Warren Burdette Bauman, 93

Warren Burdette Bauman, 93, lifelong resident of Bonners Ferry, passed away on Wednesday, April 22 at his residence in the Sunset Home north of the 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 and a half loving years until her passing in May 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 five 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 20 years. The farm life must have agreed with the family as all three of his siblings lived to be 90 and well over 90. 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 give water to 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 dads 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 the family 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 10-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.

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.