John William Venuti 'Papa John,' 77

John William Venuti, “Papa John”, 77, passed away peacefully at Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on March 8, 2021, with his wife, Darlene and two daughters, Meg and Katie by his side.

John was born on April 19, 1943, in Pescia, Italy. He was the youngest and only son of Benvenuto and Mary Adina (Mandoli) Venuti.

At a young age, John and his family settled in Trail, British Columbia, Canada; they then moved to Kellogg, Idaho. This is where John grew up as a child; he attended and graduated from Kellogg High School in 1963 and was a resident of Kellogg until his passing.

John worked many jobs including the Kopper Keg, Perks Down Under and the Bunker Hill Zinc Plant. He worked as a salesman at Ponderosa Motors and Sunset Motors in Coeur d’Alene. John also owned and operated the Smoke Shop Tavern in Mullan, as well as, the Happy Landing in Smelterville.

John married Sandra Flory (Mills) in 1985; they later divorced. He then married Darlene Walbridge on Nov. 16, 1995, in Coeur d’Alene.

John was a member of the St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Kellogg and in earlier years had served as a softball coach for St. Rita’s.

John so loved and enjoyed visiting with family and friends and talking of the “good old days.” He was an avid Kellogg Wildcat, Seattle Seahawk, Mariner, New York Yankee, Gonzaga and University of Idaho fan. John was either glued to the TV or had the radio on to keep up with their games (sometimes both at the same time).

He had a big heart full of kindness, generosity, love and devotion to his family and friends; to know John was to love him. To John, wealth was not monetary; family and friends were his wealth and treasures in his life.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Darlene Venuti of the family home in Kellogg; his faithful companion/fur baby, Murphy; his children, Meg (Jim) Niple of Hilliard, Ohio, Katie (Gust) Johnson of Mullan, Crystal Coburn of Garden Grove, Calif., Robin Coburn of Auburn, Wash., Angela Knox of Lolo, Mont., Celeste Curry of Thompson Falls, Mont., and Ben Bewick, also of Thompson Falls; one granddaughter, Madison Summers of Boise, Idaho; his mother-in-law, Dorothy Walbridge of Kellogg; his sister, Maria Pia Bertolozzi of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada; nephew Garry (Brenda) Bertolozzi of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada; niece Nancy (Matt) Attrill of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada; and numerous great and great-great-nephews and nieces. John was preceded in death by his parents, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Private family graveside/inurnment services will take place at the Shoshone Memorial Gardens in Pinehurst. A celebration of John’s life will be held in the late spring/early summer.