Earl Cleve Mapes, 92, passed away on June 28, 2025.
On a spring day in April, Earl Cleve Mapes came into the world as the firstborn child and son to Stella Rebecca Hill Mapes and Earl John Mapes. It was the 6th day of April, 1933—during the Great Depression. Eleven years later, he was joined by his sister, Lula.
Grandma Stella recounted the immense difficulties they faced during the Depression: the lack of food and money was a daily challenge. They even sold the battery from their car to help feed their baby boy. Potatoes and beans were the mainstay. I remember our dad telling us that, when he got older, Milk-Bone dog treats were “actually not that bad,” and they’d eat them right along with the dogs.
Our father grew up in an area rich with opportunities for hunting, trapping, and fishing. He developed a love for the outdoors and the mountains. He recalled trapping everything from mink to rabbits and coyotes. Earl roamed the hills with his cousins—Bloomington being one of his favorite places. From all accounts, they had a great deal of fun and were full of mischief.
There are stories of chickens scooped up through car windows, feathers and chaos erupting in the moving vehicle—only to deliver the chickens home to Grandma Stella, who would cook them up. Tires were rolled down "M Hill" in Montpelier; there was a live deer in the trunk of his dad's car, and fish in Grandma Stella’s bathtub.
Earl met his sweetheart, Joan Keetch, while attending Bear Lake High School. She would later become his wife of 71 years. There was a brief time they went separate ways: Earl had proposed, but Joan wasn’t ready. She attended BYU, and Earl enlisted in the Air Force. Still, they continued to write letters. Eventually, Joanie said yes—she was ready. Earl returned, and on January 5th, 1954, they were married in the Logan, Utah Temple. They loved to tell the story of borrowing Joan’s parents’ old Model T Ford and driving to Riverside, California, where Earl was stationed at March Air Force Base.
Later, Earl and Joan settled in the Pocatello area, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from ISU in 1961. That same year, their first son, Michael Corey Mapes, was born. Christopher Brian Mapes followed two years later, and three years after that, their only daughter, Julie Kay (Mapes) Paz.
Earl passed on his love of hunting and fishing to his boys and a deep love for the mountains to all three of his children. Earl and the boys spent many days fishing Diamond Creek and the Blackfoot River, hunting in the surrounding mountains, and chasing pheasants with his beloved Golden Retriever, Duke. I remember helping pluck feathers from birds the boys brought home, deer hanging in the garage, and Dad preparing and smoking the meat into jerky. Fish were lovingly preserved in coffee cans in the garage deep freeze. I’m pretty sure we found fish dating back to 1978 when we finally cleaned it out. There is just something about frozen fish eyes staring back at you from the inside of a deep freeze, a little unsettling for a kid.
Dad often took us rock hunting and identifying minerals—one of my fondest memories. I thought he was the smartest man on the planet. We camped a great deal as a family, the most important message always being present in the camper, "Do not criticize the cook." Dad finally pushed the limits and broke the cardinal rule, it ended with a casserole outline of him on the wall and window behind him.
Our father was strict—he liked things a certain way—but he loved deeply, and he loved each of us with his whole heart. He welcomed spouses and partners with open arms: Jolene for Michael and their children Jennie, Trayvn (Katie), Travis (Shauna), and Joanie (Austin), who was named after her grandmother; Christopher and Jenny, and his boys Brandon (Savannah) and Jordan (Alicia); Julie and John, and Julie’s boys, Levi (Kay’Cee) and Trisitin (Janeane). He adored his great-grandchildren and never missed a chance to say how beautiful and special they all were.
Earl worked for a time at the INL site before beginning his long career at the J.R. Simplot Company, retiring in 1996 as Vice President of Environmental and Regulatory Affairs for the Minerals and Chemicals Group. He also served on the Board of Directors for Bannock Regional Medical Center from 1994 to 1997.
Earl was our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. We each have our personal memories of him that we will carry forever. We will miss him deeply and completely. We love you, Daddy, and we hold you in our hearts. Enjoy the mountains and streams again—move with joy and freedom—and await the arrival of your beautiful Joanie, the sweetheart of your life.
A viewing will be held on Wednesday, July 2, at 12:00pm until 12:45pm at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Rd. Chubbuck, ID 83202, with a graveside service following, starting at 1:00pm at Mountain View Cemetery, 1520 S. 5th Ave. Pocatello, ID
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Wilks Funeral Home - Chubbuck
Mountain View Cemetery
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