Anna Elaine Grow, 84, long-time resident of Boise, passed away on October 2, 2017, in Mesa, AZ. A true child of the Great Depression in small-town Idaho, she was born May 20, 1933, in Wendell, Idaho to Harvey Clifford Iverson and Vernice Loveland Condie. While bearing the same first name as her fraternal grandmother, she preferred to be called and was known throughout her life by her middle name, Elaine. When only a few months old, her parents moved to Salmon, Idaho, where her father ranched and worked on a Civilian Conservation Corp crew in a rugged area on the Salmon River. Her early years were spent assisting with chores around the various ranches where her family resided, feeding the animals, riding horses and playing outdoors. During this time her sister Jean and brother Harvey Joseph were born. When Elaine was three, and her little sister was just a few months old, her parents staffed Forest Service lookouts atop ridges on the Continental Divide, spotting forest fires in Montana and Idaho. To reach these remote locations, her father had to bring the family and all necessary provisions (including water) in by horseback and a pack string. On one trip to get water, three-year old Elaine was holding the lead rope to the pack horse when her father saw her using the rope to tease a large rattle snake coiled to strike. Fortunately, her father quickly dispensed of the rattler with a shovel. She attended rural one-room grade schools at Big Flat, Boyle Creek School, and Pack Rat Canyon in the Salmon area. Three days into the third grade, the teacher told her she was already smarter than necessary to pass that grade, so she could skip it and move onto fourth grade. That pattern of scholarship continued through her schooling allowing her to graduate from Gooding High School at the age of 16. She especially excelled at secretarial skills, and won many awards for speed and accuracy in typing and short-hand. In 1945, Elaine's family moved to Gooding, Idaho. She was so excited to leave the country schools in Salmon so she could attend a "town school." In Gooding her dad bought a small grocery store and gas station. Her tasks often involved pumping gas into customer's cars by hand, which required first using a lever to pump the right amount of gas into a big glass bowl at the top of the pump. She did not like this job! After graduation she worked as a secretary to the Gooding Superintendent of Schools, as an audit clerk for C.C. Anderson Company, and as a legal secretary for Bird, Hobdey and Bissell. She met her first husband, Dick Reed at the store that her parents owned as he delivered cookies and snacks. They dated for a short while and were later married. Their son, Randall B. Reed was born on July 24, 1954, while they were living in Twin Falls. Dick and Elaine divorced a few months after his birth, and shortly after her divorce, Elaine and her son moved to Boise. In Boise she started working as a legal secretary for the Clemons, Skiles and Green law firm. She soon gained a reputation as one of the best legal secretaries in Boise. In 1972 she became the first secretary to Judge J. Blaine Anderson upon his appointment to the United Stated District Court, and continued as his secretary when he later served on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. After Judge Anderson's death she worked for Judge Stephen Trott until she retired in 1997 due to health concerns. After her retirement she served for nearly two years as a church service volunteer at LDS Social Services in Boise Elaine worked very hard to excel at her career while raising a son as a single mom. There were fun times when they joined her parents for camping trips or visits to out-of-state relatives. She did a great job balancing life as a legal secretary and single parent while still finding time to date and have a social life. In 1977 at a church singles dance she met Wayne Grow. After a short courtship they were married on December 10, 1977 in the Ogden LDS Temple. They lived in Boise and were active in the LDS Church where they served in many different responsibilities. Friends and relatives often comment that Elaine took great care in her personal appearance and always looked beautiful where ever she went. Elaine loved to learn about things and wanted to understand the world around her. This was very apparent when you walked into her home and found her surrounded by newspapers and magazines she was reading. She always knew about the latest trends and news. She was very curious about life, wanted to know all she could, and used the latest in technology. During the last years of her life she had to endure many illnesses which caused her pain on a daily basis and limited her mobility. Her family is comforted by the knowledge her active spirit is now free of a broken body that created so many of her struggles late in life. Elaine is survived by her son Randall B. Reed (Deb) of Mesa, AZ, stepson John D. Grow (Linda) of Oregon City, OR, her younger brother Harvey Joseph Iverson (Dee) of Donnelly, ID, nine grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, October 14 at the Northview Ward LDS Chapel, 6711 West Northview Street, Boise. Burial will be at the Wendell Cemetery in Wendell, ID where a brief graveside service and dedication of the grave will be held Saturday at 2:30 PM. Friends may also greet the family at a viewing on Friday evening, Oct. 13 at the church from 7:00-8:00 PM and again at the church from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday prior to the services. Arrangements are under the direction of Zeyer Funeral Chapel, Nampa 208-467-7300. Condolences may be expressed at zeyerfuneralchapel.com. Those wishing to make a memorial in Elaine's honor are invited to direct those gifts to the LDS Humanitarian Fund or the LDS Perpetual Education Fund.
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