution Fund:

This fund once again is what Susan desired to have, in lieu of flowers sent to our house, to be able to bless other families with cancer. Contributions can be made to the

Susan Vetsch Cancer Contribution Fund

at Bank of America, 357 W. Canfield Ave, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Funds can also be sent to our house in the name of the Fund and they will then be deposited into the Fund at the bank.

Thank you to all that have prayed for our family. We are doing well, continuing with the everyday Vetsch activities, just like Susan would want us to do. We have been having fun watching home videos, which started back when I was still in the Navy, right after Sarah was born in 1988. It was good to be in Church today and see all our close friends.

The Final Chapter; No more Pain, No more Cancer

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Today at 1205 pm, our dear sweet Susan was ushered into the presence of our Lord. She died peacefully, and I was by Susan's side when she took her last breath. Most of the children were at the house along with Susan's parents. She is at peace, without anymore pain and no more cancer. What a glorious day! She now joins Raylene Brands who passed away from breast cancer two years ago yesterday (April 2nd, 2006). We will be getting more information out to you as the days go. But for now, we are planning a Memorial Service at Coeur d'Alene Bible Church on April, 13th in the afternoon. Please respect the family during this time and refrain from phone calls and home visits. Susan's wishes were to set up a Cancer Contribution Fund that will be used to help other families going through cancer, with medical bills and care. In lieu of flowers, those that wish may make a contribution to the Susan Vetsch Cancer Contribution Fund, being sent directly to our home, which will be deposited into the fund at the Bank of America Silver Lake Mall branch in Coeur d'Alene.
We are grieving but it is a blessing to no longer see Susan face the daily symptom management due to her years of cancer. God has truly blessed us with her legacy of loving life and always looking to our Risen Savior for all our needs. Susan, until we meet again!

We will continue to put out information to you all through this blog. This has been a blessing for me to be able to share with you these final days with my dear Susan.

This picture I included today, was a picture hanging on her hospital room wall. Since she would sleep mostly on her left side, she woke up the first day and was able to look right at this picture. She just loved it. God placed it there just for Susan.

Keep Your Focus

In the past few days, Susan has been pretty sleepy. But she continues to have spurts of energy that finds her walking around the house (under supervision of course), doing what she loves to do... cleaning and chores. She really likes to do this to take her mind off things for a while. But soon enough she is back sitting and resting. She is doing well. We have talked a lot lately about her seeing Jesus, soon face to face. She is ready. A close friend from our military days, Denise, just went home to be with Him this last Saturday. That day will be a grand reunion. We talked this morning about Peter (in Matthew 14) when he was being tossed about in the wind in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. They saw Jesus walking on the water and Jesus commanded Peter to "come" to Him. Peter got out of his boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he started focusing on his situation and seeing the winds and waves crashing all around him, he lost his focus and began to sink. He cried out to Jesus to save him and Jesus rescued him. In our (your) situations that can distract our walk with Jesus, we need to keep our eyes upon Jesus. When our situation becomes our focus, we sink and it consumes us. In Hebrews 12:1-2, it reads "...and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus..." . The race that we sometimes don't choose, but is handed to us, we run with endurance. God Bless!
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace."