Rachelle Tew, 53, of Leslie, Idaho passed away peacefully surrounded by her family in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was under the care of Teton Acute Care of Cascadia.

Rachelle was born July 31, 1969, in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Wendell Hurst Tew and Marjean Armstrong Tew. She grew up in Leslie, Idaho and attended school in Mackay, Idaho. She was born with Down Syndrome.

When the time came close for Rachelle to go to school, her parents were very concerned as the school in Mackay, Idaho did not have a Special Education program. When she turned five the school did begin Special Ed and the next year she was able to attend Special Education under the expertise of Charlyn Kaulukukui, better known as Miss K. She was a great blessing to Rachelle and other children that needed her help. She learned the basic educational skills of reading, writing, math and spelling and so much more. She also participated in Special Olympics. Miss K and Jill Schmidt trained her to walk the balance beam and do a floor exercise. She earned several blue and red ribbons. She loved to win blue ribbons. She graduated from Mackay High School.

Rachelle’s parents and family will be forever grateful for Miss K. as she spent eight-plus years with her as her teacher.

The Joshua Smith Foundation came to Arco just as Rachelle graduated from High School and she was able to further her education and work on new goals there for the next thirty years with the very able staff. She made many friends at the Foundation over the years. She also continued to participate in Special Olympics participating in bowling and track and field events. She loved it when she earned a blue ribbon.

She has lived her entire life in Leslie, Idaho except for a year and a half when she lived with her brother Michael and wife Kathy in Idaho Falls while her parents served a mission at the Cove Fort Historical Site in central Utah and the last three years at the Teton Acute Care of Cascadia in Idaho Falls.

Our family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the many compassionate caregivers at Teton Acute Care. Their love and kindness meant so much.

She loved to color and did it neatly. She learned to do latch hook and needlework on plastic canvas. She made many plastic canvases for every holiday and birthday for family and friends. She also learned the Suzuki piano method and loved to play and did so whenever she was near a piano.

Listening to Country music was her passion. She loved most all of the Country artists with George Strait being her favorite. She even had the opportunity to meet George Strait after being at his concert in Memphis, TN as her brother, Craig, took her backstage to see him and she had her picture taken with him. She was ecstatic.

She loved to watch her favorite TV shows Little House on the Prairie, Three’s Company, and Touched by an Angel.

When she saw people she knew they got a hug. She had many friends.

She looked forward to family reunions and always prepared a Country Musical number singing to one of her favorite Country artists. She loved her family dearly and they loved her.

She had special cats that kept her company and they were her buddies.

Her birthday was the most important occasion of the year and she looked forward to it every day of the year. She let everyone know when her birthday was.

She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served for a time as the birthday card specialist in the Leslie Ward and members got a card and a hug from her.

She is survived by her mother, Marjean, of Leslie, ID; sister, Brenda (Paul) Lovell, of South Jordan, UT; brother, Michael (Kathy) of Idaho Falls, ID; brother, Bruce (Debra) of Bozeman, MT; sister, Allison (Ryan) Boyer of Firth, ID; brother, Craig (Dawn) of Leslie, ID and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her father, Wendell Hurst Tew, and brother, John Thomas Tew.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward building at Leslie, ID. A viewing will be held Monday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Anderson Family Funeral Home in Arco, ID, and Tuesday from 10:00 to 10:45 at the church in Leslie, ID. The interment will be in the Lost River Cemetery.

You may also click here to watch the service.