Ryland Kirk Ewart
1936 ~ 2015
Ryland Kirk Ewart, 79 years old, died peacefully early Wednesday morning, December 2, 2015, at St. Alphonsus RMC in Boise, Idaho, after a short, hard-fought illness. Kirk was born November 12, 1936, in Marysville, Kansas, the only child of Dr. Ryland Kirk Ewart, Col., USAR, and Mary Elizabeth Pusch. Kirk was a smart, independent child who learned to hunt and fish at an early age and they became his life-long favorite activities. He often praised his mother for her willingness to clean and cook almost everything he brought home. After his father returned from World War II, Kirk attended grade school in several states but was able to spend most of his high school years in Battle Creek, Michigan, which he always said was the best place to live for someone like him who liked to hunt and fish. Just as his senior year was starting, his father was transferred to the Presidio in Monterey, California, and Kirk graduated from Pacific Grove High School. He worked on a party fishing board during that summer and attended one year at Monterey Peninsula College. The following summer he worked with the California Division of Forestry fighting wildfires. During one such event, he saw a man standing by a pickup on a hill doing a lot of pointing and asked his boss how you got to be that guy. The answer was: go to college. So that fall Kirk enrolled at Oregon State University College of Forestry, earning a B.S. in Forest Management in 1959 and named outstanding student. Summers in college were spent working with the Forest Service on the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon, and after graduation, Kirk went to work there fulltime. He served with the U.S. Army Hq Co., 931st Engineering Group (Construction) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 1960-1962, then returned to Umpqua. He was soon promoted to Assistant District Ranger and moved to Corvallis, Oregon. Late in 1966 Kirk was asked to interview at a company he'd never heard of called Boise Cascade Corp. in Yakima, Washington, and in 1967 he began his career with the company moving to Boise when the company moved its headquarters. He retired from Boise Cascade in 1998 as Director of Public Timber Affairs, Timberland Resources.
Kirk was honored to receive the University of Idaho College of Forestry Honor Associated Alumnus Award. He was twice-nominated for Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and once for Secretary of Agriculture withdrawing his name at this initial stage each time. He was happy where he was and had no desire to move to Washington, D.C. He served on a bank's Board of Directors and on various timber-related committees. He was a champion trap shooter, loved deep-sea fishing, and woodworking. After retirement he collected and, as usual, became very knowledgeable about particular old fishing equipment. Kirk never failed to do his very best at everything and for everyone.
On April 24, 1972, Kirk married Ruby L. Williams in Boise. He is survived by Ruby; sons, Geoffrey A. Ewart and Adam K. Ewart (Alicia Richards); grandson, Cpl. J. Ryan Ewart, U.S. Marine Corp., of whom he was so proud; brothers-in-law, Gary (Laurie) Williams of Northern Idaho and Donald (Marianne) Williams of Willow, Alaska. Kirk loved us all very much and he was our dear, dear husband, dad, and grandpa and he is so badly missed.
The family wishes to thank the personnel of Engine 1 of Boise Fire Station One, Ada County Paramedics, and St. Al's emergency department staff. A special thank you to the nurses, CNAs, Dr. Lounsbury, Dr. Walker, and everyone else involved in Kirk's care on 8South, 5Central, and 4Central at St. Al's the past month and particularly to nurses Aaron and Khristyn, CNA Tresa on 4Central, and the kitchen staff for their lovely trays, all of whom made Kirk's last 24 hours more bearable for his family. Also thank you to Dr. Stephen Spencer.
There will be no services at Kirk's request. Private burial will be at Dry Creek Cemetery under the direction of the Cremation Society of Idaho.