27 Sep 2009 The Casper Star-Tribune Newspaper
CASPER - Somewhere over the Midwest, 37,000 feet in the air, the thank yous came in the form of letters and cards - from wives and children, neighbors and elementary school students.
Sixty years ago, soldiers received notes in the form of V-mail - miniature bits of paper shrunken down via microfilm to save cargo space.
Now aboard Honor Flight-Wyoming, the 110 World War II veterans traveling to see their memorial weren't expecting all these letters. The staff collected them ahead of time, two Xerox boxes full. Some veterans opened all the letters on the plane and shared them. Others kept them sealed. Maybe they would open the notes later, at home, when they were ready. The letters brought back memories of mail received at war. They were reminders of stories these veterans will always carry with them.
---------GEORGE RAHM
Grandpa,
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you made to raise Dwayne and I. Your unconditional love and time is a measure I try to attain. I will never forget the pack trip, the trip to the Green River head waters, the trip to PA, New York City and DC years ago. I am so proud to be on this trip with you now. Thank you.
Love you, your granddaughter MeLissa
MeLissa Binning never heard much about her grandfather's time in the service. If Binning and her brother, Dwayne, asked, he'd answer. But when George Rahm got home from the war, he went to work and didn't think much about it. "It's just how it was," said Rahm, 88, of Pinedale.
Rahm officially became an Army man at 20 in 1942. He failed the eye exam three times before memorizing the chart. He wanted in. They went across Africa and invaded Southern France, making their way toward Germany. His service ended in 1945, and he went to work with the Game and Fish Department, the Forest Service and the Highway Department. "You name it, I've done it."
He and his wife raised Binning and her brother. He taught structure, discipline and a sense of family. They went to the mountains, took pack trips, saw wolves in the wild for the first time. He taught her to sing in the church choir. When Binning was 14, she went on her first family vacation. They traveled east, to Washington, D.C., 18 years before the memorial was built.
This week, they went back together, Binning serving as Rahm's guardian. "It means everything," said Binning, 37, now living in Casper. "You show your gratitude to the vets and see the emotions when they go back - it's something a lot of people should experience. To share something like this with a loved one means so much." She was there to walk off the bus with him Wednesday and step through the rows of cheering volunteers. They walked past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where they visited 23 years ago.
They were there together as a volunteer stretched out a hand: "Thank you for your service, welcome to your memorial."
Aug 2010 By Judi Myers
George Rahm was born April 27, 1921, in Cora to Gottfried and Viola (Westfall) Rahm. George added, “Pinedale was only 20 years old when I was born.” His grandmother Westfall was the first postmistress at Cora and drove 6 and 10 horse teams to Rock Springs for freight.
He lost his mother when he was just 4. They tied a bed to the back of a flat bed and then tied her to the bed for the 10 & a half hour drive over 2-track roads to Rock Springs. She had surgery and was doing fine and then suddenly passed away.
From 1926 to 1937 George lived in Cathedral (Episcopal) Home, an orphanage in Laramie. George said, “Oh, no, it wasn’t traumatic. We (he & his 2 brothers) were young enough we never knew our mother. I’ve had a mixed up world but I liked all of it. I have nothing to say wrong about the orphanage.” They attended public school and were nicknamed “The Home Kids”.
After 10th grade George went back to Cora and worked for 3 years. In winter he ran a trapline with his father. Gottfried had 5 cabins - one north of Green River Lakes, one at Three Forks Park, one on Gottfried Lake, one at Spring Creek Park and one north of Soda Lake (the only one still standing). George added, “It’s made of Quakies”. On one trapping trip George lost all his furs. He said, “They were pine marten furs. We got about 75 pine martens each winter. Well, I lost those furs and had to walk back up to middle cabin looking for it all the way. Coming back I was striking matches to see my way home and then just feeling my way. I found the furs 100 yards from where I started!” After saving $500 George went back to Cathedral Home & graduated from Laramie HS in 1941. He said, “I didn’t pass high school. They just let me have the diploma.”
One time George remembers, “I went over to Preston, Idaho to ‘make my fortune’. First I worked in the timber. Then I was milking 20 cows every day. I came home with $12.50.” From 1942-1945 he served in WWII as a Pfc in the 115th Infantry Regiment. In 1948 he married Jean Brewer.
