Florence chose to spend the last years of her life near her family in Arizona. She passed away Dec. 18, 2007, and will be laid to rest beside her husband in Ketchum Cemetery on June 19, 2008. A graveside service will be conducted by the Legion at 11 a.m. Following the service, friends are invited to join the family at the Legion Hall for a celebration of her life.
Florence Garnet Price was born and grew up in Emmett, Idaho. After completing training as a hairdresser, she and a classmate opened a shop in Boise. The business flourished, but Florence's brother visited, met and married her partner, the partnership was dissolved and Florence decided to move on.
A resort had recently opened a few miles north in Sun Valley; Florence went to work in the beauty shop at the Lodge and moved to Ketchum, which became her home. Sun Valley was an exciting place to live and the people who worked with their glamorous and famous guests were part of the social whirl. Florence loved the life. She later took over management of the shop and in 1946 married Sepp Froehlich, one of the charming Austrian ski instructors.
Florence was an elegant woman, adventurous, athletic, and fun to be with and she loved to try new things—except for the bed and breakfasts in Ireland; she had to give those up. She enjoyed downhill skiing and later was part of a cross-country group of ladies who called themselves The Snowshoe Club. She golfed and in spite (or because) of a swing that golf instructors, including her good friend Bill Butterfield, despaired of, she could hit a mean drive. She was an excellent cook and she and Sepp loved to entertain at their home, Aspen Acres. Florence liked to travel and did a great deal of it throughout her life, with her husband and also with friends and family.
When World War II loomed and our country was mobilizing, Florence and a cousin lived for a short time in California and worked in an aircraft plant—"Rosie the Riveters." When Sun Valley was taken over by the Navy as a rehabilitation center, Florence remained in Ketchum and drove a taxi. Sepp joined the U.S. Army and was a decorated member of a mountain division. They both were loyal members of the American Legion Chapter in Ketchum and Florence served several terms as president of the Women's Auxiliary.
Florence was an active member of the community and supporter of the library and museum—and, of course, The Gold Mine. For years she sponsored a band participating in the Jazz Festival.
Except for the memories in the minds of her friends, Florence's most lasting contribution to her beloved Sun Valley is undoubtedly the statues of Sigi Engl and Sepp Froehlich that stand there. She headed up a committee of ski instructors who worked to commemorate those men.
