Curtis “Curt” M. Vail passed away Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, at his Clarkston home. He was born July 6, 1959, to Don and Joanne Vail, of Clarkston.
Curt was raised in an entrepreneurial family and was always helping around the family store. He graduated from Clarkston High School in 1977 and attended college at Eastern Washington University, where he studied chiropractic science. Despite his education to become a chiropractor, Curt moved back to Lewiston to take over the family business, Vail’s Office Equipment (later Black & Vail’s Office Products), as the third-generation owner.
In 1985, Curt married Cheryl McMath, of Spokane. Cheryl came into Curt’s life with a young son, Josh Harshman. Josh and Curt had an immediate bond and Curt became his dad instantly. A year after Curt and Cheryl were married, their daughter, Ashley, was born and 16 months later, their second son, Tyler.
As a father, he instilled a love of sports in their children. The kids have fond memories of attending most WSU games as a family. Curt was the dad who always included his kids in anything he did. The kids were always with him and Cheryl, whether it was going out to eat, golfing at the Country Club or yelling at the TV during football games.
Curt loved all things sports. He found joy in watching any sporting event either in person or on TV. He didn’t care what the sport was, as long as it wasn’t soccer ... until his granddaughter Kori Harshman became a soccer star and his mind changed.
Another love of Curt and Cheryl’s was their love for sunshine. Curt and Cheryl put a pool in their backyard, which became the centerpiece of the family as the kids were growing up. Curt could be found all summer tinkering in the yard around the pool, while Cheryl laid out getting tanner than you could imagine, and the kids played in the water.
They would seek sunshine in the winter with trips every year to Maui and Mexico. Part of Curt’s legacy is the love for traveling that he and Cheryl instilled in their family. They would frequently bring their granddaughter Tjaden on vacations with them. Their oldest son, Josh, has spent time working internationally in Guam, Ashley has visited many countries in Europe and Africa, and Tyler pursued a career in aviation so he could travel.
Curt ran the family business proudly alongside Cheryl. The family has many fond memories of being in the store together. Some of the many stories they tell about the store is how Curt and Cheryl had L-shaped desks back-to-back so they could push papers back and forth with each other. Or the time Tyler discovered that Santa’s special wrapping paper was stored under Curt’s desk. The store closed in 2009 because of economic changes, but it wasn’t for a lack of consistent hard work and dedication. Following the closure of the family business, Curt worked at Moscow Transit until he retired.
Curt was preceded in death by his mother, Joanne, and wife, Cheryl.
Curt is survived by his children, Josh Harshman (Shannon), Ashley Picone (Zach Hall) and Tyler Vail (Levi Gibson). He is also survived by his father, Don Vail (Lori), granddaughters Tjaden Fox (Jared), Kori Harshman and Renegade Gibson Vail, and great-grandson Jesse Fox. Curt’s children would like to thank Don and Lori Vail for their consistent companionship and support they always gave Curt. Curt and Don had a special father/son bond.
At Curt’s request, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Curt’s name to your favorite charity or sports club.