He said, “ I just lived life as it was. I never wrote anything down. I worked everywhere & did everything you can think of. It was a wandering life until I met Jean.” His careers have included cowboying, farm work, tie hacking, working in the oil field, for the Game & Fish and Forest Service, and ‘retiring’ after 20 years with the WY Highway Department. He & Jean have also been Amway dealers. George said, “There were 45 people under me, but the young people ‘forgot’ to pay their bills. It about broke us.”
In ‘retirement’ George enjoyed building furniture, rock hounding, fishing, & hunting. He took up wood carving when he was over 65. One of his pieces of woodworking, a Wishing Well, was given to Rendezvous Pointe.
George said, “My eyesight is too poor to carve anymore. I can’t see to do the details. I don’t go into the mountains anymore either. Those damn, silly bears. Wolves don’t make any difference to me, but them grizzlies and black bears are everywhere. I enjoy life as a whole. I’ve never had anything much, but I can’t believe what I do have -a house & 2 cabins, 3 cars, 3 four-wheelers. Jean’s 80 and I’m 90 - what are we going to do with it all?”
When asked if he’d thought about moving to the Retirement Center, George replied, “No! I’m not going. I don’t owe nobody nothing and we’re totally free right where we are.” As our interview ended George added, “And that’s the end of the trail. It’s a good world. I’m free and I’m happy. ” Yes, he truly is.
2017 Obituary from: Covill Funeral Home & Crematory
George Rahm , 96, of Pinedale , WY passed away June 15, 2017 in Idaho Falls, ID. Services will be held at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Cora cemetery with a luncheon following at the VFW.
George was born April 27, 1921 in Cora, WY to Gottfried and Viola Rahm. When his mother passed away in 1925, he went to the Cathedral (Episcopal) Home for Children in Laramie.
George married the love of his life Laura Jean Brewer on November 27, 1948 in Pinedale. They had one daughter, Barbara Jean Rahm born September 15, 1951. Jean passed away September 21, 2016. George and Jean were married for 67 years.
His careers included cowboying, trapping, farm work, tie hacking, oilfield, Wyoming Game & Fish, Forest Service, and Wyoming Highway Department. His hobbies and life’s passions were building furniture, rock hunting, fishing, hunting, and wood carving. He was a World War II veteran, 41 year member of the VFW, and 26 year member of the American Legion, and lifelong member of the Episcopal Church.
He is survived by granddaughter MeLissa Binning of Pinedale WY, grandson Dwayne (Ashley, sons Laken and Cole) Burson of Bartlesville, OK, great-granddaughter Samantha (Bill) Jackson of Kearney,NE, great-granddaughter Tinsley Binning of Laramie, WY, great-grandson Dillon Burson of Tulsa, OK, great great grandson Kaleb Jackson of Kearny, NE.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Laura Jean Rahm, daughter Barbara Jean Rahm, brothers Ben and Carroll Rahm and sister Nellie Perry.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alter Guild at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church for the preservation of the beautiful handcrafted alters and furniture in the church. Cards can be sent to PO Box 446 Daniel, WY 83115.
CASPER - Somewhere over the Midwest, 37,000 feet in the air, the thank yous came in the form of letters and cards - from wives and children, neighbors and elementary school students.
Sixty years ago, soldiers received notes in the form of V-mail - miniature bits of paper shrunken down via microfilm to save cargo space.
Now aboard Honor Flight-Wyoming, the 110 World War II veterans traveling to see their memorial weren't expecting all these letters. The staff collected them ahead of time, two Xerox boxes full. Some veterans opened all the letters on the plane and shared them. Others kept them sealed. Maybe they would open the notes later, at home, when they were ready. The letters brought back memories of mail received at war. They were reminders of stories these veterans will always carry with them.
---------GEORGE RAHM
Grandpa,
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you made to raise Dwayne and I. Your unconditional love and time is a measure I try to attain. I will never forget the pack trip, the trip to the Green River head waters, the trip to PA, New York City and DC years ago. I am so proud to be on this trip with you now. Thank you.
