Jay William Agather

Jay William Agather, 85, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint.

Jay was born on Jan. 25, 1938 in Spokane, Washington to Alfons and Isabel Agather. At the time of his passing he was the oldest living great-grandchild of Julius Neils. He grew up in Libby, Montana where he spent much time enjoying the outdoors, including swimming and playing in the Kootenai River and hiking throughout the Cabinet Mountains. 

Jay got his first job at the age of 13 at a service station and by the time he entered high school he was able to buy his first car for $50; a jalopy with a rumble seat. In high school Jay was president of the student council, played basketball and sang in the choir. He was always well-liked by his classmates.

After high school Jay joined the National Guard and did his six-month basic training with his cousin Everit Sliter at Ford Ord, California. Upon returning, he attended Valparaiso University for one year, then the University of Montana where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business.

After college, Jay came back to Libby and worked for J. Neils Lumber Company. He married Marjean Reid, his childhood sweetheart, whom he had known since the first grade, in Kalispell on June 12, 1960.

In 1968, Jay relocated to Tacoma, Washington and worked for St. Regis Lumber Company. After just 12 months in Tacoma, he came back to work for Potlatch Lumber Corp in Spokane, where he spent the next 16 years until relocating to Lewiston, Idaho with Potlatch in 1985. Jay retired in 2003.

Jay enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing tennis and golf. He was a devoted father and loved spending summers at his Bull Lake cabin. Even after suffering a stroke in 2017 he continued to be an avid reader.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marjean Agather of Sandpoint; two sons Paul (Lisa) Agather and Rolf (Tammy) Agather; daughter Amy Agather; six grandchildren; two sisters Andrea (Ray) Haugen and Martha (Jeff) Jordan; and two brothers Mark Agather and Max (Linda) Agather.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Michael.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Jay’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Montana Freshwater Partners or the Hotel Libby Restoration Fund.