Nancy wrote "The Life of John Leo ('Pete') Felin" for delivery at her father's funeral mass"
The life of John Leo “Pete” Felin
A difficult task it is to try and sum up the life of such a remarkable man as Pete in a few short paragraphs. All of us who had the good fortune to have known him can agree that he was a humble gentleman who didn’t like the spot light shined in his direction! What we can also agree on is that Pete never met a stranger, so enjoyed a good conversation over a cup of coffee or a beer and always showed a deep interest in the stories of others. He made friends easily everywhere he went. This proved especially true in his last year of life living at Lincoln Court Retirement Center. He embraced his fellow residents with gusto and they all returned the sentiments.
Throughout his life, Pete never turned down an opportunity to jump in and help anyone who asked for assistance – especially his family. He was ever eager to lend a hand or a tool at any hour, open his door for anyone, offer a ride, help solve a problem, repair some equipment, or find a way to ease someone’s troubles. Pete was a life-long learner always interested in the latest technology, politics, current events, the economy and investment strategies. Oh, and the weather – always the weather. He was brilliant in McGuyvering solutions to fix things and very rarely had to hire a repairman or mechanic. No one enjoyed a good true crime story or gangster story as much as he did. The Kansas City Chiefs and Boise State Bronco teams gained a fan in heaven as he will still be cheering for them from above.
Born in 1936 in Marshfield, Missouri, Pete’s upbringing in the Missouri Ozarks could read like a novel. Think “Where the Red Fern Grows”. A middle child of 8, he spent hours fishing for catfish in the creek that ran through their property. Often, his catch was the only thing his mother and sometimes their neighbors had for dinner. He sold packets of seeds to earn money and purchased a BB gun which he used to shoot snakes earning a bounty for pocket money that he then used to shoot pool and help with some of his family’s expenses. It seems that even in his youngest years, he had an enterprising spirit. Pete loved telling stories of the imaginations he and his older brothers played out. One particular memory that would get him laughing hard was recalling their times pretending to be the infamous Jesse James Gang. They had an old pony they would use as their get away and tried to make it jump off a bluff with them on it’s back. The pony wasn’t amused at the game and refused to cooperate.
While colorful and full of love, Pete’s childhood was anything but carefree. At the age of 9, he lost his father to a sudden heart attack. His mother was left with 8 children, 5 of whom were under the age of 10. There were always more mouths to feed than there was food. When Pete was just 14 years old, he had an opportunity to join an electric line construction crew when they came through the Marshfield area building new lines. With his mother’s blessing and surely broken heart, Pete said goodbye to his family and began his career working as a lineman. He signed on as an unskilled grunt of sorts.
He could in no time climb a pole in record speed. After a few months, He realized the crew members were secretly placing bets on how many he would climb in a day. It was always an impressive number and far more than any one else on the line! His teen years were spent working with his crews all over the Midwest and the Rockies, learning the trade, making deep friendships in every burg and igniting his love for travel. He could recall the names of every town and every area he worked in. Oh, the stories he had to tell of that long, hard and often lonesome time! His favorite thing in those years was when he would occasionally have time off to return home for a visit. His younger siblings considered him almost a mythical hero and delighted in riding to town with him in his shiny car.
At the age of 21, he met Janet, his wife of nearly 61 years, while temporarily based in Walsenburg, CO. The tale is that she and her roommate showed up at his front door to return a pan that they said they had borrowed from Pete and his roommate. Since the guys didn’t even own a pan, very flattered though he was, Pete knew well that their beautiful courtship began under dubious circumstances. They were married at St. Mary Catholic Church in 1957. Pete earned his journeyman lineman certification shortly after that, and their son, Kelly, was born the following year. When Pete was hired by the City of Idaho Falls Electric Department as a crew supervisor, they relocated to Janet’s hometown, where their daughters, Nancy and Merri, were born shortly thereafter. Janet and Pete always said they had triplets the hard way with their 3 children born so closely together. When the children were pre-school age, Pete went to work for Utah Power and Light Company and spend the rest of his career working in the Shelley District, first as a trouble shooter for many years, and finally as the operations manager. His job was dangerous and physical work in the most terrible weather conditions but he never complained saying it was his duty to do the job and he was happy he could. He considered his co-workers to be his closest friends and they looked out for each other like family.