Love you, your granddaughter MeLissa
MeLissa Binning never heard much about her grandfather's time in the service. If Binning and her brother, Dwayne, asked, he'd answer. But when George Rahm got home from the war, he went to work and didn't think much about it. "It's just how it was," said Rahm, 88, of Pinedale.
Rahm officially became an Army man at 20 in 1942. He failed the eye exam three times before memorizing the chart. He wanted in. They went across Africa and invaded Southern France, making their way toward Germany. His service ended in 1945, and he went to work with the Game and Fish Department, the Forest Service and the Highway Department. "You name it, I've done it."
He and his wife raised Binning and her brother. He taught structure, discipline and a sense of family. They went to the mountains, took pack trips, saw wolves in the wild for the first time. He taught her to sing in the church choir. When Binning was 14, she went on her first family vacation. They traveled east, to Washington, D.C., 18 years before the memorial was built.
This week, they went back together, Binning serving as Rahm's guardian. "It means everything," said Binning, 37, now living in Casper. "You show your gratitude to the vets and see the emotions when they go back - it's something a lot of people should experience. To share something like this with a loved one means so much." She was there to walk off the bus with him Wednesday and step through the rows of cheering volunteers. They walked past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where they visited 23 years ago.
They were there together as a volunteer stretched out a hand: "Thank you for your service, welcome to your memorial."
Aug 2010 By Judi Myers
George Rahm was born April 27, 1921, in Cora to Gottfried and Viola (Westfall) Rahm. George added, “Pinedale was only 20 years old when I was born.” His grandmother Westfall was the first postmistress at Cora and drove 6 and 10 horse teams to Rock Springs for freight.
He lost his mother when he was just 4. They tied a bed to the back of a flat bed and then tied her to the bed for the 10 & a half hour drive over 2-track roads to Rock Springs. She had surgery and was doing fine and then suddenly passed away.
From 1926 to 1937 George lived in Cathedral (Episcopal) Home, an orphanage in Laramie. George said, “Oh, no, it wasn’t traumatic. We (he & his 2 brothers) were young enough we never knew our mother. I’ve had a mixed up world but I liked all of it. I have nothing to say wrong about the orphanage.” They attended public school and were nicknamed “The Home Kids”.
After 10th grade George went back to Cora and worked for 3 years. In winter he ran a trapline with his father. Gottfried had 5 cabins - one north of Green River Lakes, one at Three Forks Park, one on Gottfried Lake, one at Spring Creek Park and one north of Soda Lake (the only one still standing). George added, “It’s made of Quakies”. On one trapping trip George lost all his furs. He said, “They were pine marten furs. We got about 75 pine martens each winter. Well, I lost those furs and had to walk back up to middle cabin looking for it all the way. Coming back I was striking matches to see my way home and then just feeling my way. I found the furs 100 yards from where I started!” After saving $500 George went back to Cathedral Home & graduated from Laramie HS in 1941. He said, “I didn’t pass high school. They just let me have the diploma.”
One time George remembers, “I went over to Preston, Idaho to ‘make my fortune’. First I worked in the timber. Then I was milking 20 cows every day. I came home with $12.50.” From 1942-1945 he served in WWII as a Pfc in the 115th Infantry Regiment. In 1948 he married Jean Brewer.
He said, “ I just lived life as it was. I never wrote anything down. I worked everywhere & did everything you can think of. It was a wandering life until I met Jean.” His careers have included cowboying, farm work, tie hacking, working in the oil field, for the Game & Fish and Forest Service, and ‘retiring’ after 20 years with the WY Highway Department. He & Jean have also been Amway dealers. George said, “There were 45 people under me, but the young people ‘forgot’ to pay their bills. It about broke us.”
In ‘retirement’ George enjoyed building furniture, rock hounding, fishing, & hunting. He took up wood carving when he was over 65. One of his pieces of woodworking, a Wishing Well, was given to Rendezvous Pointe.
George said, “My eyesight is too poor to carve anymore. I can’t see to do the details. I don’t go into the mountains anymore either. Those damn, silly bears. Wolves don’t make any difference to me, but them grizzlies and black bears are everywhere. I enjoy life as a whole. I’ve never had anything much, but I can’t believe what I do have -a house & 2 cabins, 3 cars, 3 four-wheelers. Jean’s 80 and I’m 90 - what are we going to do with it all?”
