BORN

1930

DIED

2021

FUNERAL HOME

Wood Funeral Home -Idaho Falls

273 North Ridge Avenue

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Graeme Galbraith Obituary

Graeme C. Galbraith, the Montana and Idaho farm boy with a WSU Mechanical Engineering Degree met his match on Monday, May 17, 2021, when he couldn't fix the ravages of a well-spent 90 years, and past peacefully. Graeme's life began on August 16, 1930, in Billings, MT, as the younger son of Allan & Bernice Galbraith, joining his 3 year-old sister, Gloria. Allan, a WW I Veteran, came to Montana, to help his sister & her husband with their farm and met and married Bernice, whose father was an Danish immigrant homestead farmer in the same area. Allan started his own farm operation on a ranch 13 dirt road miles south of the tiny town of Musselshell, Montana. Graeme's largest influence was growing up and working on the farm.

As the family grew, the farm's remote location became a major problem. While many neighboring ranchers moved to town on week-days so kids could attend school. The Galbraith's didn't wish to do that. Gloria was home schooled her first 2 1/2 years. Allan found a 500-acre family farm in North Idaho, 2 miles north of Rathdrum - small, but closer to the farm, with a paved road within 1/4 mile, allowing for a school bus and postal service. Further, the farm was scheduled to have electricity. The farm was half cultivatable and half timber and brush with several free flowing fresh water springs producing cold pure water year around. Rathdrum and the farm were located on the main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad, so in February, 1936, the Galbraith family moved lock, stock, and barrel (except livestock) from Montana to Idaho.

The relocation to Idaho was successful. Idaho farming was more productive primarily due to a milder climate. They switched to raising dairy stock rather beef range cattle. Graeme's responsibility grew into taking care of the thirteen milk cows and their calves, starting to milk cows when he was 7 years of age and became quite proficient, not to mention there were no days off with milk cows. Graeme often remarked "milking was a good job, you sat down, listened to the radio (Fiber Magee & Moly) and your hands never got cold." The cream was the cash crop, at $25 per week. Graeme also helped Bernice in raising and butchering fryer chickens for sale to the community throughout the year at a buck a piece and helped raise the small drove of swine from which they sold the piglets. They raised all the feed for the livestock and sold extra.

When Graeme started high school, his father's health started to decline making it necessary to dispose of the farm, livestock, and machinery and move to town. Graeme started working in the logging and sawmill industries.

Graeme graduated from Rathdrum High School in 1948, and enrolled in Washington State College which deferred him from the military draft, graduating in 1953, with a degree in mechanical engineering.

During the last summer in college, Graeme met a young Coeur d'Alene lady, Joanne Brack, who had just graduated from Pomona College in California, with a degree in bacteriology and was enrolled in the medical technology program in Detroit. When fall came, Graeme returned to WSC and Joanne proceeded to Detroit, with a diamond on her finger. After completing her year in Detroit, Graeme and Joanne were married in January, 1954.

The couple's first residence was in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a commuters' distance from White Sands Proving Grounds where Graeme was stationed during his military service with the Army Signal Corps. White Sands was the principal government facility for guided missile and upper atmospheric research. Son Allan was born in 1955. After completing his military commitment, the family moved to Seattle, where Graeme was an engineer at Boeing. He took night classes in nuclear sciences at the University of Washington in nuclear sciences. A second son, James, was born in 1957.

Graeme, Joanne and their two young boys moved to Idaho Falls in 1957, so Graeme could work for Westinghouse, who operated the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, staffing their second prototype plant at the Naval Reactor Facility. Graeme retired in 1989, as the chief refueling engineer servicing the four naval reactors then operating at NRF, which established the processes for refueling the nuclear aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise and the USS Nimitiz. That's a lot of 50 mile bus rides twice a day!

Having become a Mason during college, Graeme expanded his Masonic activity by joining the Scottish Rite, Eastern Star and the Shrine, becoming active in all. He served the Eagle Rock Masonic Lodge as master in 1965 and became the first Idaho Falls Mason to receive the honorary Scottish Rite Thirty Third Degree in 1991. Graeme co-founded the El Korah Shrine Kart Kore which performed for several years in all the local parades and performed in parades throughout the west. Using his innate skills, honed with his mechanical engineering schooling, Graeme became the unofficial caretaker for the Lodge building, as well for the St. Mark's Episcopal Church and the Soup Kitchen, which Joanne co-founded. Graeme could fix anything! In the spring, Graeme spent 2 weeks at the Episcopal Church Camp on Payette Lake, cutting trees, repairing water lines and general maintenance. He created the Galbraith Trail from the camp to the lake.

Being a farmer at heart, Graeme befriended several farmers and spent weekends and vacations helping them with baling hay, cutting potato seed, harvesting spuds and grain, rounding up cattle, and, of course repairing farm equipment, both in the field and in the shop. Graeme loved to cut down trees, of any size and type, so he routinely harvested firewood in Island Park and provided a free service to friends, neighbors and farmers, Graeme also became a successful big game hunter, bagging deer, elk, a mountain goat and a bear.

Graeme and Joanne traveled extensively, pulling their 5th wheel across, up, down and around the United States, Canada and Mexico. They explored 5 other continents and several Wonders of the World by safari, liner and coach.

Graeme was preceded in death by his wife, parents and sister. Graeme leaves his sons, Allan (Lorena Boyd), Wenatchee, WA, and James, in Idaho Falls; his grandchildren, Dr. Aaron Galbraith (Francie), Denver, Lisa Heneghen (Patrick), a Registered Dietician, Denver, Kole Galbraith, a committed bohemian, Tartu, Estonia; and Catherine (CEI) and Caroline Galbraith (IFHS), Idaho Falls; and a great-granddaughter, Kate Heneghen.

A service of remembrance will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church (270 N. Placer Avenue), on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at 2 pm, followed by a military ceremony and reception. Graeme's ashes will be scattered over the Snake River.

Donations may be made in Graeme's honor to The Soup Kitchen, 301 South Boulevard, Idaho Falls 83401.

Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.woodfuneralhome.com.



Published by Post Register on May 19, 2021.
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Very impressive obituary, Jim. Sorry for your loss.

Phil Carr

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May 22, 2021

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