Community rallies support, help for Ernie Belwood

SANDPOINT — It was one of those endeavors that keeps snowballing.

Sandpoint residents Wayne and Sharon Bistodeau called friends, who called other friends, all of whom had another friend in common — they all know Ernie Belwood.

The 109 people who met at City Beach last weekend, sans snow, waved and smiled in a photograph for Belwood, the former owner of Belwood Furniture who is in Portland undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

 Belwood has been in the Oregon Health and Science University Hospital since Jan. 8, but he isn’t far from the hearts of his many friends and the Sandpoint community.

Jim and Pam Lippi, owners of Ivano’s Ristorante and Cafe, have known Ernie since they moved to Sandpoint and opened a business 25 years ago.

“He is the salt of the earth,” Pam said.

As with many of her peers, it’s Ernie’s generosity that stands out for her. When he operated the furniture store, which closed last year, local charities invariably contacted Ernie if they needed something, and he was the first  to donate for a fundraiser, she said.

He always dug deep.

“Whenever Kinderhaven needed a stove or refrigerator, all they would have to do is call him up and would deliver it to them,” she said. “He was like that with a lot of people.”

Jim Lippi turned to Ernie for guidance when he started in the restaurant business without much experience.

“I saw how Ernie was so well respected and how generous, and how committed to community he was,” Jim said. “I tried to follow in his shadow a little bit. I tried to do the best I could to follow his example.”

Ernie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer not long after Belwood Furniture closed last year. He was transported to Portland to undergo treatment that included a complicated surgery, his daughter, Lori Stites, said. He spent a month in the hospital’s intensive care unit until being released to the regular wing this week.

“It’s been a big deal,” Stites said. “It’s been very life threatening.”

The surgery, although successful, resulted in complications, she said.

Having her dad out of ICU is a sign he is getting better.

“He has made a corner, I think,” she said. “It’s just a very long road.”

Ernie’s wife, Diane, has been by his bedside for the past five weeks.

Longtime friend Linda Plaster has helped spread the word in an effort to have community members donate to help with costs associated with Ernie’s hospitalization.

“Expenses are mounting for the family staying there,” Plaster said.

Many people have sent card and have kept Ernie in their prayers, she said.

“Those who wish to do more, here’s the answer,” she said.

She encourages anyone who wishes to make donations by depositing them into Ernie or Diane’s accounts at the Priest River, Sandpoint or Bonners Ferry branches of the Panhandle State Bank.

“This would be a simple way for many friends of the Belwoods to help at this trying time,” she said.

Lori, who worked with her father at the furniture store — a Sandpoint landmark for 35 years — said she often has people stop her in the street to recount memories of her father.

“He’s a legend in this town,” she said. “He was kind to everybody. He was always giving and fun. Everybody loves him. Half the town calls him Uncle Ernie.”

Pam, who stood among the 109 people waving at the photographer in the fire truck at City Beach last week, concurs.

“He’s such a great guy, someone who leads by example and who is fun loving,” she said. “He’s got a heart of gold.”