When asked if he’d thought about moving to the Retirement Center, George replied, “No! I’m not going. I don’t owe nobody nothing and we’re totally free right where we are.” As our interview ended George added, “And that’s the end of the trail. It’s a good world. I’m free and I’m happy. ” Yes, he truly is.
2017 Obituary from: Covill Funeral Home & Crematory
George Rahm , 96, of Pinedale , WY passed away June 15, 2017 in Idaho Falls, ID. Services will be held at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Cora cemetery with a luncheon following at the VFW.
George was born April 27, 1921 in Cora, WY to Gottfried and Viola Rahm. When his mother passed away in 1925, he went to the Cathedral (Episcopal) Home for Children in Laramie.
George married the love of his life Laura Jean Brewer on November 27, 1948 in Pinedale. They had one daughter, Barbara Jean Rahm born September 15, 1951. Jean passed away September 21, 2016. George and Jean were married for 67 years.
His careers included cowboying, trapping, farm work, tie hacking, oilfield, Wyoming Game & Fish, Forest Service, and Wyoming Highway Department. His hobbies and life’s passions were building furniture, rock hunting, fishing, hunting, and wood carving. He was a World War II veteran, 41 year member of the VFW, and 26 year member of the American Legion, and lifelong member of the Episcopal Church.
He is survived by granddaughter MeLissa Binning of Pinedale WY, grandson Dwayne (Ashley, sons Laken and Cole) Burson of Bartlesville, OK, great-granddaughter Samantha (Bill) Jackson of Kearney,NE, great-granddaughter Tinsley Binning of Laramie, WY, great-grandson Dillon Burson of Tulsa, OK, great great grandson Kaleb Jackson of Kearny, NE.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Laura Jean Rahm, daughter Barbara Jean Rahm, brothers Ben and Carroll Rahm and sister Nellie Perry.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alter Guild at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church for the preservation of the beautiful handcrafted alters and furniture in the church. Cards can be sent to PO Box 446 Daniel, WY 83115.
27 Sep 2009 The Casper Star-Tribune Newspaper
CASPER - Somewhere over the Midwest, 37,000 feet in the air, the thank yous came in the form of letters and cards - from wives and children, neighbors and elementary school students.
Sixty years ago, soldiers received notes in the form of V-mail - miniature bits of paper shrunken down via microfilm to save cargo space.
Now aboard Honor Flight-Wyoming, the 110 World War II veterans traveling to see their memorial weren't expecting all these letters. The staff collected them ahead of time, two Xerox boxes full. Some veterans opened all the letters on the plane and shared them. Others kept them sealed. Maybe they would open the notes later, at home, when they were ready. The letters brought back memories of mail received at war. They were reminders of stories these veterans will always carry with them.
---------GEORGE RAHM
Grandpa,
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you made to raise Dwayne and I. Your unconditional love and time is a measure I try to attain. I will never forget the pack trip, the trip to the Green River head waters, the trip to PA, New York City and DC years ago. I am so proud to be on this trip with you now. Thank you.
Love you, your granddaughter MeLissa
MeLissa Binning never heard much about her grandfather's time in the service. If Binning and her brother, Dwayne, asked, he'd answer. But when George Rahm got home from the war, he went to work and didn't think much about it. "It's just how it was," said Rahm, 88, of Pinedale.
Rahm officially became an Army man at 20 in 1942. He failed the eye exam three times before memorizing the chart. He wanted in. They went across Africa and invaded Southern France, making their way toward Germany. His service ended in 1945, and he went to work with the Game and Fish Department, the Forest Service and the Highway Department. "You name it, I've done it."
He and his wife raised Binning and her brother. He taught structure, discipline and a sense of family. They went to the mountains, took pack trips, saw wolves in the wild for the first time. He taught her to sing in the church choir. When Binning was 14, she went on her first family vacation. They traveled east, to Washington, D.C., 18 years before the memorial was built.
This week, they went back together, Binning serving as Rahm's guardian. "It means everything," said Binning, 37, now living in Casper. "You show your gratitude to the vets and see the emotions when they go back - it's something a lot of people should experience. To share something like this with a loved one means so much." She was there to walk off the bus with him Wednesday and step through the rows of cheering volunteers. They walked past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where they visited 23 years ago.
