Harold Van Asche

Harold J. Van Asche, 82

Beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, Harold J. Van Asche, 82, of Pinehurst, Idaho, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Society in Silverton, Idaho. He was born April 7, 1939, in Los Angeles, California. Harold was the son of Lawrence and Susanna (Kailing) Van Asche.

On August 11, 1962, Harold was united in marriage to Maxine Christensen, a widow with two young daughters whom he adopted as his own. Together they had four more children and raised all six as one big happy family. In 1969, Harold and Maxine moved from their home in Holladay, Utah to the Silver Valley, where Harold went to work for the Bunker Hill Mining company in the engineering department. From there he worked as a general contractor and had his own construction company. Later he went to work for Shoshone County as an assessor. He then became Director of Planning and Zoning and Disaster Services. During his tenure at the County, he participated in developing the 911 system for them and was also instrumental in the development of the wonderful trail system that we have in the valley, Rails to Trails.

Harold was an active member of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1972. He served as an elder for many years, often comforting, teaching, and assisting others. He believed in the Bible’s hope of a resurrection.

As a resident of the City of Pinehurst for decades, he was known for his daily walks through town. He usually had a garden and enjoyed tending to his vegetables, particularly tomatoes. Harold also loved what North Idaho had to offer and enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor activities with his family. Harold loved to compete with his sons while engaging in those fishing and hunting activities. He had a great passion for history and research. He established the Red Sea Research Group. Over the years he traveled to Egypt numerous times to further his research. He enjoyed sharing stories and pictures of his travels.

Harold is survived by his children Diane (Rocky) Sauer, Charlie (Daniel) Fike, Tom (Jan) Van Asche, DeeDee (John) Betzner, Susan Cartularo and Laurence (Tamara) Van Asche; six grandchildren- Jeremy, Corey, Mackenzie, Lane, Shelbie, and Lauren; along with two great-grandchildren Austin and Bryton. Harold is also survived by his daughter from a previous marriage, Melissa Shipley and her two children; his siblings Chris (Martha) Van Asche, Alice (Don) Stilwell, Mike Van Asche, Pat (Linda) Van Asche and Dennis (Jan) Van Asche as well as several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Maxine and his siblings Art Van Asche, Rose Grogan, and Marjorie Williams.

A private memorial service for the family will be held in early September. A video recording of that event will be made and a link to access will be posted on Shoshone Funeral Services’ obituaries section of their website.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Harold’s name may be made to the worldwide work of Jehovah’s Witnesses at  https://donate.jw.org/ui/E/donate-home.html#/donate or a charity of your choosing.

You may share your memories of Harold and sign his guest book at www.shoshonefuneralservice.com

SHOSHONE FUNERAL SERVICES & CREMATORY KELLOGG, IDAHO is entrusted with services.