 |
Clayton Hurless December 27, 1931 - August 15, 2015
|
Clayton Daryle Hurless was born December 27, 1931 in Lynch, Nebraska. He was the third son of four boys of Harry Dow and Ethel Mabel. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and three brothers, Harry, Paul and Marvin.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Deanie Fisher Hurless; and his four sons and their wives: Dana and Lisa Hurless, Greg and Peggy Hurless, Curt and Kris Hurless and Mike Hurless; his 12 grandchildren and their spouses: Jason and Kristi Hurless, Amanda and Dave Bashista, Renae and Cody Sluder, Jesse and Cathy Hurless, Travis Hurless, Misti and Brandon Corrigan, KC and Chelsey Hurless, CW and Kenzi Hurless, David and Jourdon Hurless, Kortnee and Mitch Fleming, Mathew and Karlie Hurless, Whitney Hurless and 21 great-grandchildren; Cooper and Calder Hurless, Alex, Luke, and Brad Bashista, Jett and Tripp Sluder, Caleb, Sofi, Sammi, Nevaeh Hurless, Greg, Shilo and Lilly Hurless, Bristin, Kayl, Dailen, Lincoln Corrigan, Harper and Holden Hurless, Tyla and soon to be born Treyton Hurless and Korbin Fleming.
In 1935 during the Great Depression, Clayton’s family left their egg carton factory business in Nebraska and moved to Filer where they worked on a beet farm.
While Clayton was in high school, his family was hired by a lumber company and moved to Jerome. Shortly after, his father Dow started Magic Valley Wood Products where they pioneered one of first modular home businesses. Clayton hauled lumber for the company where his many trips included Fisher Sawmill located on Slate Creek off the Salmon River.
Clayton caught the eye of David Fisher’s daughter, a dark-haired blue-eyed beauty. Over the next few years, Clayton made many trips to Slate Creek as the lumber wasn’t like any other lumber in the world. Clayton’s brothers, Harry and Paul, teased Clayton that with only three inches of snow he would be “snowed in” but even with three feet of snow, you couldn’t keep him out.
Deanie, on the other hand, could hear Clayton’s truck start to come up the canyon from miles away. Knowing how to steal a man’s heart, she would kill a chicken, clean, pluck and cook it up and be ready at the door with his dinner by the time Clayton was done loading his truck.
She stole his heart, but the fried chicken sealed the deal. Deanie and Clayton were married June 21, 1953.
Deanie and Clayton started their life in Jerome where they had the first two of their sons, Dana Craig Hurless and Gregory Scott Hurless.
Clayton decided that buying and selling lumber off the Salmon River was a business worth going into so he purchased Fisher Sawmill and moved it to Torrey’s. Shortly after, the Sawmill burnt down. Clayton was undaunted and purchased some land from Eugene and Cornelius Bradshaw and moved his operation downriver. Central Idaho Lumber Company was now officially up and running.
During this time, Curtis Dow Hurless was born and five years later, Michael Clayton Hurless was born. In 1965, Deanie and Clayton moved just upriver of the sawmill.
Clayton sold the sawmill in 1972. He dabbled in real estate, but bought more than he sold. In his many real estate transactions he purchased 20 acres on Hot Springs Road in Challis where they built their longtime home.
During this time, Clayton was offered the management position at the Salmon River Electric Co-op where he worked for 18 years.
In 1991, Clayton accepted a position at Copper Valley Electric and he and Deanie moved to Valdez and Glen Allen, Alaska for five years. Many of us who were able to visit Deanie and Clayton in Alaska have special memories of Clayton whether it was fishing, biking, or sightseeing.
After Clayton retired, Deanie and he became Snow Birds and lived between Challis and Arizona. After five years of traveling, Clayton decided retirement didn’t suit him. He always dreamed of building a store on the property where his sawmill once was, so with the help of his sons he built his dream. Clayton opened the Old Sawmill Station in 2003. Clayton spent his remaining years enjoying his business and family.
Clayton and Deanie’s home was always the center of many events, holidays, pinochle games and Super bowl Sundays. Grandkids could always be found somewhere on the property, whether playing in the ditch, playing hide and seek or climbing trees.
Clayton’s favorite pass time was riding his horses into the high mountain lakes, a trait he passed on to his children and his children’s children. Clayton worked hard, but loved life and loved his Deanie and family. We are going to miss him.
No comments:
Post a Comment