Harry Little Bettis

1934 - 2025

Eagle - On June 4, 2025, Harry Little Bettis died at home on the Aikman Ranch, of old age. Harry was an outdoor man, who, despite a Stanford education and notable Idaho ancestry, preferred a life wearing Levis and a Pendleton shirt, packing a shovel, and riding a tall horse followed by a cow dog. Harry was, first and foremost, a rancher.

Harry was born on October 21, 1934, to Agnes Little Bettis, daughter of Andrew Little, the nation's biggest sheepman in the 1920s and 30s, and to Laurence Moore Bettis, grandson of C. W. Moore, co-founder of the Idaho First National Bank. Harry was named after his paternal grandfather, Dr. Harry Sylvester Bettis, one of Boise's first dentists.

Harry lived on his family's ranch near Bellevue on the Wood River where he attended school until the fall when he turned twelve. He attended the California Preparatory School in the Ojai Valley, followed by Fountain Valley School in Colorado, where he graduated from high school in 1952. Math was easy for Harry, who hated writing papers, so he majored in accounting at Stanford University where he graduated in 1956. He said his best economic lessons were learned in the big red barn where he lived and worked on campus, and he chose his classes based on the finals schedule so he could get home days earlier and help with haying. Harry could do math in his head quicker than most people could write it down, a skill that served him well when weighing cattle and calculating cattle prices. Harry served with the U. S. Army Reserve in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Upon returning home from college, Harry worked on the family ranch on the Wood River, which he got control over at age 24. He responded with an avid work ethic, feeding his cattle from a hay wagon stacked high with bales and pulled by a team of draft horses in the winter, putting up some hay in the summer, and enjoying the company of "Little Joe", who worked with him. He told his kids that one winter, we never went to town in over 40 days.

Harry, who enjoyed the company of women, was married three times, and had many lady friends whom he remembered fondly in later years. But, he would probably agree that his longest successful relationship was with his sourdough starter - which brought a lot of joy to his friends and family in the form of biscuits, bread, and most famously pancakes.

In 1965, Harry married Ann Devereaux, a photographer living in Sun Valley. Ann and Harry lived on the ranch at Bellevue with Ann's daughter Farleigh, who enjoyed spending time with Harry, the horses and the dogs. After their divorce, Harry bought United Oil Company based in Twin Falls, which he operated several years, while living in the Rogerson Hotel above the hardware store.

In 1969, he bought Grove Miller's Ranch on Big Willow Creek near Emmett. Shortly after moving to his new ranch, Harry met Carol MacGregor, who was teaching at Emmett High School and living with his Aunt Myrn. The couple married in 1970. Carol's son, J. G., was two when they moved to Big Willow to Harry's ranch. Harry and Carol had three daughters together, Laura, Catherine, and Janelle. The children all got to experience Harry's school of old-fashioned discipline learning horsemanship, driving a team, irrigating, milking a cow, fencing, making sourdough biscuits, and keeping their elbows off the table.

Harry married Sheila Sayles in 1987. She recounted their first date once, saying he picked her up in his ranch truck, and her pink dress was soon dusty rose. After his 1991 divorce, Harry never remarried, but enjoyed the company of accomplished, attractive, and goodhearted women.

Harry worked hard on the ranch, driving back and forth between Willow Creek and Long Valley. He always said he "hired out to be tough" and put in long days starting before dawn, with few if any breaks, telling his children, "There's plenty of time to sleep when you're dead!"

Harry served as a Director of the Idaho First National Bank and its successors most of his adult life. His intelligence served the bank well. He saw it through its evolution from Idaho First National Bank to Moore Financial Group to West One Bank to U. S. Bancorp. At home, he read reports of the bank, made telephone calls, and studied bank policy. He regularly put on a suit to go to Boise to attend the Director's and Loan Committee Meetings. Harry really cared about people having a chance to get and keep their businesses going, but he held them to a high standard of thrift. He was frugal and miserly himself, teaching his children, ""The only thing in life that won't give you trouble is a savings account."

Harry was a Director of the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation from 1968 to 2024, serving longer than any other family member. When he started, he expanded its reach by making contacts in lots of smaller rural communities and finding out what they needed. Harry also served on the Boards of the College of Idaho and The Peregrine Fund. He was a strong advocate and supporter of Maurice Hornocker's big cat research at the University of Idaho and other institutions. Harry traveled to Greenland, Dubai, Siberia, Argentina and other places to see the research projects and attend meetings in his nonprofit service.

Harry loved horse racing, and had horses at Les Bois Park, in New Mexico, and California during different eras of his life. Horses that didn't make it on the track were repurposed to cow horses, which made for some wild rides. Harry was really sad to see horse racing leave the Treasure Valley, but he continued to have and breed horses and enjoyed watching the horse racing channel.

Through all the changes in his life, Harry continued riding horses, caring for his cattle, and telling stories. As years progressed and he acquired more ranches, he spent more time riding around in his pickup, overseeing his ranches throughout southern Idaho and eastern Oregon and chatting with his neighbors. He was a man "on the road" a good deal of the time.

Harry was the most long-standing member of the Arid Club at the time of his death. He was a member of the Bohemian Club and Rancheros Visitadores, both in California. He really enjoyed the camaraderie of other likeminded men and the opportunity to meet new people and learn about them and the world.

In 2007, he moved to his Aikman Ranch south of Emmett. There his cattle graze in the creek bottom and on the hills north of Eagle on the ranch that his great grandfather Andrew Little had first come to from Scotland in 1896 to work for Robert Aikman. As he convalesced over the past year and a half, Harry had a nice view of his red corral, barnyard, and horses out his window. He so appreciated the visits of friends and family during this time, and became fast friends with his caregivers.

Preceding Harry in death are his parents, Laurence and Agnes Bettis. He is survived by his three daughters, Laura Bettis, Catherine Bettis, and Janelle (Tyson) Wise his stepson J. G. Schwarz; and six grandchildren, Clyde and Alice Rydalch, and Elliott, Harrison, Martin, and Cosette Wise.

A celebration of life will be held on August 14th at 4:00 PM at the College of Idaho. Arrangements are under the care of the Potter Funeral Chapel in Emmett. Please do not send flowers. Donations may be made in Harry's memory to The College of Idaho or The University of Idaho Taylor Ranch Endowment.