Late ID Couple Donates $135K to Volunteer Fire Department

The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department corporation recently received a six-figure donation from the estate of a late, longtime Moscow couple.

Wilma “Willie” Smith died in May at the age of 90 and her husband, Dale “Wes” Smith, died in 2011 at 84.

They left a portion of their estate, $135,000, to the MVFD corporation.

“We don’t get estate donations very often, and we certainly don’t get six-figure donations, period,” said Andy Kaus, a 33-year MVFD volunteer and treasurer of the corporation’s board of directors.

Kaus said the corporation has received six estate donations since he took over as treasurer in 2002, and none was as large as this one.

Wilma Smith was born in Potlatch, and she married Dale Smith in 1948 in Moscow, according to her obituary in the Daily News.

Wilma Smith graduated from the University of Idaho in 1958, and taught fourth grade at Lena Whitmore Elementary School from 1959 to 1970.

Dale Smith was born in Moscow and graduated from Moscow High School in 1945, according to his obituary in the Daily News. From 1947 to 1978, he was associated with Smith Bros. Service Station on South Main Street in Moscow.

Kaus said he did not believe the Smiths were connected to the volunteer fire department.Since the money was given to the MVFD corporation, it will benefit the volunteers. But Kaus said the board of directors have yet to determine how the money, which the corporation received in December, will be spent.

Kaus said one of his ideas is to use the money to set up a retirement program for the volunteers. Because they are volunteers, they are not eligible for Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, or PERSI.

Kaus said they have never been able to properly thank or recognize volunteers — some of which serve the department for decades — besides a verbal “thank you.”

A retirement program could change that.

“It may not come to fruition in my career, but I would like to see us use this as money to get started in that direction,” Kaus said.

Brian Nickerson, MVFD chief and president and CEO of the corporation, said he is appreciative of the generous gift and there are several ways the money can be used.

He said how the money will be spent will be a topic of conversation in the coming months and there is no need to rush to a decision.

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