Corinne Emery Douglas was born Sept. 21, 1924, the fourth child of Joseph and Rae (Goodwin) Emery, in the small town of Manteo on Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
She passed away Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, age 91, at the Golden LivingCenter in Mobridge.

Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, at the First Baptist Church of Mobridge, under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home.

Corinne and her brother and sisters grew up in the coastal town of Elizabeth City, N.C., and attended school there. Summers were spent on the beach near Cape Hatteras where Corinne's father, who was in the Coast Guard, was in charge of a lifesaving station.

When Corinne was three years old, she caught typhoid fever, measles and whooping cough all at the same time. Her infant sister also became ill with measles and whooping cough, as did their only brother. Both grandmothers moved in to help nurse the children and the house was placed under quarantine for about five months while their local doctor made house calls.

At one point it was thought Corinne had died and the eldest girl was sent into town to purchase a dress for her burial. However, even though the doctor had run his finger around in her eye and received no response, the little girl completely recovered. Her baby sister recovered, although she had to relearn how to walk, and their brother also regained full health. The children's father thought it miraculous that Corinne lived and decreed she should never be spanked. Their mother wisely ignored the announcement and all the children grew up well-disciplined.

Corinne's father passed away from an accident at the lifesaving station when she was nine years old, and her mother struggled to support the family as a seamstress. Corinne remembered many days when supper was biscuits and gravy, but she did not know they were poor. Later on, she knew her mother paid for her high school class ring, which cost ten dollars, on time.

One of the ways Corinne's mother made a little extra income was renting rooms to Coast Guardsmen from the USCG Air Station in Elizabeth City. Three or four men would pool their money and rent one of Rae Emery's rooms to house their civilian clothes for when they had weekend liberty. It came as no surprise when Corinne and three sisters all married Coast Guardsmen.

The handsomest of the Coast Guardsmen to stash his civvies in one of Rae Emery's rooms was William Lee Douglas from Red Bluff, Calif. He courted Corinne and they were married March 27, 1943, at the Blackwell Memorial Church in Elizabeth City. They left after the wedding for St. Petersburg, Fla., where Bill was stationed.

Over their years together, Corinne and Bill lived in Florida; Natchitoches, La.; Elizabeth City, N.C.; San Francisco, Calif.; Hawaii (for six months); Ketchikan and Annette Island, Alaska; Red Bluff, Petaluma and Rhonert Park, Calif.; Salem, Ore.; and Boise, Idaho.

Their two children were born on opposite sides of the continent. William Jr. was born in 1947 in Elizabeth City, while Betty was born in South San Francisco in 1950.

Corinne had a rock-solid, lifelong faith in Jesus that guided and guided her through the loss of her first child at birth, breast cancer, her husband's death at age 53, macular degeneration which blinded her in later years, and dementia. This faith in God is the most important legacy she left to her family.

Corinne worked outside the home much of her life, first in the Register of Deed's office in Elizabeth City before marriage, then in later years as a sales clerk in department stores as her children were in school. She worked at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, in the business department for over 20 years. Following retirement from St. Luke's, Corinne volunteered at the food bank in Boise.

In 2000 Corinne moved to Mobridge to be near her daughter and family.

Corinne loved reading both fiction and nonfiction and was especially interested in British history and the royal family. She also enjoyed playing cards including pinochle, hearts, cribbage, and hand and foot, and completing jigsaw puzzles and New York Times crossword puzzles.

Corinne is survived by her daughter, Betty (Gary) Street, daughter-in-law Carole Douglas; and grandchildren Nathaniel (Stacy) Street; Esther Street and fiancé Caleb Baker; Paula (Eric) Jackman, Fay and Viola; Will Douglas and fiancée Alexis; Carl Douglas and special friend Jessica; and Ruth (Aaron) Wilson, Nealand and Tansy; sister Jacqueline Rinehart; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, daughter Sandra at birth in 1944, husband William in 1972, son William Jr. in 2012, sisters Viola and Eloise, brother James and half-sister Audrey.