Ann Dawson Bingham, 80, beloved mother and wife, passed away peacefully after visiting with her family on Feb. 5, 2013, at Kootenai Medical Center. Ann was born April 18, 1932, in Shelley, the home of the famous russet potato. During her high school years she was known for and received many state awards in declamation for her readings and poetry. After high school she attended Brigham Young University and then Utah State University. She then returned home and was teaching kindergarten when her mother made arrangements for her to go on a blind date. On that date she met the love of her life, Darold Bingham, and the two were married three months later in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on Sept. 9, 1957. Shortly after their wedding, Darold was drafted by the Army and sent to France. Ann was able to follow Darold to his duty station in Orleans, France. For the next 18 months they traveled extensively throughout Europe and were blessed to be able to attend the dedication of the London, England, LDS Temple. After returning from the service they relocated to Moscow where Darold worked as a mechanical contractor. During that time he built many of the buildings at the University of Idaho, Washington State University and the original Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene. Ann was well-known by the students at the University of Idaho for her amazing cooking skills. Ann would spend the entire week preparing one of her incredible soups while her best friend, Mary Royse, would bake bread. Then on Friday the two would pack up their delicious goods and go to the LDS Institute on campus, where they would feed the students lunch. Throughout her life she enjoyed cooking for others and was well-known wherever she lived for her culinary skills. The couple moved to Coeur d'Alene in 1980 as a home base. Throughout their marriage Darold and Ann visited the Hawaiian Islands on several extended vacations and fell in love with the people and climate. In 1991, they took a job as managers of a high-rise condominium in Honolulu. Ann loved Hawaii so much that their one-year commitment turned into a 15-year second honeymoon. They then returned to Coeur d'Alene to be closer to family. Ann is survived by her husband of 56 years, Darold; her son, Todd (Holli) and daughter Lisa Werner (Eric); her brother, Oliver of Cody, Wyo.; her brother, J.M. of Layton, Utah; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.