They were there together as a volunteer stretched out a hand: "Thank you for your service, welcome to your memorial."
Aug 2010 By Judi Myers
George Rahm was born April 27, 1921, in Cora to Gottfried and Viola (Westfall) Rahm. George added, “Pinedale was only 20 years old when I was born.” His grandmother Westfall was the first postmistress at Cora and drove 6 and 10 horse teams to Rock Springs for freight.
He lost his mother when he was just 4. They tied a bed to the back of a flat bed and then tied her to the bed for the 10 & a half hour drive over 2-track roads to Rock Springs. She had surgery and was doing fine and then suddenly passed away.
From 1926 to 1937 George lived in Cathedral (Episcopal) Home, an orphanage in Laramie. George said, “Oh, no, it wasn’t traumatic. We (he & his 2 brothers) were young enough we never knew our mother. I’ve had a mixed up world but I liked all of it. I have nothing to say wrong about the orphanage.” They attended public school and were nicknamed “The Home Kids”.
After 10th grade George went back to Cora and worked for 3 years. In winter he ran a trapline with his father. Gottfried had 5 cabins - one north of Green River Lakes, one at Three Forks Park, one on Gottfried Lake, one at Spring Creek Park and one north of Soda Lake (the only one still standing). George added, “It’s made of Quakies”. On one trapping trip George lost all his furs. He said, “They were pine marten furs. We got about 75 pine martens each winter. Well, I lost those furs and had to walk back up to middle cabin looking for it all the way. Coming back I was striking matches to see my way home and then just feeling my way. I found the furs 100 yards from where I started!” After saving $500 George went back to Cathedral Home & graduated from Laramie HS in 1941. He said, “I didn’t pass high school. They just let me have the diploma.”
One time George remembers, “I went over to Preston, Idaho to ‘make my fortune’. First I worked in the timber. Then I was milking 20 cows every day. I came home with $12.50.” From 1942-1945 he served in WWII as a Pfc in the 115th Infantry Regiment. In 1948 he married Jean Brewer.
He said, “ I just lived life as it was. I never wrote anything down. I worked everywhere & did everything you can think of. It was a wandering life until I met Jean.” His careers have included cowboying, farm work, tie hacking, working in the oil field, for the Game & Fish and Forest Service, and ‘retiring’ after 20 years with the WY Highway Department. He & Jean have also been Amway dealers. George said, “There were 45 people under me, but the young people ‘forgot’ to pay their bills. It about broke us.”
In ‘retirement’ George enjoyed building furniture, rock hounding, fishing, & hunting. He took up wood carving when he was over 65. One of his pieces of woodworking, a Wishing Well, was given to Rendezvous Pointe.
George said, “My eyesight is too poor to carve anymore. I can’t see to do the details. I don’t go into the mountains anymore either. Those damn, silly bears. Wolves don’t make any difference to me, but them grizzlies and black bears are everywhere. I enjoy life as a whole. I’ve never had anything much, but I can’t believe what I do have -a house & 2 cabins, 3 cars, 3 four-wheelers. Jean’s 80 and I’m 90 - what are we going to do with it all?”
When asked if he’d thought about moving to the Retirement Center, George replied, “No! I’m not going. I don’t owe nobody nothing and we’re totally free right where we are.” As our interview ended George added, “And that’s the end of the trail. It’s a good world. I’m free and I’m happy. ” Yes, he truly is.
2017 Obituary from: Covill Funeral Home & Crematory
George Rahm , 96, of Pinedale , WY passed away June 15, 2017 in Idaho Falls, ID. Services will be held at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Cora cemetery with a luncheon following at the VFW.
George was born April 27, 1921 in Cora, WY to Gottfried and Viola Rahm. When his mother passed away in 1925, he went to the Cathedral (Episcopal) Home for Children in Laramie.
George married the love of his life Laura Jean Brewer on November 27, 1948 in Pinedale. They had one daughter, Barbara Jean Rahm born September 15, 1951. Jean passed away September 21, 2016. George and Jean were married for 67 years.
