Sep. 14, 1935 - May 3, 2017
Date of Service: May 13, 2017
MURTAUGH – Edwin LeVere Arnold, 81, of Murtaugh, died Wednesday, May 3, 2017.
LeVere was born Sept. 14, 1935, in Caldwell, Idaho, to Francis Edwin Arnold and Margaret Leona Fillmore. His parents later divorced and he, his mother and sister, moved in with his grandparents.
On May 31, 1941, his mother married Lester B. Crawford in Cascade, Idaho. After his mother remarried the family moved to Atlanta, Idaho, where they lived in a tent. Because there was no school in Atlanta, LeVere went back to live with his grandparents. Though he lived with his grandparents, he stayed frequently with Donald and Esther Fillmore, his aunt and uncle. In 1950, when LeVere was 14 years old, his grandparents passed away only two weeks apart. Following their deaths, LeVere went to work earning his room and board by milking cows.
He graduated from Kuna High School, and married Maytie Celia Lowe on Nov. 27, 1952, and they had five children. He worked for Celia’s parents on the farm for a few years. In 1958, LeVere took a job as a plant operator at the Idaho Power Plant in Bliss. While living in Bliss, LeVere, with the help of his stepfather, built a boat. They camped, skied, fished and had a lot of fun on the boat. They lived on the Snake River by the plant until December of 1961, when they purchased a home in Boise. He continued working for Idaho Power, wiring substations. This job required him to be out of town a lot. He did not like being gone from the family, so, in 1963, LeVere and Celia decided to go back to school. They attended Boise Junior College where LeVere managed the Student Union and obtained his stockbroker’s license. During his time managing the Student Union, he learned the art of playing pool through his association with the students - a hobby he enjoyed for many years to come.
He went to work for Daly and Company in Boise as a stockbroker. In 1969, LeVere and Gene Hatch bought a farm between Meridian and Kuna. The family moved to the farm and LeVere and Gene farmed on weekends. The next year he sold his interest in that farm and purchased a farm from his in-laws.
While residing in Kuna, LeVere served as a trustee on the Kuna School Board and for several years was its chairman.
LeVere loved farming and eventually started raising registered pigs. In 1974, they had a fire in the farrowing barn and lost thirty sows and most of their piglets. He recovered and rebuilt to about 120 sows. As the pig prices slumped, he sold the pigs and went to milking cows. The cows were profitable, but not enough to overcome two successive years of drought. The lack of water made it impossible to profit on the farming side of the operation, so they left the farm in 1991 and moved to Hermiston, Oregon.
After moving to Oregon, he decided to go by his first given name, Edwin, and worked at several jobs while Celia substituted in the schools. They started a lawn-care business and raised Boston Terriers and Cavalier dogs for extra work. He made many friends while in Oregon and enjoyed playing cards and shooting pool.
Celia was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Ed cared for her as the disease slowly claimed her. In 2014, he became very ill and was in the hospital for a month. Upon his release, he moved to Murtaugh to be near his daughter and where he has since resided.
He is survived by his children, Susan Elizabeth Egbert of Murtaugh, Idaho, Kelly (Janie) Arnold of Kuna, Idaho, Tracy (Richard) White of Page, Idaho, Sherry (Ray) Cropp of Kingston, Idaho, and Kevin (Carolyn) Arnold of Spokane, Wash.; a sister, Darlene (Franklin) Bramon of Eagle, Idaho; brother, Douglas (Carolyn) Crawford of Haines, Ore.; 27 grandchildren; 76 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Celia; and parents, Margaret and Lester Crawford.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 13, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 23709 Hwy. 30, in Murtaugh, where a visitation will be held from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. in the Marion Cemetery in Oakley.
Arrangements are under the care of Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.
