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Elizabeth Kiblen has lived in Liberty Lake for nearly six decades. At left, Kiblen is pictured with her triplet siblings, Thilo and June, who were born on the family farm in Idaho.

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In the March Fountain: 58 years of lovin' Liberty Lake
2/25/2015 12:43:00 PM


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By Sarah Robertson
Splash Contributor

If you ask Elizabeth "Liz" Kiblen what people might find interesting about her, she will promptly tell you her only "claim to fame" is being one of three surviving triplets.

This is impressive enough, and then you realize that Kiblen at 86 was born in 1928. Unexpected triplets born on the doorstep of the Great Depression is even more amazing.

Kiblen must have heard the story over and over because she can recall it with ease. Elizabeth, Thilo and June were born on the family farm in Orofino, Idaho, with no doctor. Their parents were at a bit of a loss for names so Thilo is named after their maternal grandfather, Elizabeth after their paternal grandmother and June after the month of their birth.

When a doctor finally arrived, Kiblen's family was told that she and her brother and sister would not survive. She says her mother tucked them behind the woodstove to keep them warm.  Whatever the family did for them worked, because all three four-pound babies survived.

Not only did the triplets survive, grow and thrive, but Kiblen recalls a happy childhood. "We didn't know we were poor!"

Kiblen remembers the fun of growing up on a farm, even during the Depression.  "There was always food to eat on a farm."

One of her favorite memories of the farm is building a playhouse with her siblings on the property. (She also has an older brother, Marion.) It even had cooking capabilities.

Although Kiblen easily recalls "lovely times," she is amazed at the generosity of her parents during such a difficult period in American history.  Kiblen's family eventually lost their farm, but before it happened, her mother and father took in three farm workers. They were able to give the men shelter in the bunkhouse and food to eat. 

"Even though the times were so bad and there was no work, my parents said they could always use a little extra help," Kiblen said. 

Kiblen's daughter, Barbara Ferrell - also a Liberty Lake resident - believes that her grandparents' generosity is a major influence in her mother's life.  

"She is very giving," Ferrell said. "She would give family or friends the shirt off her back or money or whatever they need."

Ferrell also notes that the Depression left a lasting mark on her mother, as it did on many of the same generation. 

"She learned to be very frugal and has a lot of respect for the value of a dollar," she said.

Some of Ferrell's favorite memories of childhood perhaps come from her mother's frugal ways.  She remembers what an amazing seamstress her mother is.  She felt like the luckiest girl on the block with all the "really cool" clothes her mother would sew for her Barbies.  

"She taught me how to sew buttons on," she said. "We really had a lot of fun."

Though Kiblen had a lovely childhood during the Depression and clearly learned some valuable skills, hard times did befall her family. After losing the farm, her family, like many others in Idaho, moved to find work in the logging industry.

They ended up in Pierce, Idaho, a logging town that Kiblen describes as a beautiful place. She especially remembers school with her siblings in a one-room schoolhouse that accommodated grades one through eight. 

"Mrs. White was our teacher in first through fourth. I don't know how she did it. We always just seemed to get along," Kiblen said. "I always liked school. I could never do math, but I had wonderful grades otherwise.  I loved being with friends."

Kiblen enjoyed school enough to work toward her teaching certificate after finishing high school. However, fate - or her instructors - had a different plan. 

"Our teacher said we were here to meet husbands," Kiblen said. 

And half way through her courses, Kiblen met her husband, Mitchell, in 1947, and they married that same year. While Kiblen did return to classes, she eventually dropped out because of the birth of her first son, born on the day her husband graduated.

Kiblen's husband was from Spirit Lake, Idaho, but he found work as a coach and teacher in the Spokane area. By 1957, they had settled in Liberty Lake, and that is where Kiblen has lived ever since. In fact, within the past few years, she moved out of her longtime home into a condo, and her son moved in.

What was Liberty Lake like 58 years ago? According to Kiblen, "It was wonderful. We lived near apple orchards and there was lots of open space for the kids to run."

Her children loved to swim in the lake in the summer and skate on it in the winter.  They were just starting the golf course, and most of the family took up golf, too.

Ferrell remembers that the kids around the lake left home in the morning and ran around all day. Each house had a different whistle, so the kids knew when to check in.

Kiblen spent much of her time taking care of her four children. She was a Camp Fire leader and loved camping out at Liberty Lake County Park. Ferrell remembers, "She is the best fire starter!"

Longtime friend, Polly Soderquist, remembers meeting Kiblen in the 1960s. Both were charter members of the garden club and fast friends ever since. 

"She is a very loyal friend," Soderquist said. "She has strong opinions, but they are well thought out."

One of Soderquist's favorite memories of her friendship with Kiblen is a road trip they took to Southern California to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Getty Museum. Both ladies are big fans of the artist. 

And if Kiblen's life doesn't sound busy enough, she also went back to school after her children were grown and fulfilled a lifelong dream to become a nurse. She retired after 19 years at Deaconess.  

"I always wanted to be a nurse," Kiblen said. "It was part of God's plan. I loved it!"

Now Kiblen feels lucky still to be in Liberty Lake with all of her children nearby.  However, she does miss her grandchildren. 

"I just love my grandkids," she said. "I used to take them to the lake, and they are spread out all over now. I really miss them."

• • • 

Fountain Profiles: Elizabeth "Liz" Kiblen

Age
86

Hobbies
Watercolor painting, gardening, and refinished antique furniture

Biggest Change in Liberty Lake
"I'm amazed by the growth. It's still a nice place to live. They've done wonderful planning."

Favorite Activities
Antique shopping in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene, and the occasional game of bridge

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