Manfred "Mun" Behrens, our loving husband, dad, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, left the physical pain of this earthly existence behind to have a joyous reunion with family and friends that have gone before. Dad was born on May 2, 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Ernst and Sofie Schindler Behrens. He passed away on his 83rd birthday, May 2, 2019 in Boise, Idaho. He was blessed to be in his home with his devoted wife of 64 years, Nancy Fox Behrens by his side and just like dad, not wanting any attention he slipped away peacefully. We are so thankful for the endless service of our oldest brother Doug, both in caring for dad and trying new things to make him more comfortable. Dad was preceded in death by his youngest son David; parents; brother Ernest; father and mother-in-law Vergil and Thelma James Fox; brothers-in-law Fred Fox and Earl Bell; cousins and friends. Dad is survived by his wife; six children: Doug Behrens, Wendy (Ric) Lechuga, Rob (Tonya) Behrens, Melanie (Kevin) Pace, Eric (Peggy) Behrens, Brandon (Diane) Behrens; and daughter-in-law Nichol Behrens; 20 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Dad loved and supported each of his grandchildren in whatever endeavor they undertook. He is also survived by sisters-in-law: Peggy Fox Bell, Nancy Fox and Carol Fox; brothers-in-law Ron Fox, Randy (Laurie) Fox; cousins: Wolf (Sandra) Schindler, Jim Schindler, Nancy Rasband Schindler, Harry Gerlach. It seems odd to use "in-law"! To dad there were no "in-laws", you were a full-fledged family member, which meant you got in on all the fun and all the work!! There are numerous nieces and nephews whom dad loved dearly and enjoyed the family excursions with all of you. Dad's parents were immigrants from Germany before WWII. They met in a German LDS Ward in Salt Lake City. They did all that they could to create a good life in a foreign country for their two boys and the sisters and brothers from the Behrens and Schindler side. They taught dad how to work hard, be trustworthy and helped him become an honorable man. Dad was born and raised in East Millcreek. He was in the first graduating class of Olympus High School. He was blessed to grow up with aunts and uncles who also immigrated from Germany; this helped to teach dad the importance of family. They all lived within a stone's throw of his childhood home. His parents' home was the gathering place for both sides of the family. They came together regularly to visit and play Canasta. He was your typical teenager. Some of his stories of teenage angst, he purposely waited until we were older to tell us. We are sure he didn't want to give us any ideas. He was blessed to have a great group of friends growing up. He was social and made friends easily. He was on the ski team in high school. He loved cars and was in a car club "The Aces". They would take their cars to Liberty Park and polish them, waiting for girls to come by. He loved anything outdoors, hunting, fishing; scuba diving, motorcycling, snow skiing, boating and waterskiing, did I mention BOATING!!! He was always up for an adventure to the lake. Anyone who knew my dad knew of his love for boating and his patience while teaching someone to ski. "Everyone should experience this," he said. He was the "Master and Commander". He met mom while they were in high school. They were sealed in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on June 21, 1955. Many people told them they were too young to get married and were going to miss out on life. Dad and mom decided that was not going to be them. They bought a boat before a house and continued to have a life full of kids, friends, travel and adventures. No one would ever say, "They missed out"! As we've looked through dad's things, we have found the sweetest notes to our mom and poems that he wrote to her. They have been a good team. Dad's employment took him to Sears Automotive in Salt Lake City where he worked for his future father-in-law. This is where he learned appliance repair which led to a 25-year career with General Electric Company. He was the Zone Manager for major appliances. This career took our family from Salt Lake City to Albuquerque back to Salt Lake and finally to settle in Boise. Dad and mom made life long friends every step of the way. After dad retired early from GE he took on the responsibility of managing inventory for an orthopedic sales office. He was blessed to work with our mom and two brothers. Dad was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many callings. He loved working in the scout and sports programs. He served as a counselor in the Boise 1st Ward Bishopric. Dad would serve in any way asked of him. Serving with mom in the Boise LDS Temple as an ordinance worker brought him many sweet spiritual experiences. He felt the peace that the Spirit brings while being in the House of the Lord. You could see it in his countenance. MOST OF ALL...DAD LOVED HIS FAMILY FIERCLY! There is no other word to describe how he felt about us. He was our protector. He taught his children and grandchildren the importance of family and doing whatever you can to have family experiences. He taught us acceptance of others. He taught us the importance of loyalty to family and friends. He taught us to take responsibility when we were in the wrong. He taught us how to serve others and work hard. He taught us FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FUN!! Services to celebrate Manfred "Mun" Behrens life will be held FRIDAY May 10th 10 - 10:45 am Viewing 11 am Funeral Service There will also be a viewing the evening before. THURSDAY May 9th 6 - 8 pm All to be held at the Boise 1st Ward - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 2290 E Warm Springs Avenue in Boise, ID
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