Remember When?

40 YEARS AGO • APRIL 29, 1982

JOE DOBRAVEC, NOXON SENIOR CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Joe Dobravec is a man about town. If you have a leaky roof, he can fix it; a broken water pipe brings Joe out in all kinds of weather; TV reception not clear, Joe jumps into his truck and climbs mountains to adjust the transmitter.

If the snow is too deep, you will find Joe on call 30 miles from home, plowing snow. When a senior citizen center was first proposed in Noxon, Joe quietly put his shoulder to the wheel and pushed.

In November 1979 the first meeting of senior citizens was held in the Noxon school. In February 1980, Joe became a member of the senior citizens and a board member in 1981. Land was purchased from the Jenkins block in 1980, leveled and a base for a 24- by 40-foot frame-metal building was erected by December.

Joe was vitally instrumental in the planning, selecting, purchasing and delivery of materials.

Dobravec was born August 4, 1913, at Heron on a ranch on upper Elk Creek. He spent the first four years of school in a log cabin up Elk Creek.

A bus was then provided and he completed the eighth grade in Heron.

In 1929, Joe drove from Elk Creek to Noxon High School as a freshman. During his sophomore year he had a contract to drive the first high school bus from Elk Creek and Heron to Noxon. He continued to drive the bus until his graduation.

In 1936 Joe married Goldie Greer of Noxon. They have been married 46 years and have no children.

In 1942 both Joe and Goldie enlisted in the armed forces. Goldie enlisted four months after Joe and served in France and England. Joe served 39 months in the states and the South Pacific, arriving home three months after Goldie had returned. Goldie began working in the Noxon Post Office October 4, 1937. She took a leave of absence in February 1943 to join the U.S. Army postal service. She worked in the Army Post Office in Daytona Beach, Florida, for a year and then was transferred to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. From there she was transferred to the First Base Post Office in Birmingham, England, where she worked for a year. She then was transferred to the 23rd Post Office in Paris for eight months before being discharged in November 1945. She resumed her duties in the Noxon Post Office February 1, 1946.

On separation from the service, Joe worked for the Department of Agriculture for several years. He then went into the clothing business. Joe spent the next 35 years helping to organize and serving on the boards of the Noxon Rod and Gun Club, Gravity Water Co., Thompson Falls-Noxon Chamber of Commerce; the TV District, the Garbage District. He represented Consolidated Freightways during construction of the Noxon Rapids Dam. He also spent a number of years on the local school board.

In Joe’s words, “Every man should have something to remember him by. I know that through TV hundreds can see and enjoy what goes on around the world, and by having a senior citizen center with a dinner every week, I can visit friends. It makes my life more interesting and worthwhile.”

Joe Dobravec died January 13, 1986, at the age of 72 years and was buried in the Noxon Cemetery. Goldie died April 28, 1986.

30 YEARS AGO

April 23, 1992

WORK BEGINS ON BOAT RAMP

Improvements to the Flatiron Ridge boat landing were put in place last week as the first stage of the project was completed.

The project took advantage of a low flow in the Clark Fork River and excavated, formed and poured concrete for the new boat landing. The general plan calls for a 60-foot launch pad and a dock-like structure along the east side of the ramp. The existing cribbed jetty on the east side will be shortened and rebuilt to make a fishing pier for recreationists.

Also to be included in the facility are a picnic area, bathroom facilities and improvements to the roads.