Boyd Emery

BOYD J. EMERY IDAHO FALLS, ID -- Boyd J. Emery, 81, of Idaho Falls, died August 23, 2004, at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He was born July 25, 1923 at Twin Falls, Idaho to James Hilton Emery and Elsie Pendergrass Emery. Boyd grew up on a cattle ranch at Oakley, Idaho. He never owned a bicycle, but grew up with his own horse and saddle carbine from the time he could climb a fence to get on his horse. He graduated from Oakley High School with the class of 1941-42. On August 10, 1940, he married Velma Leona Rhoades in Idaho Falls. Their marriage was later solemnized on August 10, 1960 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. At the age of seventeen, before going to California, Boyd ran two cattle ranches with the help of his new wife. He spent approximately a year as an Electric Gantry Crane Operator for Hammond Lumber Co. at Samoa, California. It was there, doing his own electrical maintenance work which started him in the electrical field. He passed examinations an as Army pilot and was ready to leave for duty when an electric controller blew up in his face and scorched his right eye. He discovered, after drinking barrels of carrot juice, that his eye would not recover sufficiently for flight duty. He became an electrical journeyman in six months, attending electronics classes at the University at night and then became electrical foreman for Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, installing the electrical generators and equipment aboard floating dry docks. These were being built to be towed to Pearl Harbor to raise the salvageable ships which were sunk by the Japanese. Boyd received a new six-month draft deferment due to being frozen on his job at that time, but decided to return to Idaho Falls and sign up with the next draft into the service. He entered the service through Fort Douglas in Salt Lake in 1943. Boyd was trained as a wire and cable communications technician in the field artillery at Camp Roberts, California, and then was trained in the infantry tactics at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. He arrived overseas in time to participate in the Anzio Beach-head assault in Italy under General Mark Clark's 5th Army. He saw action in the Monte Cassino campaign, the Florence and Pol Valley campaign and on up, spearheading through Italy. He was an M-4 Sherman Tank commander in combat. Just after completing the take-over of the German garrison at Novara in Northern Italy, Boyd was called back to King Victor E. Manuel's palace in Casserta, Italy to install an American switchboard. He then trained 500 licensed British A.T.S. girls in American teletype procedure and operations. These girls were sent all across Europe to the military teletype switchboards for the European Theater of Operations (E.T.O.). Boyd was then sent to Rome to operate the main teletype switchboard for all E.T.O., direct from Washington, D.C. over the Trans-Atlantic cable. He maintained this position in Rome for his last eight months of overseas duty with sufficient combat points to come home, but waiting for available transportation orders. During this period of time, he studied Roman history and visited numerous biblical places. He spent detached service time in Cir, Casablanca, Florence, Naples, Paris and Switzerland. Eventually, orders came through. After a stormy voyage home, in which a sister ship split her seams, he was honorably discharged at Fort Douglas on January 30, 1946, and returned to Idaho Falls where he took up residency. For a short period of time he worked for Elden Jacobsen as a Journeyman Electrician and completed the wiring of the Stage Coach Inn at West Yellowstone and the R.T. French potato flour mill in Shelley, Idaho. He also ran the Electric shop for C.C. Anderson and was foreman for H & L Electric in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Boyd then started his own electrical contracting business, "Snake River Electric, Inc.". He employed as many as 22 journeyman and apprentices at one time. He remained active in the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, at one point serving as the local commander. With the exception of approximately one and a half years when he worked as Criminal Deputy Sheriff for Bonneville County under Sheriff Dean Wilkey, he continued to operate his electrical contracting business until he went to work for the City of Idaho Falls as Chief Electrical Inspector in 1963, and continued in this capacity until his retirement on July 29, 1988, after 25 years of faithful service, which saw many new accomplishments, improvements and additions under his jurisdiction. During five of those past 25 years, he worked after hours as "Area Representative" for Burns International Detective Agency, directing activities and investigations throughout Southern Idaho. Boyd is a certified instructor and taught electronics and the National Electrical Code at the Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls during the winter night school term for many years. He has served as an Executive Board member for the Idaho State Chapter of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors for the past 25 years, and served twice as state chairman. He also served as an executive board member for the Northwestern States and Alaskan section of that association, attending meetings and conducting seminars on new code changes, new materials, and new approved methods of electrical wiring. He represented the Northwestern States and Alaska as a delegate to Atlanta, Georgia in getting acceptance for the 1972 National Electric Code. He has served on many various national electrical code panels and as permanent secretary of the Idaho Falls Electrical Board. As Chief Inspector, Boyd was instrumental in writing, rewriting and updating our city electrical code, not only when he first came to work for the city, but again before his retirement. Boyd's only statement upon retirement was that he hoped that somewhere along the line he might have left a footprint for the betterment of the Electrical Industry throughout the past years. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has served in the North Idaho Falls Stake Presidency under three Stake Presidents, as a member of the 3rd Ward Bishopric and four times as a High Priests Group Leader. Boyd and Velma enjoyed traveling in their retirement years. Boyd’s hobbies included hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. He loved photography, gardening and his family. Boyd is survived by his five children, Dennis R. (Shelley) Emery, James B. (Janaye) Emery, Robert W. (Cathy) Emery, John H. (Nola) Emery, and Annette (Randall) Bargelt; 11 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren (soon to be 12); a brother, Wayne Emery; a sister, Pat Bishop; and his faithful companion, Martini, his Chihuahua. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Velma, on May 17, 2003 and two brothers, Max and Aubrey Emery. Funeral Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, August 30, 2004, at Wood Funeral Home (273 N. Ridge), with Bishop Nathan Smith, of the Idaho Falls LDS 3rd Ward, officiating. The family will visit with friends on Sunday from 7-8:30 p.m. and for one hour prior to the services, both at Wood Funeral Home. Burial will be in Ucon Cemetery under the direction of Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Ave., Idaho Falls. Military rites will be performed by the Bonneville County Veterans Team.