Fred Whitmore

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Fred Whitmore passed away Nov. 28, 2020. He was 76.

Fred started his life in the Pryor Mountains on the Whitmore Ranch. At the age of 3, he moved with his family to Bend, Oregon. He loved hunting and fishing with his lifelong friend, Don Stumpff. Fred was a skilled downhill skier. Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, provided the site for honing his skiing skills.

Fred graduated from Bend High School in 1963. He played football and was a member of FFA. He truly enjoyed the experience. He and Don raised pigs for their FFA projects. After graduation he spent a summer in Alaska fighting fires.

Fred and his brother, Tim, joined the Marine Corps in May 1965. They went to bootcamp at Marine Recruit Deposit in San Diego, California. Fred and Tim were assigned to Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment in Chu Lai, Vietnam in November 1965. They were then redeployed to Da Nang, Hue Phu Bai and Dong Ha.

On July 21, 1966, Fred was wounded in combat operation Oregon Hasting, south of the DMZ. He was medivaced to Bremerton Naval Hospital, Bremerton, Washington. After recovery, Fred was assigned to the USMC Guard Company at Bremerton Naval Shipyard. He received an honorable discharge as sergeant in May 1969. He also received the Purple Heart.

Moving to Wyoming, he continued his love of the mountains, fishing and hunting. He was meant to be a mountain man. He and Jim Bridger would have been the best of friends. Later golf and living in the country on his farm on the Willwood became his passions.

In 1972, he met his future bride at Pahaska Tepee Resort. Fred and Lynne Peterson were married in 1973. They resided in Powell where Fred went to work for his cousin Mike as a painter.

In 1976, Fred went to work for the U.S. Post Office in Powell. He retired in 2004 after serving as a mail carrier, a maintenance man, and a boiler technician. He could do so many different jobs at the post office because he could fix anything.

Fred was a quiet man, which enabled him to be a great practical joker at work, as no one suspected him.

As a young man, Fred worked in the logging industry. He was a true Paul Bunyan. He could fall a tree right where he wanted it, a truly amazing feat to see for a wife who had never seen anything like that before. This led to his love of wood and woodworking. He artistically created wood projects through the years.

He is survived by his wife Lynne; his mother Millie of Roseburg, Oregon; his brother Tim (Shirley) of Helena, Montana; his brother John (Kim); his sister Lorie (Darrell) of Roseburg, Oregon; and a special relative, Julie, of Rexburg, Idaho. He is also survived by his brothers-in-law Rich (Jani), Mike, Chris (Kathy), and John (Susan), all of Upton, Wyoming.

He was truly blessed and so proud of his 13 nieces and nephews. He was also very fortunate to have 27 great-nieces and great-nephews.

Due to COVID-19, no funeral will be held. Cremation has taken place.

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate “all the good stuff about Fred’s life” will take place on Labor Day weekend, September 2021, if people can be safe from the pandemic by then.

A donation in memory of Fred to your favorite charity would be appreciated. Condolences may be sent to P.O. Box 1003, Powell, WY 82435.

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