Lila Jean Stroud

Boise, Idaho –
Lila Jean (Jeannie) Stroud passed away quietly with family on November 9, 2023.
Jeannie was born on September 28, 1944, in Burley Idaho to Lloyd Balfour and Alma (nee Obert) Balfour. She had an older sister and brother who preceded her in death (Louise Spangler and Leslie Balfour) and is survived by one younger sister (Rayni Wangen).
One of the earliest stories of her childhood was that her first words were spoken with a southern drawl, although none of her family was from the south.  As a preschooler, she taught herself to sing harmony and enjoyed singing for the rest of her life.  She also had a love of animals and would challenge her mother with rescues -- including a pet crow with a hurt wing, and a dormant bullsnake she found in the front yard.
After graduating from Boise High School in 1963, she lived for a couple of years in Macon, Georgia, where she purportedly picked up the local accent so well, people thought she was native.
Later, she made her way back to Boise (where she apparently lost her southern accent for the second time) and worked as a secretary at the Albertson’s corporate office. There she met her husband, Wayne Stroud. Together, they raised their daughter Liana and shared daughter Angela (Wayne’s daughter from a previous marriage). They were married for almost 54 years, and she cared for him through his diagnosis of Parkinson’s, including visiting him almost daily in memory care at the end. He preceded her in death by only a few weeks.
In 1978, Wayne’s job transferred the family to Hillsboro, Oregon, where they lived for 30 years.  During those decades, she was especially involved in community and church, and employed in various occupations; from after school day care in her home to selling Tupperware and Avon, and finally billing at a chiropractor’s office.
They eventually followed their grown children back to Idaho in 2008, where they lived in Boise for the remainder of their years. Wherever Jeannie lived, she was passionate about feeding and caring for both people and animals. She was affectionately known as a prayer warrior and served on church prayer teams over several decades.
Jeannie is survived by her daughter Liana Potter (with spouse Jeff), her stepdaughter Angela Robertson (with spouse Kirby), five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.