Dick John Andreasen

Richard “Dick” John Andreasen was born on October 6, 1928 on Hawk’s Nest Farm near Acequia, Idaho. He was the nineth of eleven children born to Andrew Andreasen and Myrtle Gibbs. In his early years, Dick’s family moved numerous times due to financial hardship common of the 1920s. His family would eventually settle in Shoshone, Idaho, where Dick grew up and attended school. Although he considered himself fairly shy, Dick was a popular kid, very active in sports, drama, and social activities at the community’s Grange Hall. He also had a wonderful singing voice. Life was not all fun and games, however, Dick spent much of his early life working hard on the family’s farm. “When I was hardly big enough to do the job, my dad said I could make the straightest corrugates of anyone in the Valley,” this praise from his father stood out as one of Dick’s strongest life memories, even to the end of his life.

Dick graduated from Shoshone High School in 1947 and was then called into the military. After a battery of tests, Dick was selected to train for the Army Security Agency. However, before he was able to finish basic training, Dick was called away because his father was diagnosed with cancer. When his father passed away a short time later, Dick was released from military service so that he could return home to help his widowed mother.

Dick spent the next few years bouncing around from jobs with the highway department, taking college courses, and playing college sports in California and at Boise State College. Dick eventually returned to Shoshone to work. It was there that he met the love of his life, Harriett LaPorte, who was working as a waitress. The two married on October 30, 1950 in Elko, Nevada. Harriett brought a young son, Russell, from a previous marriage to their new family. Shortly into their marriage, Dick was again called into military service. Dick was sent to Fairbanks, Alaska where he spent the majority of his enlistment playing baseball and football for the Army team. During his military service, Harriett gave birth to a son, Tim, who passed away at just a few days old, and later, the family added a daughter named Carol.

After completing his military service, Dick returned to school to finish his education at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah on an athletic scholarship for football, basketball, and baseball. By his final year of school, Dick had been hired as an athletic trainer and assistant coach for the basketball and football teams. While at Westminster, Harriett had another baby girl named Helen. Dick graduated from Westminster in the Spring of 1957. What followed was a lifetime of impactful and successful coaching and teaching in Idaho, California, and Nevada. Dick was the coach of many championship teams, and he coached and mentored many successful students and athletes. “Coach” is still remembered fondly by many of his former athletes and students to this day.

Following his coaching and teaching career, Dick transitioned to working in golf course management. He managed the Barstow Golf Course in California, later became part-owner and manager of the Lava Hot Springs Golf Course in Idaho, and then returned to the Barstow Course for a short stint before retiring. Harriett died unexpectedly from a stroke in 1997, leaving Dick a widower for over 27 years.

Dick returned to Shoshone where he kept busy in his later years. He was elected and served as the Mayor for a term, for years he oversaw the placement of flags on veterans’ graves each Memorial Day, he ran errands for ailing family and life-long friends, he attended sporting and school events of his grandchildren, and he quietly served and worked wherever he saw a need. He was well-known for taking long walks in the community, and he spent his downtime watching sports on tv and reading Westerns.

Dick passed away on July 23, 2024, at the age of 95. Dick was proceeded in death by many of his friends and loved ones, including: his father, Andrew; mother, Myrtle; infant son, Tim; daughter, Helen; wife, Harriett; and all ten of his siblings: Lane, Randi, Buck, Donna, Helen, Bill, Joe, Tally, Carol, and Doug.

To those who knew and loved Dick, it was no surprise that he was the “last to go,” as he was always serving and taking care of his family and friends, even into his advanced age. He lived to help see his loved ones “safely home”. We know he is being welcomed home now too, as he leaves behind an incredible legacy of mentorship, friendship, hard work, and quiet, selfless service.

A memorial graveside will be held on Friday, August 2, 2024 at 11:00 am at the Shoshone Cemetery in Shoshone.

Cremation arrangements are under the care and direction of Demaray Funeral Service - Gooding Chapel.

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