Source: The Idaho Statesman

George Thomas "Tom" Dalgarn, of Eagle, Idaho passed from this life on Oct. 11, 2012 at the Life Care Center of Treasure Valley, Boise, Idaho while recovering from a stroke.

He was born on Aug. 13, 1917 in Elsie, Nebraska, the second son of Emmett Luke and Gabriella Theresa (Janesofsky) Dalgarn. Tom was 11 when his family moved from NE to their farm in Egbert, WY, where he lived until adulthood.

He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and the rodeo circuit before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Jan. 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Tom met his wife, Patti Jean Rayborn, while stationed in Seattle, WA. He took part in numerous military operations in the Pacific during WWII, returning stateside in Oct. 1945.

It was a rare occasion to have seen Tom without his Stetson hat and cowboy boots. He was a very outgoing man with an enthusiasm for life and a passion for storytelling. Those who encountered him were often treated to one of many stories about his adventures on horseback, while driving or piloting small aircraft, his family or his WWII experiences. This gift of gab served him well during his long, multifaceted career with Caterpillar dealerships in WY, Wa, AK and ID, where he settled in Boise about 1996.

After retiring in 1982, Tom established a fencing company in Eagle, Idaho. Around 1990, he began managing apartments in Payette and later also in Wieser. Tom and Pattie divorced, and in 2001, he married Evelyn Lorene Bateman in Payette, Idaho.

Tom moved to the Sisters Villa in Eagle, Idaho in 2009, where he was living at the time of his death.

Tom was preceded in death by his wives, Patti J. and Evelyn L.; his parents; five brothers and one sister.

He is survived by his three children, Thomas J. Dalgarn and Kelli Jo Dalgarn, both of Boise, Idaho, and William E. Dalgarn (Deborah), of Los Cruses, New Mexico; eight grandchildren, Delta, Summer, Sean, Alex, Anthony, Kate, Joseph and Samantha; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.