His careers included cowboying, trapping, farm work, tie hacking, oilfield, Wyoming Game & Fish, Forest Service, and Wyoming Highway Department. His hobbies and life’s passions were building furniture, rock hunting, fishing, hunting, and wood carving. He was a World War II veteran, 41 year member of the VFW, and 26 year member of the American Legion, and lifelong member of the Episcopal Church.
He is survived by granddaughter MeLissa Binning of Pinedale WY, grandson Dwayne (Ashley, sons Laken and Cole) Burson of Bartlesville, OK, great-granddaughter Samantha (Bill) Jackson of Kearney,NE, great-granddaughter Tinsley Binning of Laramie, WY, great-grandson Dillon Burson of Tulsa, OK, great great grandson Kaleb Jackson of Kearny, NE.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Laura Jean Rahm, daughter Barbara Jean Rahm, brothers Ben and Carroll Rahm and sister Nellie Perry.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alter Guild at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church for the preservation of the beautiful handcrafted alters and furniture in the church. Cards can be sent to PO Box 446 Daniel, WY 83115.
CASPER - Somewhere over the Midwest, 37,000 feet in the air, the thank yous came in the form of letters and cards - from wives and children, neighbors and elementary school students.
Sixty years ago, soldiers received notes in the form of V-mail - miniature bits of paper shrunken down via microfilm to save cargo space.
Now aboard Honor Flight-Wyoming, the 110 World War II veterans traveling to see their memorial weren't expecting all these letters. The staff collected them ahead of time, two Xerox boxes full. Some veterans opened all the letters on the plane and shared them. Others kept them sealed. Maybe they would open the notes later, at home, when they were ready. The letters brought back memories of mail received at war. They were reminders of stories these veterans will always carry with them.
---------GEORGE RAHM
Grandpa,
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you made to raise Dwayne and I. Your unconditional love and time is a measure I try to attain. I will never forget the pack trip, the trip to the Green River head waters, the trip to PA, New York City and DC years ago. I am so proud to be on this trip with you now. Thank you.
Love you, your granddaughter MeLissa
MeLissa Binning never heard much about her grandfather's time in the service. If Binning and her brother, Dwayne, asked, he'd answer. But when George Rahm got home from the war, he went to work and didn't think much about it. "It's just how it was," said Rahm, 88, of Pinedale.
Rahm officially became an Army man at 20 in 1942. He failed the eye exam three times before memorizing the chart. He wanted in. They went across Africa and invaded Southern France, making their way toward Germany. His service ended in 1945, and he went to work with the Game and Fish Department, the Forest Service and the Highway Department. "You name it, I've done it."
He and his wife raised Binning and her brother. He taught structure, discipline and a sense of family. They went to the mountains, took pack trips, saw wolves in the wild for the first time. He taught her to sing in the church choir. When Binning was 14, she went on her first family vacation. They traveled east, to Washington, D.C., 18 years before the memorial was built.
This week, they went back together, Binning serving as Rahm's guardian. "It means everything," said Binning, 37, now living in Casper. "You show your gratitude to the vets and see the emotions when they go back - it's something a lot of people should experience. To share something like this with a loved one means so much." She was there to walk off the bus with him Wednesday and step through the rows of cheering volunteers. They walked past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where they visited 23 years ago.
They were there together as a volunteer stretched out a hand: "Thank you for your service, welcome to your memorial."
Aug 2010 By Judi Myers
George Rahm was born April 27, 1921, in Cora to Gottfried and Viola (Westfall) Rahm. George added, “Pinedale was only 20 years old when I was born.” His grandmother Westfall was the first postmistress at Cora and drove 6 and 10 horse teams to Rock Springs for freight.
He lost his mother when he was just 4. They tied a bed to the back of a flat bed and then tied her to the bed for the 10 & a half hour drive over 2-track roads to Rock Springs. She had surgery and was doing fine and then suddenly passed away.
From 1926 to 1937 George lived in Cathedral (Episcopal) Home, an orphanage in Laramie. George said, “Oh, no, it wasn’t traumatic. We (he & his 2 brothers) were young enough we never knew our mother. I’ve had a mixed up world but I liked all of it. I have nothing to say wrong about the orphanage.” They attended public school and were nicknamed “The Home Kids”.
