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Ronald Jerome Warth of Boise, Idaho passed away Friday, January 8, 2021 at the age of 81. He was surrounded by his wife and family.
Ron was born December 1, 1939 in Pocatello, Idaho, to Robert and Rosetta Warth. He had three brothers and two sisters. From a young age, Ron had a strong desire to serve others. At the age of 17 and still in high school, he enlisted in the Idaho Army National Guard before serving a mission in 1961 in Bristol, England for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Upon returning home, he continued serving in the Idaho Army National Guard. In 1964, he met Carolyn Powell in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho where he was a drummer in a band. On December 12, 1964 Ron and Carolyn married in Pocatello, Idaho, and it’s also where they welcomed their first two sons. Eventually they settled in Boise and added three more boys and four girls to the family.
Over the years, Ron continued to serve in the Idaho National Guard and in the Air Guard, while also working for Hughes Airwest Airlines. In addition to his Savior and family, Ron’s passion was aviation. He loved anything and everything to do with airplanes and shared that love with his children; even the girls loved going to the air shows with him. Ron taught his family what love of country truly means and they’ve each developed a deep devotion to this great nation and to our armed forces. Eventually, Ron began working full-time for the Idaho Army National Guard as a Transportation Secretary, where he assisted with supply logistics in the Gulf War and Desert Storm. In 1999, after 33 years of dedicated service to our country, Master Sargent Warth hung up his National Guard hat. But, even in retirement Ron could not sit still. Over the years he worked various jobs including with FedEx and the National Interagency Fire Center. In all his days, Ron never hesitated to serve someone in need. He was well known to drop whatever he was in doing in order to serve someone in need.
Family was at the core of Ron’s heart and life. For Ron, holidays were meant for being with family and he thrived at family reunions. He loved taking trips, especially camping and backpacking. All his children can recall their favorite trips: hiking into the Trinities, the Sawtooths, camping at Bear Lake and St. Charles Canyon, and even a few trips to the Oregon and Washington coasts. Ron and Carolyn were known for occasionally finding a spot on the banks of the Payette river for an impromptu barbecue. As much as he loved the outdoors, he also had an affection for indoor basketball. For decades, Ron met with men from church at 5 AM several times a week to run up and down the hardwood until he was 74 years young! Several of his children and grandchildren inherited Ron’s love of basketball and, in support of his family, Ron became a devout follower of the Borah Lions and Mountain View Mavericks. He absolutely loved attending these games.
In 2009, Ron and Carolyn were called to serve in the Utah St. George Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They enjoyed serving with many other couples who became lifelong friends. Church history in the St. George area came alive, as Ron guided tours throughout the area. After their mission, Ron and Carolyn moved back to Boise and thoroughly enjoyed their children and grandchildren. They also continued to cultivate their musical talents and joined the Hymns of Thanksgiving every November.
Ron loved serving his Savior and neighbor through volunteer church assignments. One of his favorite callings was working at the men’s prison and teaching how to perform genealogy work. He loved to interact with those who had nothing but time on their hands and were eager to do family history. Ron was a tremendous example of Christlike love.
Ron is survived by his wife Carolyn Powell Warth and children: Brad Warth, Greg (Tammi) Warth, M. Scott (Janene) Warth, Jeff (Erica) Warth, Janet (RB) Erickson, Lynne (Steve) Ebert, Caryn (Chad) Rich, Michael (Aurelia) Warth, and Laura (Nick) Hendriksen. He is also survived by all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Josh (Marisol, Alan & Sebastian) Chadwell, Jake (Kendra, Jaxon & Briar) Warth, Joel Warth, Jayce Warth, Chris (Allie) Warth, Rachele (Mitch, Lila) Van Nest, Dalin (Ashlyn) Warth, Chandler (Ciera) Warth, Mason Warth, Cody (Melanie, Grayson) Warth, AJ Warth, Carson Warth, Alex Warth, Spencer Erickson, Drew Erickson, Brooklynne Erickson, Landon Erickson, Kaidree Ebert, Carter Ebert, Owen Ebert, Ryan Ebert, Maddox Ebert, Corbin Rich, Aubrey (Brenden) Charles, Ayden Rich, Kasia Warth, Hannah Warth, Dylan Warth, Hailee Smith, Zoeigh Smith, Kamden Hendriksen, Kaelynne Hendriksen.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Rosetta Warth, older brother Richard Warth, older sister Joan Yvonne Christensen and younger brother Robert Warth. Ron’s love of family continues, as he joins a family reunion with those who precede him in death. He will be missed by all those who knew and loved him and his family finds great comfort knowing that they will see him again.
The family wishes to extend their sincere gratitude to Heart ‘n Home hospice as well as Riverview Rehab, we could not have made it through this without their help and support.
In lieu of flowers, donations to "Boys State" made in Ron Warth's name can be directed to:
American Legion
Jon Reagan Post 2
P.O. Box 190267
Boise, ID 83719