Merle Delray Brown, 81

Merle Delray Brown, 81, succumbed peacefully to cancer in his Genesee, Idaho, home on Dec. 28, 2013, while surrounded by his wife, Georgia and their children, Bill, Merlene, Charlene and Star along with his faithful dog, Knot.

A memorial service will be set by the family at a later date.

Merle was born in Lakeside, Ariz., on May 26, 1932, to Meda Opal Thornton and George Clark Brown. As the oldest of seven children, he dropped out of school at 13 to support his mother and siblings by working on a cattle ranch in Arizona where he formed a life-long bond with the Perkins family.

Later Merle joined the United States Marine Corps and served proudly as a sergeant during the Korean War, 1951-1954.

On Dec. 7, 1956, he married the love of his life, Georgia Thaxter, in Eugene, Ore., and together they lovingly raised their four children.

Merle always had the dream of owning his own ranch and he did everything to make it happen, including training race horses in Los Alamitos, Calif., logging in Oregon and training saddle horses for other ranchers, to selling insurance and working as a guard at Washington State Penitentiary.

In 1968 Merle and Georgia moved the family to Bonners Ferry, Idaho and realized the dream of building a beautiful ranch together. In 2005 they “downsized” to a smaller place outside Genesee.

Merle was the ultimate cowboy and a horse whisperer long before the term became commonplace.

He spent his life raising and training horses for any discipline be it trail, western pleasure or a family horse.

His proudest achievements, however, were in the selective breeding and training of American quarter horses for reining and cutting disciplines.

Rarely did someone buy a horse from Merle that they did not return again for more.

Although he seldom made mention of it, people would come from around the world to see his horses work, “fix” theirs and learn horsemanship nuances from him.

Merle had a great love of the outdoors, animals in general and helping people learn of horses and riding.

He was always reaching out to others as a volunteer for 4-H, FFA and horsemanship clinics. In 1969 he bought several teams of draft horses and formed a horse logging company that became famous worldwide thanks to an Associated Press wire article.

He used those same horses to give wagon rides to visitors to Expo ‘74 in Spokane, Wash. He was never willing to stand still or quit learning. His example and legacy will live on through his family and those whom he met and called friend. He will be sorely missed.

Merle was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Ina, Laura, Francis and Verneda.

He is survived by his wife,Georgia; son Bill; daughters Merlene Greenway (Kevin), Star Brown and Charlene Wells (Paul); sister Bonnie and brother Kenneth.

He also leaves behind his grandchildren: Jessica, Melinda (Chris), Heath, Samantha and Spencer; along with great-grandchildren Evan, Nick, Weston, Heidi and J.D., as well as his “extended family” that include Kenny Allenby, Meryl Berry, Cody and Diana Graning, plus many others he held close to his heart.

In lieu of flowers please donate in Merle’s name to your local animal rescue, Humane Society or Hospice care organization.