G. DeVern Fuller

   George DeVern Fuller was born on February 28, 1931 to Ernest and Mildred Fuller in Twin Falls, Idaho. He passed away on February 11, 2019 surrounded by family in Twin Falls. DeVern’s tenacity for life and stubborn will is notorious amongst those who knew him well.  

   DeVern was raised on the Salmon Tract, south of Twin Falls, and was a graduate of Twin Falls High School. He grew up around the cattle business.  His father, who ran cattle on the northern Nevada border along the banks of the Salmon River, was one of the first Salmon Tract farmers to invest in the Salmon River Cattlemen’s Association (SRCA). At just 15 years old, DeVern’s love of cattle truly began when he had a Hereford cow/calf project for FFA.  He followed in his father’s footsteps and began his own farming and ranching business in 1948.  On a first date with his future wife, Barbara Andrews, he took her to the ranch he loved so much.  They were married on October 1, 1950.  This was the beginning of their partnership in marriage, in the cow/calf operation and in the farming business for more than 64 years.  He and Barbara had three children, Debra, Audrey and Curtis, who were instilled with a steadfast work ethic and a determination that defined DeVern.

           
   While maintaining a successful farm, DeVern’s herd of cattle continued to grow to 100 head.  In 1982, he expanded his herd of polled Hereford cows and crossed them with Angus bulls.  He built and designed a set of corrals so he could work 100 head of cattle for vaccination and branding in less than two hours with just a crew of five people.  DeVern made sure that his whole family was involved at the ranch and made many memories in doing so, from herding cattle with the horses, even a show horse, to chasing coyotes to gathering for dinner that his wife had made for the cowboys.

          
     He was very active with SRCA and served on the board of directors in all capacities for 13 years.  For over 15 years, he worked as the corral boss every fall assisting the Brand Inspector and was in charge of shipping out the cattle.  He also served on the bull committee several times to select the herd bulls. 

           
    DeVern was a Master Mason and made sure to attend all the Job’s Daughters meetings while his two daughters and niece were involved.  He also volunteered for 20 years as a Twin Falls County Reserve Deputy and as a security officer at the Twin Falls County Fair.  He referred to his duties at the fair each year as his “fall vacation”.  He rode alongside his son in the Twin Falls Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.  In addition to an already busy schedule, he served on the Board of Advisors for the Farm Home Administration (FHA) for a short time.

          
     In 2004, due to a heart condition and surgery, DeVern was forced into retirement from farming and ranching.  Selling the herd was the most difficult part of having to retire. After retiring, he and his wife did have a couple of heifers in the pasture next to their house, which they would buy in the spring and sell in the fall. This very small operation seemed to satisfy DeVern’s undying need to be around cattle. In 2015, he was honored to be an inductee into the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame.

   DeVern certainly didn’t slow down in retirement. He enjoyed his success by having coffee with his friends, playing cards, welding, drawing, attending CSI ball games, tinkering in the shop and around the homestead, as well as sharing stories. DeVern has welded and painted numerous chairs, tables, benches, and flowers, just to name a few items, made from used horseshoes. Every member of his family has one of these functional art pieces to display. He proudly entered a few items into the Twin Falls County Fair, winning a ribbon each time. If he wasn’t in the shop crafting something, he would be riding around in his pickup or on the four-wheeler kicking up dust looking for work to do.

   Being an ever-present family man, DeVern attended events, whether they be horse shows, ball games, graduation ceremonies or concerts and performances, for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, always equipped with a Camcorder or camera every time. There is no shortage of home video or pictures documenting the family’s whereabouts. On Christmas Eve get-togethers, he would gather his family around to share his stories - he was quite the storyteller! One story that has grown into a legendary tall tale was about an old cowboy and his trials in milking a cow with a nosy cat by his side. No matter how the story changed year after year, it would always end with “...and then the cat laid down and had kittens.” DeVern and Barbara had the opportunity to travel quite a bit together, seeing beautiful parts of both the United States and Canada. 

   DeVern is survived by his wife of 68 years, Barbara, his children, Debra (late David J.) Brown, Audrey (Bill) Bitzenburg and Curtis Fuller (Rick Ruby), 7 grandchildren, Sarah (Dave) Miles, Hilary (Dave) Bartholomew, Ashlee (Justin) Junge, Hannah (Tyson) Clark, Cole (Kris) Bitzenburg, Jordan (Gwen) Fuller and Caitlyn (Grant) Borchelt, 8 great-grandchildren, brother, Maurice Fuller, and many other family members and friends.

   A service and reception to celebrate DeVern’s life will be held Saturday, February 16 at 11:00 am at Parke’s Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Rd., Twin Falls, ID 83301. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in DeVern’s memory to the Magic Valley Humane Society, 420 Victory Ave., Twin Falls, ID 83301, twinfallsanimalshelter.com or to Rising Stars Therapeutic Riding Center, PO Box 482, Twin Falls, ID 83303, risingstarsriding.weebly.com.