Warren Wallace

Warren Hamilton Wallace Obituary 5/18/20 Warren Hamilton Wallace was the only child born to Warren Hamilton Wallace Sr. and Jesse Alma (Dot or Dottie) Carpenter on August 2, 1925 in San Diego, CA. He attended public schools in San Diego. Dottie taught her son the art of fishing, which became his lifelong passion and a source of deep peace. His Uncles Bert and Nelson taught him all about birds, their habitats, life cycles and respect for their place in ecosystems. They had some great adventures finding nests in steep canyon walls and estuaries along San Diego Bay. They’d count the eggs and keep track of how many hatched and grew to maturity. Warren could tell what kind of a bird was flying in the air from quite a distance by noting the shape and color of the body, wings & beak. He knew what each species ate, which lead to his interest in entomology. He actually had good eye sight until the last week of his life at the age of 94 and often identified birds for visitors on our deck. He was always gentle and respectful of all living things for they all had a ‘place’ in our world. Uncles Bert and Nelson also taught him the art of butterfly collecting, which led to his connecting with clubs all around the world, exchanging butterflies. Some of Warren’s favorite experiences catching butterflies were summers of 1937-38 on a ranch near Sedona, Arizona. His parents had a multi-drawer bureau made for his butterfly collection, which he donated to his college of graduation, San Diego State College (now University). During high school he worked nights as an airplane riveter for Con Air. He graduated from High School in 1943 and joined the Army, because they promised him training as an engineer. The need for combat troops right away nixed a lengthy training, so he was trained as a radio operator in Patton’s 3rd Army and sent to England where his battalion’s 1st job was to build temporary huts for the bombed-out civilians in London. He proudly received a letter from the Queen of England for his efforts in helping her citizens in that crisis. He also had a job of demining roads that troops were to follow on. He often said, “I was the luckiest guy in the world to have a tour of Europe and not get hurt during the war.” On the troop ship taking his battalion from Europe to Japan the war ended and they were sent ‘Home’ instead!! “Another stroke of luck for me,” he declared. He was then promoted to Staff Sergeant training troops in Fort George G., Meade, Maryland, until he was honorably discharged on May 22, 1946. Another stroke of luck was the GI Bill that paid for his college. He attended Pomona College for a while and then completed his Masters in Elementary Ed Administration and was 3 credits short of a Ph.D. at San Diego State College. Soon after returning home from the Army, Warren dated a high school friend, Pauline (Polly) Gist. They married in Las Vegas and settled into student housing in 1946. They lived on a tight budget while he was in college and working nights at Con Air. They had two daughters, Leslie and Lorna, in the 1st four years of marriage. He taught school, and spent the summers in commercial fishing out of San Diego. One summer on a friend’s boat he caught a winning swordfish with a certificate and photo of proof! Polly died in 1965. The next year Warren married Fran Widener, who also had 2 daughters, with the hopes that it would lighten the burden of raising his girls alone. They amicably divorced in 1979. When he moved to Idaho in 1970 his wish “to have a pony and a place to keep it” made as a 10-year-old boy at the 1935 San Diego World’s Fair finally came true. He bought a 365-acre ranch near Fairfield and Hill City. His fly fishing and hunting days were at their best for the next 30 years. His fishing buddy, Harold Stroud, became his next boss when Harold coaxed him to take the Principal & 8th Grade Teacher position at Fairfield Elementary. He enjoyed that immensely! “The parents were right there encouraging their children to be good students and citizens…a mutual interest in the success of his students. Being an avid reader and history buff, he especially enjoyed teaching history and making it interesting, with colorful stories that brought the events and characters to life! Warren loved guiding his friends who came up to Idaho to hunt. When his next ‘wife to be’, Marion Garrettson (4th Grade Teacher in Fairfield) helped him clean a deer and carry it out with the legs tied to a long pole, cut from a tree, he decided she was a good help mate. They married in 1983. Interestingly, Marion’s father, Quil Garrettson, who was raised a few blocks from Warren in San Diego, also served in Patton’s 3rd Army in the European Theater. They also shared the love of nature and enjoying the outdoor life. In 1984 they moved to Twin Falls where Marion began Nurses Training at CSI. Warren taught 5th grade at Kimberly Elementary until 1987. He had a mild stroke and decided to retire while Marion pursued a nursing career and massage therapy. They enjoyed their association with Ducks Unlimited as well as Magic Valley Fly Fishermen and helped support their conservation efforts. Warren became a Reserve Officer with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for 20 years which he tremendously enjoyed. Warren and Marion enjoyed dancing to swing and western music, especially at Spanbauer Barn in Jerome. For twenty-five years they explored the huckleberry country around Cascade and McCall. It was annual trek each summer to find Huckleberry Heaven and bring home a gallon or more to share with friends and family. The 2 grandchildren in the closest proximity, spent a great deal of time with Grandpa and Mimi. Warren and Marion also enjoyed housing numerous foreign exchange students, to round out their international interests. Warren enjoyed spending time with his mother-in-law, Bert. He escorted her on many trail rides, to appointments, dance parties and a pub visit now and again. Later he was immensely helpful with her care in her last years. Warren was “The Wind Beneath My Wings” for Marion and all her endeavors. The Wallaces downsized from their country home, and moved to Rock Creek Condominiums in Twin Falls in 2016. Here, he thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful bird and critter watching from his back deck overlooking Rock Creek Canyon. Warren was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017. Warren continued his other favorite pastime of reading, until the last month of his life. When he would get so discouraged with being stuck in a mental and physical maze he could not escape, Marion would validate his feelings and remind him with words and actions that he was loved so very much! Hospice Visions was an integral part of his care and support for us during the last six months of his life. We are so grateful for their thoroughly compassionate professional care. Warren passed peacefully into the arms of heaven at home in his sleep at 8:05 PM on April 17, 2020. Warren was preceded in death by his parents, and his daughter Lorna Jean McNabb. He is survived by his wife Marion, his daughter Leslie, and her four sons, John, Robert, David and Jeffrey, and Lorna’s two children Edward and Selaina and her five children, Alexis, Ireland, Eli, Jazzlyn & Zion, and two great-great-grandchildren, and son-in-law Ray McNabb. Magic Valley Universal Unitarian Fellowship is hosting a memorial for Warren on the internet, through Zoom, Monday May 25th at 3:00 pm. Please join us and share your reflections about Warren, if desired. Contact Marion at (208) 420-0488 to schedule time for what you care to contribute at the memorial. Parke’s Funeral Home of Twin Falls have made arrangements for Warren’s ashes to be laid to rest at Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, Idaho at a date yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Wallace's memory to HOSPICE VISIONS. Please send donations c/o Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301