he Wood River Valley and Blaine County have always nurtured a diverse population of dreamers, actors, and hardworking families who contribute in many ways to the richness of life in the mountains.
Here, the Idaho Mountain Express lists people who have died and whose obituaries or obituaries were issued in 2021. Here are a few of those who embody the incredible history of Blaine County:
Maryana Jones, 87: Raised during the Great Depression in the small farming town of Letcher, South Dakota, Maryana Peters, 22, attended a VFW dance in nearby Mitchell in 1956 where she met a veteran of the army named Richard “Dick” Jones. They married and moved four years later to Hailey, where Dick taught history at Wood River High School. In 1965, Dick was hired as principal of Wood River High, and Maryana became the very first school secretary for the Blaine County School District, a position she held for 27 years. To several generations of students, she has become “Mrs. Jones”, their “school mom” and trusted anchor of all academic matters in the office.
Wally Goodwin, 94: For 50 years, he coached a long list of high school and college sports (basketball at Stetson, golf at Stanford among others) and has always left the programs better than when he arrived, helping the boys to become men. A native of Cincinnati and a multisport athlete at the University of Virginia, WWII Navy veteran Goodwin coached the Stanford Cardinal at the NCAA National Golf Championship in 1994 as part of his 13-year stint at Stanford. He guided American first team golfer Tiger Woods in 1995 and 1996. Wally’s son Reamy Goodwin followed his father as a coach and became one of Idaho’s top women’s volleyball coaches during his time there. at Wood River High.
George Dondero, 107: A sympathetic adventurer and inventor, skillful with his hands and endowed with an infectious laugh, George was born in 1913 and has lived his life to the fullest. He was a third generation San Franciscan active in outdoor activities and sports ranging from rock climbing and ice skating to photography. This year alone, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on George’s solo ascent of the Golden Gate Bridge while under construction in 1935. He first skied in Sun Valley in the early 1940s, then moved to Ketchum in 1975. He built his home in Gimlet with his son John in 1976 and spent the next 34 years here, working for Scott USA and Smith Sport Optics, and helping to create the first goggle for ESS. It is the same mask still used by most branches of the United States military today.
Chad Stuart, 79: Born in Windermere, England in December 1941 as David Stuart Chadwick, he rose to prominence in the early 1960s with the famous British duo Chad and Jeremy. Melodic and tender in their lyrics, their ever famous songs include “Yesterday’s Gone” and “Summer Song”. Talented and passionate about his adopted community of Wood River, Chad has been described by his daughter Beth Stuart as “the sail that took the wind for all of us to help us navigate.”
Petra Morrison, 95: Her grandfather, a Swede, changed his name to August Farnlun and brought his wife and four children to Ketchum in 1896. Two years later, the Ketchum pioneers bought a ranch in Warm Springs and in 1916 they bought their second ranch on what is now the Weyyakin Subdivision just south of Ketchum. Petra was born there in 1925 and has been a resident of Ketchum her entire life. She met her husband Frank during World War II while serving in the Naval Staff at Sun Valley Lodge, where Petra worked in the personnel office. She also enjoyed working for the U.S. Forest Service and hiked most of the trails in the area, writing a book about her adventures for the Forest Service.
Harry Rinker, 100: The native Canadian and WWII Army Air Corps veteran enjoyed an 80-year career in real estate. He became a builder of single-family homes in Orange County starting in 1951 and moved on to shopping center development in the burgeoning region of Southern California. He discovered Sun Valley almost 60 years ago and has completed high-end residential developments there, including Gimlet and Golden Eagle. His environmental and conservation efforts have become Rinker’s passion.
Helcia Marie Graf, 90: Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego, Helcia has become well known for her entrepreneurial spirit, unique style and love of animals. She moved to Ketchum in 1981, after working for two decades in the flower industry and owning an upscale boutique. She owned and operated the Hailey Hotel and A Matter of Taste Restaurant in Ketchum. She has traveled the world in retirement, boasting of being a jet setter, boater and plane crash survivor. Helcia bought the first house on Sunnyside Boulevard in Warm Springs and remodeled it to look like a cottage surrounded by the Alps. She is fondly remembered by the local elders as the Lady in Hats.
