"Wayne Bare loved life, his family, ranch, friends and community. He loved to live life to its fullest! Wayne was a generous man, always willing to lend a hand.
We lost Wayne on Friday, March 20, 2015, due to complications of a stroke suffered three weeks prior.
Wayne was born to Curbe and Bessie Craven Bare on April 25, 1930, delivered by a midwife in Winsper, Idaho, a small village west of Dubois that no longer exists. His parents moved from North Carolina to Idaho settling at the Reno Ranch located between Dubois and Birch Creek, where Curbe was employed by Woods Livestock Co. as ranch foreman in 1918.
In 1931, his mother died of blood poisoning when Wayne was just 10 months old. With so many young children, Wayne's father moved the family back to North Carolina, where they had family that could help with the kids. It took more than a week to make the journey by small truck from Idaho to North Carolina. They had to stop often along the way to find someone with a cow who would sell them milk for baby Wayne. Wayne and the younger kids were raised by their grandparents while his dad kept the older kids.
Life wasn't easy back then. The grandparents were struggling to raise and feed the kids. As a result, Wayne quit school when he was in the seventh grade and went to work. He worked road construction in North Carolina operating heavy equipment.
In 1949, Wayne's brother, Ken, was leaving North Carolina to head out west to California to make his fortune and invited Wayne to go. So Wayne quit his job and headed west with Ken. Wayne always liked to say that they were part of the '49 Gold Rush, although they were 100 years late!
Then, Ken and Wayne came to Idaho and Wayne started working for Fred and May Woodie on their farm and ranch. Wayne developed a lifelong respect and admiration for the Woodies as well as a lifetime friendship with George Woodie.
Wayne met Metta Hocking during the summer of 1950 when they went on a blind date to go to a "picture show" in Arco. He and Metta were married Oct. 7, 1951, in the house where they currently reside. Two daughters were born to them. In reality, Metta raised three kids, counting Wayne.
Wayne joined the Army in 1951. He had been in the Army for six months when he was discharged for medical reasons.
Wayne and Metta began farming for themselves in 1954. In 1963, he moved his family onto the ranch, where he and Metta currently ranch and reside. This is where they raised their daughters, cows, crops, baby deer and more. Snow and water skiing, snowmobiling, flying, motorcycling and many more activities were enjoyed by our family while growing up.
In 1965, Wayne along with other men in the Little Lost River Valley designed and built a rope tow installing it on a local hill creating Howe's first ski hill, complete with a ski-in lodge! We had many years of enjoyment on this ski hill. Every weekend and whenever school was cancelled due to heavy snowfall or too cold of temperatures, we seemed to overcome those obstacles and head to the ski hill!
Wayne proudly got his pilot's license and first airplane, a Cessna 172, in 1971 and continued to fly until his death.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Metta of Howe; two daughters, Sharon (Kirby) Jensen of Moore and Karen (Brian) Hoff of Meridian, Idaho; grandchildren, Cheri (Scott) Hill of Priest Lake, Krisi (Rick) Staten of Idaho Falls, Tyson Jensen of Shelley and Hayes (Chandra) Jensen of Moore and Charlie Bare Hoff of Meridian; and 10 great-grandchildren, all surviving family living in Idaho.
Also surviving are brothers, Herbert Bare of Virginia and Ken (Kay) Bare of Terreton; sister, Doris Hopkins of West Jefferson; half-sister, Rachel Price of Newport News, Va.; and half-brother, Aaron (Catherine) Bare of Bear, Del.
Preceding Wayne in death are his parents; 8-month-old sister, Marion Louise; sister, June Bare, and husband, Harper Bare, of Idaho Falls; and brother, Clifton Bare of West Jefferson; sister-in-law, Em Bare of North Carolina; and brothers-in-law, Paul Hopkins of West Jefferson and Dave Price of Newport News.
The list is too long to include all of the names of extended family members whose lives Wayne touched. He leaves us all with a big hole in our hearts.
Funeral services were be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Howe Community Center in Howe."
Memorial source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143974101/wayne-r-bare