Daniel Lee Stirm was born Oct 3, 1959, to Frank and June Stirm in Hepner, Oregon. He was their 3rd of 4 children. After several moves the Stirm family found their home on Mann Creek just outside of Weiser, Idaho. Here their lively hood of milking cows eventually changed to hand picking sweet corn and delivering it daily to the Albertsons and other local grocery stores from Boise to La Grande. Hard work was part of this life shared by all (including cousins) who lived in the Stirm house. Dan attended school in Weiser where he found his love for sprinting and learned he had a talent in the game of football. Shortly after graduation he married his high school sweetheart, Terri Glenn. In 1981 Ryan Travis Stirm joined their family. A year later Dan found himself with his younger brother Dean and a couple of friends divorced and living in Texas. Dan was driving an armored truck and working with Dean in the oil fields on his days off. The oil fields are where Dan was involved in an accident that crushed his hip and pelvis. He was flown back to Idaho to be closer to his family and spent 27 days lying in a hospital bed in Boise. He had several years of rehab and learning to walk again. It is difficult for a farm boy to lay in bed and not be able to be outside and work. As he grew stronger, he would do day work for neighbors up and down the creek. He would go when he could and work as he could. This freedom found him one day building fence and the landowner falling trees. One of those trees fell on Dan separating his shoulder and herniating a couple of discs. As Dan healed from both accidents, he found himself working as a night calver for Soulen Livestock. Before long he had worked his way up to the Center Ranch Foreman. This allowed him to work, and care for the same land of his Grandpa Stirm's that he had remembered playing on when living with and visiting there. He and the other cowboys lived in the big house that his grandparents had built that hosted many parties and events on South Crane Creek. In 1989 Dan ate his words of never again marrying and married a Midvale school teacher, Heidi Smith. This brought a move on the ranch from the big house to the little house that his dad had grown up in. After Kati was born Dan and Heidi decided to "seek their fortune" and moved to Sunnyside, Washington. Here Dan managed a feedlot and Heidi taught high school. While at work Dan twisted his knee and his ACL had to be replaced. After several surgery rescheduling, Dan left Heidi and a new baby, Logan, to come back to Idaho to have his knee repaired. This accident brought Dan the opportunity to retire on disability at the age of 33. With 2 little girls, it became important to be closer to family. Heidi acquired a teaching job in Melba, Idaho, which was halfway between both grandmas. There was not anywhere to live in Melba, so Dan and the girls stayed on Mann Creek with Grandma and Grandpa, while Heidi would leave the ranch early Monday morning to teach school in Melba. She would spend Monday and Tuesday nights at her sister, Hope's house in Boise. Wednesday night Dan would bring the girls to Mountain Home where they would spend the night as a family on the Smith farm. Thursday night brought Dan and the girls back to Mann Creek and Heidi back to Boise. The weekends everyone was together again on Mann Creek. This ended when Riley joined the family, at the end of September. After 6 weeks as a family Heidi returned to work and a little rental house was finished in Melba, so the family could continue to stay together. Dan quickly grew tired of being a stay-at-home dad. Most conversations at Cooks and The Palace didn't involve running the kids to preschool, changing diapers, and doing dishes. Dan took every opportunity to help-out where he could during harvest. Suzi joined the Stirm family, continuing the diaper changing and preschool transporting for a few more years. Through Vocational Rehab, Dan learned a new trade, computer engineering. He earned a certificate from BSU and went to work nights at HP. He began to have pain in his back and neck. An MRI showed that the height he had to hold his arms to work on the computers had herniated more discs in his neck. His life of dishwashing and afternoon naps in the recliner with a girl in each arm continued. Dan had a deep love and understanding for animals. He was very comfortable on the back of a horse, lariat in hand and a good dog riding the mountains or across the dessert gathering cows. Dan was preceded in death by his older brother Jimmy; dad Frank; granddaughter Molly Stirm; grandsons: Mitchell Stirm, Ryan Travis Stirm, Jr., Keagan Stirm and Kelly Rodrigues. In lieu of flowers, Dan would appreciate it if you planted a tree and/or eat a good breakfast with your family full of good conversation.
Add comment