March 18, 1937 – December 17, 2022
John Leroy Falen of Orovada, Nevada, passed away on December 17, 2022 at the age of 85, surrounded in love by his wife of 63 years, Sharon Falen, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
John was born on March 18, 1937 in Caldwell, Idaho, to Leslie and Letha Falen. He grew up on the L – F Ranch on Juniper Creek at the base of South Mountain, 40 miles southeast of Jordan Valley, Oregon. John and his brothers Roger and Loyd rode their horses to school, and like other children in the area, school was coordinated around ranch work. John attended high school in Marsing, Idaho, batching near his uncle Earnest Falen’s home returning to the L – F Ranch to work when needed. He attended college at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 1960. During his junior year, he met his wife Sharon Franklin of Moscow, Idaho. Their first date was on her 17th birthday, 65 years ago last month. They were married in in 1959.
John, in every way, was a cattleman. He and Sharon started their lives with John working in feedlots, buying cattle and eventually partnering with Clarence and Wayne Johnson operating a feedlot and livestock trading enterprise in Wilder, Idaho. In 1977, he leased two ranches in northern Nevada, the “Home Ranch” near Orovada, Nevada and the “UC Ranch” near McDermitt, Nevada. The Home Ranch was where John and Sharon made their home. It was at the Home Ranch where John and Sharon hosted numerous yearly “family and friends’ reunions” when family and friends from all over the country would join for a weekend of horse and wagon rides, good two-step dancing music, great food and good fellowship. It was also at the Home Ranch where the Newsweek magazine writers and photographers went to meet a man who would dawn the cover on that publication on September 30, 1991 and detail the story of a ranching family working in a place where the federal and state governments own 85% of the land and it is not possible for a ranch to survive without BLM and/or Forest Service grazing permits. John, Sharon and family would eventually negotiate purchases for the Home Ranch and the UC Ranch so the ranches and the way of life could be passed down their children and grandchildren.
The Home Ranch was also where John set forth on his pathway of servant leadership. Not being one to ever take a break, for 20 years John served the school children in Humboldt County, Nevada as a member and chairman of the school board. During this time he began his political career as an advocate for the ranching industry serving as Nevada Cattlemen’s Association President in 1997-1999, Nevada’s Public Lands Council Committee, the National Cattlemen’s Association Executive Board, the NCBA wild horse and burro committee and the National Public Lands Council President. John was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to serve on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Council. Although there were no wild horses on the Home Ranch or UC Ranch, John’s understanding of the livestock industry and his compassion for wild horses suffering from drought and starvation made him the perfect advocate to work on solutions to remove excess horses from the range. Because of his work, he was one of the founding board members of the Mustang Heritage Foundation.
John’s passion for his family, his ranch and his community was evident in everything he did. The invention of the cell phone brought a whole new freedom to John in ways that searching for pay phone could not. John’s saddle horses would automatically stop when John’s cell phone would ring so John could take the call. As much as the phone would ring, that meant a lot of stopping. John was ever present on local parade days in Orovada, McDermitt and Winnemucca, driving his team and wagon. Anyone who was within miles of the Home Ranch was encouraged to stop for a comfortable bed, a delicious meal, or a good visit with John sitting at his grey metal office desk with all the braided bridal reins and silver bits hanging behind him. Not just for his friends and family, but the passing of John leaves a huge hole in the public lands livestock industry.
John is survived by his wife, Sharon, his children Frank (wife Karen Budd-Falen), and daughters Judy (husband Hank Kershner) and Johnna (husband Tommy Bruhn), son-in law Loyd Sherburn and brother Loyd Falen. He had seven grandchildren Jake Kershner, Becky Gallagher, Isaac Falen, Sharon Sherburn, Sarah Falen and Kaylee and Gage Bruhn, and four great grandchildren Gauge Brown, Wesley Falen, Kinsley Kershner and Casey Gallagher. He was proceeded in death by his parents Les and Letha Falen, brother Roger Falen and his beloved daughter Cindy Sherburn.
Funeral services were held January 21 at the community hall in Orovada. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association; PO Box 310 Elko, NV 89803. They ask that you write in the Memo in Memory of John Falen and the donation will go to the scholarship fund.