After 10th grade George went back to Cora and worked for 3 years. In winter he ran a trapline with his father. Gottfried had 5 cabins - one north of Green River Lakes, one at Three Forks Park, one on Gottfried Lake, one at Spring Creek Park and one north of Soda Lake (the only one still standing). George added, “It’s made of Quakies”. On one trapping trip George lost all his furs. He said, “They were pine marten furs. We got about 75 pine martens each winter. Well, I lost those furs and had to walk back up to middle cabin looking for it all the way. Coming back I was striking matches to see my way home and then just feeling my way. I found the furs 100 yards from where I started!” After saving $500 George went back to Cathedral Home & graduated from Laramie HS in 1941. He said, “I didn’t pass high school. They just let me have the diploma.”
One time George remembers, “I went over to Preston, Idaho to ‘make my fortune’. First I worked in the timber. Then I was milking 20 cows every day. I came home with $12.50.” From 1942-1945 he served in WWII as a Pfc in the 115th Infantry Regiment. In 1948 he married Jean Brewer.
He said, “ I just lived life as it was. I never wrote anything down. I worked everywhere & did everything you can think of. It was a wandering life until I met Jean.” His careers have included cowboying, farm work, tie hacking, working in the oil field, for the Game & Fish and Forest Service, and ‘retiring’ after 20 years with the WY Highway Department. He & Jean have also been Amway dealers. George said, “There were 45 people under me, but the young people ‘forgot’ to pay their bills. It about broke us.”
In ‘retirement’ George enjoyed building furniture, rock hounding, fishing, & hunting. He took up wood carving when he was over 65. One of his pieces of woodworking, a Wishing Well, was given to Rendezvous Pointe.
George said, “My eyesight is too poor to carve anymore. I can’t see to do the details. I don’t go into the mountains anymore either. Those damn, silly bears. Wolves don’t make any difference to me, but them grizzlies and black bears are everywhere. I enjoy life as a whole. I’ve never had anything much, but I can’t believe what I do have -a house & 2 cabins, 3 cars, 3 four-wheelers. Jean’s 80 and I’m 90 - what are we going to do with it all?”
When asked if he’d thought about moving to the Retirement Center, George replied, “No! I’m not going. I don’t owe nobody nothing and we’re totally free right where we are.” As our interview ended George added, “And that’s the end of the trail. It’s a good world. I’m free and I’m happy. ” Yes, he truly is.
2017 Obituary from: Covill Funeral Home & Crematory
George Rahm , 96, of Pinedale , WY passed away June 15, 2017 in Idaho Falls, ID. Services will be held at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Cora cemetery with a luncheon following at the VFW.
George was born April 27, 1921 in Cora, WY to Gottfried and Viola Rahm. When his mother passed away in 1925, he went to the Cathedral (Episcopal) Home for Children in Laramie.
George married the love of his life Laura Jean Brewer on November 27, 1948 in Pinedale. They had one daughter, Barbara Jean Rahm born September 15, 1951. Jean passed away September 21, 2016. George and Jean were married for 67 years.
His careers included cowboying, trapping, farm work, tie hacking, oilfield, Wyoming Game & Fish, Forest Service, and Wyoming Highway Department. His hobbies and life’s passions were building furniture, rock hunting, fishing, hunting, and wood carving. He was a World War II veteran, 41 year member of the VFW, and 26 year member of the American Legion, and lifelong member of the Episcopal Church.
He is survived by granddaughter MeLissa Binning of Pinedale WY, grandson Dwayne (Ashley, sons Laken and Cole) Burson of Bartlesville, OK, great-granddaughter Samantha (Bill) Jackson of Kearney,NE, great-granddaughter Tinsley Binning of Laramie, WY, great-grandson Dillon Burson of Tulsa, OK, great great grandson Kaleb Jackson of Kearny, NE.
He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Laura Jean Rahm, daughter Barbara Jean Rahm, brothers Ben and Carroll Rahm and sister Nellie Perry.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alter Guild at St. Andrews in the Pines Episcopal Church for the preservation of the beautiful handcrafted alters and furniture in the church. Cards can be sent to PO Box 446 Daniel, WY 83115.
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