Benjamin James Bomar was born July 22, 1940, to Lloyd Scott Bomar and Minnie Nellie Jannsen Bomar in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and taken home to beautiful Belmont, Idaho. A big brother, George, and a sister, Irene, were waiting for him at home. He was brother to Jerry seven years later and Janice 16 years later. They had a beautiful childhood, where Ben could go fishing as he brought the cows in to milk, and maybe as he got older, hunt for a deer. They had their chores but plenty of time for doing what they wanted.

Ben went to school in Athol and, as the school district changed, he finished high school in Spirit Lake, Idaho. Once out of high school, he joined the Army, doing his basic training in California and then shipped to Germany for a year. After he came home, he worked in the woods with his brother, George, for a year or two. In 1963, he was hired on at Kaiser Aluminum in Trentwood, Wash., and was a loyal employee for 37 years, very seldom missing a day of work.

About the time he started at Kaiser, he met his future wife, Linda Sproat. They were married in September 1965 and it wasn’t long before the first of his three sons were born, Allen Scott in 1966, William James in 1968 and Eric Shawn in 1971. Ben’s mother passed away in March 1978 and his father in October 1982.

I want to say he was a wonderful father and spent many hours coaching baseball for each boy, coaching them in boxing, and taking them hunting from the age of 12 — they almost always went each hunting season. He was fun to be around and was a very good provider for his family. He and Linda loved to dance to good ole country music. It was a great ride.

Ben was grandfather to Jessie Bomar (daughter of Allen and Nicole), Bennie Bomar (son of William and Carrie), Haiden Bomar (son of Eric and Cory) and Kurtis Bomar (son of William and Carrie). He was predeceased by his brother, George, and sister, Irene. His date of death was June 10, 2023.

Rest in peace, my darling husband. We will miss you forever.

A memorial service with military honors will be held for Ben at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, at Yates Funeral Home — Hayden Chapel, 373 E. Hayden Ave., Hayden, Idaho, with a reception following. Please visit Ben’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.