Pocatello icon Idaho Purce celebrates 100th birthday at park bearing her family's name

POCATELLO — Family, friends, former neighbors and community members gathered Sunday afternoon to celebrate a major milestone birthday for a very special Pocatello woman.

Idaho Purce celebrated her 100th birthday at Purce Park, formerly known as Bonneville Community Park, which was dedicated to the Purce family last year.

Born in 1926, Purce has lived in Pocatello her entire life and grew up in the city's Historic Triangle neighborhood, a diverse community once home to Black, Hispanic, Asian, Greek and other European families.

Several former Triangle neighbors attended Sunday's celebration, sharing memories and reconnecting with old friends.

Purce is a longtime civil rights leader who became involved with the Pocatello Civil Rights Committee in 1957 and the NAACP. In 1969, she was appointed to the newly created Idaho Commission on Human Rights.

Idaho and her husband, John, spent decades advocating for equality and serving their community. Their son Thomas "Les" Purce became Pocatello's first Black mayor in 1976.

Pocatello Mayor Mark Dahlquist read a proclamation honoring Purce, whom he has known and worked with over the years. He described her as a trusted friend and mentor who is hardworking, no-nonsense and always determined to find a solution to every problem.

Purce's grandchildren, who affectionately call her "Grandma Idaho," said she is not the stereotypical cookie-baking grandmother, but something even better, always offering a listening ear, advice, comfort and a welcoming home for generations of family.

Purce's lifelong friend Fannielee Lowe led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday," but it wasn't the only song of the afternoon. Guests also joined together for a fitting rendition of "Here We Have Idaho."

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