Roland Maharry

Roland Floyd Maharry, died February 28, 2023 at home in Rigby, Idaho. He was born in Merrill, Klamath, Oregon, to Floyd Charles Maharry and Ethel Lilliam Rider Maharry.

Roland was raised in Tulelake, Siskiyou, California and graduated from Tulelake High School. He and his father hunted and fished through his growing up years so they could have meat in the winter. His father was a carpenter and farmer and during part of the war he had German Prisoners come and work weeding the onions. Roland remembers riding on the knee of one of the prisoners who went to his father’s farm. Not only was there a German Prisoner of War Camp in Tulelake, there was also the largest Japanese Internment Camp in the USA. Roland remembers his grandfather who was also a carpenter going to the camp and teaching the prisoners how to be a carpenter. Some of them remained friends with his grandfather the rest of their lives.

Roland loves cars and at night would work at a gas station and during the day he went to school to become a mechanic but life always takes a turn for the better. He attended a job fair at Oregon Institute of Technology where he was attending school and was recruited to work for Argonne National Lab at the INEL Site west of Idaho Falls. He asked if he could go to school another year so he could learn about reactors and was given permission to do that.

In 1961 he moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho to work for Argonne. He worked there for 42 years. In 1962 his grandfather sent the missionaries and he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He met Shirley Martineau and wanted to get married. They waited a year so they could be married in the temple. Raela was born in Idaho Falls. They moved for a short time to Livermore, California and worked for another Site. LeNea was born in Livermore a few short months later Shirley died. With two little girls he moved back to Idaho Falls where he had family to help him raise his little girls. In 1967, he met and married Dixie Anita Humble in the Idaho Falls Temple and two more children were born Patricia Lynn and Brenda Lee. They were divorced in 1982.

During the year 1983, because he loved to sing and perform, he joined the Community Choir in Rexburg and Rexburg put on a play for their Centennial Anniversary. Marsha’s kids loved to perform so she though it would be a good idea for them all to join this special celebration so they also joined the play “We Can Do It”. The director asked Marsha to play the wife of Mr. Austin after much begging and pleading Marsha gave in and Mr. Austin turned out to ne Roland Floyd Maharry. He later sang with a community choir in St. Anthony. They started dating and soom decided to be married. They were married November 1983 in the Idaho Falls Temple soon after Stephanie died.

After Roland worked for Argonne National lab for 42 years he decided to retire because he and Marsha wanted to serve a Mission. They served two missions in the Philippine Angeles Mission, Manila Temple Mission, they then came home and served in the Idaho Pocatello Mission, a mission in the LDS Employment Center in Rexburg and presently were serving a mission for the Family Search Mission. They lived shortly in West Valley, Utah and later Waxahachie, Texas and served as Coordinators of the Dallas Stake Family History Center. Roland and Marsha have served in 5 temples, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, West Jordan, Houston, and the Manila Philippines Temple.

Roland served as Bishop in the 17th Ward, 4th Stake on Ricks College Campus, for 7 years and then served as Clerk in the same 4th Stake until they started their missions in 2003.

He is preceded in death by his parents Floyd Charles Maharry and Ethel Lillian Rider, his 4-year-old brother Henry Victor Charles Maharry and his daughter Stephanie Lynn Klingler.

He is survived by his wife Marsha Lynn Price Maharry of Rigby, Raela (Bill) Ledvina of Roberts, LeNea (Rodney) Ricks of Idaho Falls, Allan Brent (Tara) Klingler of Idaho Falls, Patricia Lynn (Brian) Rasmussen of Pocatello, Brenda Lee (Jeff) Wolfe of Idaho Falls, David John (Ruth) Klinger of Loveland, Colorado and Michelle Aileen (David) Hiatt of Shelly. He had 33 grandchildren and 21 great- grandchildren.

Our Family Motto: 2 Names, 1 Family Forever.