When the children were small, Pete and Janet purchased a lot at Palisades, Idaho, that boasted the most beautiful lake views. What it didn’t have was a road, a house, a well, a sewer or electricity. Ever the visionary and very industrious worker, Pete with the help of family and friends built a lovely summer home that the family and countless others enjoyed for over a decade. Summer weekends were spent fishing, boating during the day and around the fire and deck in the evenings with all the neighbors eating homemade ice cream and singing folk songs accompanied by Janet on her ukulele.
Pete could always be counted on to be entertaining and was adventurous to the core. When his brother-in-law sent him a parachute that he had obtained in the army, Pete became an original para-sailor long before that was a thing.
He could be seen pulled with a boat flying all over the lake while just hanging on to the ropes without a harness. Crowds would form along the highway as unbelieving spectators stopped to watch and gawk.
In the winters, the family enjoyed weekends on the ski slopes surrounded by many friends. Pete, while learning the skill himself, taught all 3 kids to ski. He found a way to afford this expensive sport for the family by availing himself to the resort owner, a personal friend. He offered to install the lights used for night skiing at Kelly Canyon and Taylor Mountain in exchange for season passes. When on the slopes after dark, the kids could point to the lights with pride knowing they were their dad’s handiwork.
Tired of living in town, Janet and Pete desired to return to their farm roots and in 1970 moved the family to the New Sweden area west of Idaho Falls. There the family raised a huge garden and every imaginable type of farm animal supplying the family with meat and home-grown eggs and dairy products. They produced crops of potatoes, wheat, and alfalfa and also built a commercial hog operation. That alone was impressive but it seemed herculean that Pete maintained his more than full time job at the power company at the same time as owning the farm. Needless to say, Janet and the 3 children played a big role in its success. In 1980 after their kids were grown and gone, they sold the farm and moved to a smaller place near Gem Lake where they continued to have a big garden but fewer animals. In 1988 Pete partnered with his younger brother and purchased a business that manufactured power line electric switch gears and insulators. This became a very lucrative endeavor.
Pete had the great fortune to retire from Utah Power at the age of 55. He and Janet then packed up their RV and began their many adventures all over the US, parts of Mexico and Central America eventually buying a place in Quartzite, AZ. They spent many lovely winters among friends at their happy place in the desert, coming back home when the snow melted to spend their summers in Idaho. One of the best things about their Arizona location was the proximity to Nevada. Pete’s gambling luck was the envy of many! Only Janet was more successful in their winnings. They never bet more than they could comfortably lose and perhaps that was the key to their success. After Janet passed 4 years ago, Pete continued his trips to Vegas, Wendover and Jackpot with family and friends but much of the luster was lost in the experience without his partner-in-crime by his side.
Pete lived a life with much sacrifice and hard work yet the glass was always half full and never half empty for him. He was such a character with the best sense of humor and sharp wit! We will all be using Pete-ism the rest of our lives as we invite people to “rest their face and hands”. The stories about his many antics will be remembered and talked about at every family gathering. Who could forget that he was once featured on Paul Harvey’s national broadcast for diverting electricity to the tent of his and his hunting buddies during an arctic blast. A county deputy sent to make a welfare check found them all toasty warm in their underwear playing cards in 30 below weather while an electric heater blazed away. That story and many more will keep us smiling as we remember his ingenuity. Pete absolutely delighted in the accomplishments and adventures of his children and grandchildren. Some of their best memories were being all together with Grandma and Grandpa having sleepovers, playing games, celebrating holidays, camping and going on family trips with them. Pete had a special relationship with each of them and if asked, each would say that he or she was his favorite! Family meant everything to Pete and he meant everything to us.
