|
|
Warren Burdette Bauman |
|
May 13, 1921 ~ April 22, 2015 |
|
April 29, 2015 |
 Warren
Burdette Bauman, 93, lifelong resident of
Bonners Ferry, passed away on Wednesday, April
22 at his residence in the Sunset Home north of
Three Mile in Bonners Ferry. Warren will be
missed by all who knew and loved him. A dinner
will be provided at the Sunset Home in
celebration of his life. His family and staff at
Sunset Home invite everyone to join them at noon
on Saturday, May 9.
He was born on May 13, 1921 to Solomon and
Florence (Hoagland) Bauman.
Warren grew up on the family dairy farm
overlooking the Kootenai Valley on the South end
of Bonners Ferry, graduating from Bonners Ferry
High School in 1939. Warren and his first wife
Lucille divorced, and in 1981 he married Dottie
Merrifield, with whom he spent 32 ½ loving years
until her passing in May of 2014. Together they
had Sunrise Nursery and developed Sunrise Court
on his family homestead.
Having no children of his own, Warren is
survived by Dottie’s 5 children: Lonnie
Merrifield (Donna), Arlene Schnuerle (John),
Karen French, Bruce Merrifield (Deanea), Deloris
Crane (Leo) and many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren who loved and cherished him.
The following is part of his life story as told
by him:
Warren’s parents owned and operated a large
dairy business known as the Bauman Dairy, so
Warren was not without chores to keep him
occupied. One of his jobs as a young lad was to
herd the cows across the railroad tracks below
the farm and out into District 1 where they
could graze for the day. He sometimes needed to
wait until the train passed and, of course, was
always to make sure he closed the gate.
Unfortunately, one day this little boy forgot.
No doubt he had other things on his mind as it
was the first day of school. The train came and
the cows were on the track. Thankfully nothing
catastrophic happened. Warren probably got a
scolding as he remembers being sure he always
closed that gate thereafter! In time the Great
Northern Railroad put in a six foot culvert for
an underpass. This made the crossing so much
safer and the railroad no longer had to pay for
running over cows on the tracks.
Warren’s only brother Everett (Bud) milked the
cows by hand. He left home before finishing high
school so then it was Warren’s turn. Fortunately
by then they had a milking machine. Warren did
the milking for more than twenty years. The farm
life must have agreed with the family as all
three of his siblings lived to be ninety and
well over ninety. Grace Bauman lived to be 98,
Phyllis Ellersick 97, and Bud Bauman was 90 when
he died.
Gathering firewood was mostly a winter activity
done between chores. Most of the wood was taken
right on their farm. A lot of cottonwood could
be found close by. It made good firewood but was
hard to split.
Warren’s father was very ingenious. He developed
an unusual water system that took the water from
the eve troughs to a cistern. The water was then
filtered through the brick wall of the cistern
and carried out by chain buckets. This water was
then used to water the smaller animals that
couldn’t go to the valley to drink in the
ditches and springs. In the winter the cows went
to the drainage ditches so the ice had to be
broken. This also was one of Warren’s jobs. One
winter was so cold that the water was drying up
under the ice. The family worried that it might
not hold out until spring, but thankfully a
chinook came in. There was a thaw and there was
enough water. His folks must have given a sigh
of relief.
Eventually the Forest Service ran a main line
made of wood piping that Warren’s dad could tap
into. “Our line was hand dug, mostly by me!”
Warren remembered. “It was four feet deep.” That
was in 1939. Warren had graduated from high
school and they finally got indoor plumbing,
probably way ahead of many of their neighbors
throughout Bonners Ferry. Since wooden piping
was used, it presented its own set of problems.
Farming did not completely satisfy Warren’s love
of the outdoors. He also enjoyed hiking and
sleeping in the mountain lookouts. Almost all
the lookouts had a spring nearby so one didn’t
need to pack water in. He recalled hiking in to
pick huckleberries. One spot in particular was
up Ruby Creek. “A friend and I hiked into Ruby
Creek and camped overnight. It was so pristine
and lush with huckleberries that we each picked
five gallons to haul back down the mountain!”
Warren also remembered his mom buying
huckleberries from the Indians at times.
Warren didn’t remember being affected very much
by the Depression, living in a small town in
North Idaho. “There were always spuds in the
cellar and canned goods. We also had cream
because of the dairy herd, and Mother always had
a nice garden.” Warren enjoyed helping her in
the garden.
During the holidays they enjoyed family
gatherings and a gift exchange at Christmas.
“One year Dad drew his own name. So he got
himself a union suit (long johns). Back then
they wore them year round.”
Warren’s dad’s family had been Mennonites, but
in Bonners Ferry there wasn’t much for churches
in his boyhood days. “Dad always kept the
Sabbath just the same.” “He would even let the
draft horses loose in the pasture so they could
roll around on their day of rest!”
During World War II Warren went to Spokane for a
physical to determine whether he should enlist
in the military. “I passed my physical and was
given a 1A classification. However; our dairy
was supplying a van load of ten-gallon cans of
milk daily to Farragut Naval Station.” The
government decided that Warren was of better
service to his country by staying on the farm
and helping with the milking.
His favorite bible verse was Psalms 139: 9-10:
"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell
in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
lay hold of me."
Warren will be missed by all who knew and loved
him. A dinner will be provided at the Sunset
Home in celebration of his life. His family and
staff at Sunset Home invite everyone to join
them at noon on Saturday, May 9.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that
contributions be made to Sunset Home, 510920
Highway 95, where Warren was so wonderfully
cared for with kindness and love. |
|
|
|
|