Paul Carson, 68: Born in 1952 in New Brunswick, Carson went on to become a highly accomplished alpine ski racer who was Canadian National Slalom Champion before turning pro at age 21. He spent eight winters on the World Ski Pro Tour, reaching the rank of third in the world. In 1981 Carson and his wife, Kathy, started their business, Carson International Inc., which for the past 40 years has created and produced world-class sporting events such as the nationally televised National Dog Show. National Thanksgiving Day each year.
Wanda Mae Glasmann, 95: During the Depression, Wanda’s mother, Nellie, married Floyd Markle of Bellevue and the family, including schoolgirl Wanda, moved to Stanley where they operated Markle’s Store until 1965 Wanda has married several times, the first time to a musician who sparked her lifelong love of jazz. Her second marriage to a man from Challis produced a son, Kevin Swigert, who went on to become one of the top Nordic racers on the US ski team and organizer of the Boulder Ski Tour. She then moved to Twin Falls and worked at The Times-News, where she met and then married Gordon Glasmann. In 1969, she returned to Ketchum for good, where she held many jobs including being a ski instructor and helping with every conceivable event.
Gretchen Palmer, 61: Originally from Seattle, Gretchen attended Pacific Lutheran University where she received a special honor bestowed on a person who brings light to a dark world. She was sure it was – caring, considerate, empathetic, non-complaining and a friend to all. She was also an avid athlete, winning PLU honors in soccer, volleyball, track and field and cheerleading and as the captain of the ski team. She moved to Sun Valley in 1982, where she held numerous jobs and began a successful modeling career. She also met her husband, Terry Palmer, an alpine runner with the United States Ski Team. Together, they shared a love of the outdoors, with their family and friends, and made the most of their lives.
december 2020
Myrle Pauline Robertson Bradshaw
January 2021
Scott D. “Scotty” Davis
Lawrence H. “Barge” Levy
Gregory “Greg” Walter Plowman
William John (Bill) Flanagan
Sigurd “Sig” Borgersen
Lemuel “Lem” Ellsworth Sentz III
February 2021
Robert G. “Bob” Stevens
Leticia “Tici” frees Parker
Ronald “Ron” Mendelsohn
Charles-Guillaume Elwanger
Kenneth “Kenny” Kimball
Robert “Archie” Bouttier
Virginie “Ginny” Alice Quillin
March 2021
Dr William C. “Bill” Cassell
Marguerite Dolores Kopay “Geets” Sowersby
Johnny “Richard” hood
Jim Sidney “Sid” Tomlinson
April 2021
John “Jack” Russell Holmes Jr.
Jacqueline “Jacky” Watson
May 2021
John “Jack” Cuthbert Williams
Lance “Kelly” Stevenson
Maryana S. (Peters) Jones
June 2021
Gerald “Jerry” Dale Sherman
Kenneth “Buss” Oscar Roberts
Terese Ann “Tere” Johnson
July 2021
Wallace “Wally” Goodwin
Ann Field “Annie” Goodwin
Walter “Walt” James Cochran
Kathleen Lenore Dietrich “Rabbit” Manus
Harold R. “Harry” Mortimer
Betty Jean Gilman Curtis Halpern
Robert Clayton “Bart” Barthélemy
August 2021
Wilburt “Bill” Robert Rathke
Mick John Martin Mickelson
Donna-Marie Catherine (Slodki) Hayes
Kingman “King” Bemis Lambert
Richard Wickham Harrington
September 2021
James “Jim” Edward Coyle
Judith “Judy” Ann Sproule
Rebecca “Booboo” Barnes
Shirley Faye Harrill Horton
Virginie “Gin” Van Doren
October 2021
Gilbert Léonard “Tommy” Farr
Carl “Arthur” Carlson
Robert “Bob” Anderson Bloomfield
Stephen “Mac” Michael McCarthy
Dr Mary Crutchfield Handelsman
Mary Louise Wallace shoemaker
Donald Styles “Mote” Carley
Frank “Babe” Ornelas Jr.
November 2021
Alejandro “Alex” Ponce
Imogene “Imo” Robinson
december 2021
Rebecca elizabeth sanders
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