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Final Home of Hollywood Legend Patty Duke Up for Sale in Idaho

Patty Duke had well-documented difficulties throughout her life. The Oscar-winning actress wrote about them in her 1987 book, “Call Me Anna,” in which she discussed her mental illness—a bold move from a celebrity in those days.

Duke went on to become a vocal advocate for mental health education and for the elimination of the stigma Americans attached to mental health issues.

By the 1990s, she’d found happier times with her fourth husband, Michael Pearce, and the life they made together on an 80-acre ranch in Idaho. As son Kevin reached high school age roughly 13 years ago, the family decided to move closer to town, selling the ranch and purchasing this 2,973-square-foot home in Coeur D’Alene, ID.

With Duke’s death in March of this year, her husband now has put the five-bedroom, three-bathroom home on the market for $398,000.

“She put her touches on the house … and made it hers,” recalls Pearce. “She made it the home that it was for us and our son.”

The house looks smaller from the front than it actually is inside, notes Pearce. It includes a family room, two bedrooms with bathrooms, and a master bathroom with a jetted tub, among other amenities. The family also installed heating in the garage, a welcome touch on cold winter mornings, says Pearce.

The house sits in the Best Hills Meadows neighborhood, which is known for its tranquility and bucolic setting so close to the center of town. Indeed, that’s what attracted the Pearce family—Patty Duke’s real name was Anna Pearce—to the area, says Michael Pearce.

“The neighbors are so friendly, and everyone is nice and helpful and caring. They’re just down-to-earth and great,” he says. He and his wife had redecorated roughly two years ago, adding new carpet and painting every room. The couple hosted many parties in the home, with guests including actor Sean Astin, who is Duke’s son.

The home came with granite countertops, thanks to a previous owner who owned a stone company, recalls listing agent John T. Gibson, who is also Duke’s son-in-law. He’s co-listing the home with agent Dan Hughson.

The backyard “was pretty generic” when the Pearce family moved in, but they added trees, shrubbery, flowers, and other touches over the years, Pearce recalls. “We made it so when you sit outside in the back, it’s like you’re in the country. It gives you a feeling that you’re not close to town at all.”

Gibson, who attended many family events at the home, agrees. “When you’re in the backyard, you just feel like you’re in your own private paradise.” Hopefully the new owners will find it as much of a paradise as the Pearce family did.

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