Harry "Louis" Thiel

Harry Louis Thiel, 88, of Idaho Falls, passed away July 4, 2025, at his home. He was under the care of Heritage Hospice.

Harry Louis Thiel was born on May 26, 1937, to Harry and Venna Webb Thiel at the LDS Hospital in Idaho Falls. He grew up on, worked, and eventually purchased the 80 acre family farm in New Sweden. From early childhood, and perhaps because he was the only other male in the household, Louis worked hard alongside and eventually partnered with his father, Harry. They loved working side by side and were true partners. Louis was also extremely close to his mother and when he fell asleep in the potato row waiting for water to come down the ditch she came and found him. He attended school at Holy Rosary Elementary School, O.E. Bell Jr. High, and graduated from Idaho Falls High School in the class of 1955. In the fall of 1955, he headed off to Idaho State University where he would spend two years before transferring to Utah State University where he received his degree in Agronomy in 1959, becoming the first member of his family to obtain a college degree.

The winter of 1959-1960 was spent working as a bellhop (and ski bum) at a hotel in Aspen, Colorado, until a draft notice showed up in the mail. That spring, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and his unit was called up to active duty for the Berlin Crisis in early 1961. Upon the deactivation of his unit, Louis was sent home to finish out his obligation. He was certified as a sharpshooter and in 1963 was named the Outstanding Cadet at N.C.O. training school, achieving the rank of Staff Sargent. Along the way, Louis met the love of his life, a blond beauty named Joyce Marie Hochwart, at The Dungeon Bar in 1964 while home from National Guard Summer Camp. On February 5, 1966, they were married in Holy Rosary Catholic Church and stayed that way for 59 1/2 years.

With the end of his service, it was back to New Sweden, and back to the business of raising the finest fresh market Russet Burbank potatoes in the world, as well as their two sons, Marc and Ryan. In the winters, he supplemented their income by working at Hudson Shoes, Falls Potato, and selling fine men's clothing downtown at Brown & Gesas.

He was an exceptional steward of the land and was passionate about it and the water that makes it so productive.  He was a board member of the West Side Soil and Water Conservation District and created the "Adopt a Canal" service program.  In 1982, he was elected to the Board of Directors for the New Sweden Irrigation District and would serve for 43 years until stepping down shortly before his death. As a member of the board, he was instrumental in the modernization and professionalization of the district, its waterways, and its policies. He served on the Idaho Water Users Association for 17 years, and as a member of the Legislative Committee, he helped craft multiple pieces of successful legislation that protected Idaho water and irrigation infrastructure from urban encroachment. He was an active participant in all things water and was a walking library of Idaho Water Law, water rights, and statutes. He regularly appeared on local television news on all 3 stations, as well as in a segment about water on PBS's series Outdoor Idaho.

On May 28, 1998, as a lifetime sufferer of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Louis received the gift of life in the form of a new kidney that would extend his life another 27 years.

Lou was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing, camping at Hawley Creek, and riding horses in the mountains with Joyce. He enjoyed traveling with her to Mexico, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and Alaska. He was a devout Catholic who served as an altar boy, lector and on the Holy Rosary Parish Council, and no matter how late the Saturday night, he was always at early mass on Sunday.

Louis was elected to the Idaho Water Users Hall of Fame in 2005, and received their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He was named A Friend of 4-H in Bonneville County for his tireless work on the Bonneville County 4-H Fair Livestock Buyers Committee, was enshrined in the Eastern Idaho Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2010, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bonneville County Cattle Association in 2013.

Lou was an exceptional son, father, grandfather, uncle, god father, employer, mentor, husband, and an impeccable dresser.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce; sons, Marc (Shannon) Thiel, Ryan (Colett) Thiel, bonus son, Frank (Jolene) Eckersell; granddaughter, Bayley Thiel; step grandchildren, Garrison Graf, Kelsey Alonzo, Joshua Beach, Scarlett Beach, Sunny Beach; and sister, Patricia (Gene) Bally of Flemington, NJ.

He was preceded in death by his parents; infant sister, Betty in 1928; sisters, Sharann Bean in 2016, and Joretta Burke in 2017; and his grandson, Garrett Louis in 2010. In lieu of flowers the family would request donations be made in Louis's name to the Polycystic Kidney Foundation at pkdcure.org  or to the Holy Rosary School Endowment Fund.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 11, 2025, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 905 S. Lee, in Idaho Falls. A rosary will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday evening at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Avenue, with a visitation to follow until 8 p.m.  Burial will be in the New Sweden Cemetery.

The family would like to thank Dr. Wallace Baker, Shawn, Liz, Tammy, Sarah, Emily S. and Emily J. at Heritage Hospice.