Zoila Chacartegui

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Zoila Chacartegui

On Jan. 31, 2010, Zoila Chacartegui, 94, of Mountain Home, died peacefully at local care center.

Vigil services were held, Wednesday, Feb. 3, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home. Funeral mass was celebrated Thursday, Feb. 4, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Mountain Home. Burial followed at Mountain View Cemetery, Mountain Home.

Zoila was born, Aug. 16, 1915, in Bruneau, the daughter of Zoilo and Maria Dolores Echeverria, who immigrated from Lekeitio, Bizkaia, Spain.

Zoila attended schools in Bruneau and Mountain Home. In her freshman year,

Zoila took the highest honors in the school in mathematics, science and foreign language. In 1933, she graduated from Mountain Home High School as valedictorian of her class.

On May 16, 1938, Zoila married Juan łTakolo˛ Chacartegui, who had also immigrated from Lekeitio. They lived next to the Bengochea Hotel for many years. Takolo died on May 28, 1986.

Zoila was employed as a bookkeeper at Montgomery Blunk Grocery and Department Store until it closed. In 1954, she began work as bookkeeper for Boise Payette, later know as A to Z Lumber & Coal, where she continued as bookkeeper and became a part owner of the company.

Zoila loved languages and as a result, she spent many years serving as writer/interpreter for several Basque families who needed help in corresponding with their relatives in Spain. She also spent many evenings working with Basque shepherds, including Takolo, to help them attain U.S. citizenship.

Zoila was a member of Our Lady of Good counsel Catholic Church, Euskal Lagunak, and La Organizacion Independiente Social.

Zoila is survived by her daughter, Joanna, and her husband, Larry Buel, of Carson City, Nev., her sister, Dolores Robison, and her brothe,r Isaac and his wife, Phyllis Echeverria ,all of Boise, and by numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Takolo and by three brothers, Leon, Benito and John.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Euskal Lagunak, Inc, P.O. Box 88, Mountain Home, ID 83647, or to the Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Inc., 611 W. Grove St, Boise, ID 83702.