Locals in the limelight - Dee Deife

When I approached Dee Deife to ask her for an interview, without missing a beat she told me she needed to check her calendar to make certain she didn’t have any other interviews on Thursday. She has a razor sharp wit and a calming presence that draws people in. In some respects, she is a private woman, a keeper of secrets. I learned so much that I had never known about her -- her joys, her triumphs and some of her darkest hours.

Dee was born in Tonasket, June 11, 1942. She was the second oldest of four, with two brothers and a sister. In 1950, the family moved to Marlin, and over the course of...