Born May 25, 1929 in Wilder, Idaho, Ralph Hetrick was destined to be a farmer. His parents were Ira and Laudena (Shepherd) Hetrick, who farmed in Wilder and Homedale, Idaho.
Ralph was always handy on the farm and enjoyed the work. He completed high school in Homedale in 1947 and spent a brief time at the University of Idaho before beginning to farm with his brother, Marvin.
After farming in Idaho for a time, he and Marvin heard of some land in Nevada that sounded promising. By 1955 they had carved a farm from the sagebrush in Orovada, NV, which later became Hetrick Bros. Inc. Ralph married Phyllis Stohler in 1958.
They were married 55 years. They helped to start the Orovada Community Church, raised four children, and were active in the farming community until retiring and moving to Caldwell, ID in 1999. They enjoyed some traveling, family time, and getting to know new church friends at Montana Ave. Baptist Church.
Ralph honored God with his life and was generous in supporting missionaries. During his last two years Lenity Assisted Living in Caldwell took good care of him. He entered heaven on September 3, 2020 at West Valley Medical, and was laid to rest in the Orovada cemetery on September 9, 2020.
He is survived by his sister Bernice (Hetrick) Berry of Leesville, LA; his four children and their spouses: Dan and Gilberta Hetrick, Jerry and Kathy Hetrick, Mark and Sharon Evans, and Marilyn and Jeff Nash; 9 grandchildren: John, Tony, and Lindsay Hetrick, Amanda (Hetrick) Pence, Laura and Matt Evans, Alison (Evans) Zalk, Jacob and Zach Nash, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandson-Steven, wife, and brother.
A memorial service will be held on October 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM (MST) at Montana Avenue Baptist Church 3120 S. Montana Ave., Caldwell, ID 83605. Memorial gifts may be sent to Montana Ave. Baptist Church or Orovada Community Church P. O. Box 56, Orovada, NV 89425. Ralph’s tribute page is at www.dakanfuneralchapel.com.
