Iris M Compton

WINONAIris Morgan Compton left her earthly home for her heavenly home on Thursday, October 16, 2014.She was born on December 31, 1917, in Geneva, Nebraska, to A.V. and Elma Morgan, the youngest, by ten years, of five children. When she was five years old, the family moved to Moscow, ID, where there was a large extended family. One of her aunts took her to Sunday School, where at age six she learned about Jesus, who became her Lord and Savior. She grew up in Moscow and attended the University of Idaho there, graduating with an art degree. She married John Compton in 1940 and moved to NYC in 1941 where she worked in the British Ministry of Supply while he was in training with the US Army Air Corps. After the war they moved to Seattle, eventually settling on Mercer Island where they lived until 1979. Jeff was born in 1948 and Jill in 1951. Iris was a devoted and creative wife and mother, known for her artistic abilities in many areas; she was also a wonderful, inventive cook and baker, as well as an accomplished seamstress. Her love of literature was an important part of her life from childhood into her 9th decade and she especially enjoyed sharing favorite books with friends. Raising Jeff and Jill was always her priority and her delight. When Jill was killed in a tragic car accident in 1975, she handled the terrible loss with the grace and faith in God for which she was known. John and Iris moved to Ryderwood, WA after John's retirement and she especially enjoyed her quilting group. With three grandsons in Minnesota, John and Iris knew they were needed; they bravely moved to our cold climate in 1987, where they quickly became essential to Jeff's family. She always had time for each of us and had mastered the rare art of really listening, so that each of her friends and family knew how special they were to her. When John developed ALS, she met that challenge with the same grace and faith and lovingly cared for him at home until his death on New Year's Day, 1992. She continued in her little house on Gilmore Avenue, with her garden and her books and her projects, until she moved to the Watkins Manor in 2006. She thoroughly enjoyed her time at the Manor; when her memory loss required a move, Roger Metz Manor became her home. Our family will never be able to adequately express our thanks to the wonderful staff there, who loved her and showed that love in their care of her. A special joy of her last years was attending the SPARK program of the MMAM with Arlene. On October 16, 2014, Iris went to be with the Savior who called her to be His when she was a child and whom she faithfully loved, served, and honored until He called her home, a sinner saved by grace alone. She is lovingly survived by her beloved son Jeff, his wife Arlene to whom Iris was a dear friend as well as mother-in-law, and by her three treasured grandsons and their families who were a source of great joy and delight to her: John and Laura, with Anna, Claire and Julia Rose (Mantorville); Paul and Elizabeth, with Jocelyn, Geoffrey, and Ian (St. Paul); and Peter and Laura Compton (USAF). She is also survived by Arlene's extended Knight/Greenshields families; relatives in the Morgan families; two "bonus daughters" whom she dearly loved, Barb Hile and Gale Lee (Seattle area); by her dear friend of over 85 years, Jeanette Talbott of Moscow, Idaho; and by the Roger Metz Manor family. Memorials may be made to Winona Health, designated for Roger Metz Manor. Memorial service will be held at 4pm, Sunday, October 19 at the Great Hall at Watkins Manor. A gathering will be held one hour prior. Burial will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery.