John Fery, one of Idaho's most well-known business and philanthropic leaders, has died at the age of 86.
He passed away on Saturday in Rancho Mirage, California, from complications of acute leukemia. A family spokesperson says he was surrounded by his wife, Dee, and other family members.
Fery was chief executive officer of Boise Cascade from 1972 until 1994, when he retired. He began working for the company in 1957. Fery became chairman of the board in 1978, and also served on the boards of Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, U.S. Bank, Albertsons and Union Pacific Railroad.
While serving as Boise Cascade CEO and in the years that followed, Fery donated millions of dollars to many Idaho charities, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Fundsy, the Idaho Community Foundation, the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Foundation, and the YMCA.
Fery chaired the fundraising campaign for the YMCA camp at Horsethief Reservoir. He and his wife also donated the 340-acre site for the camp, which opened in June 2010.
His obituary says "as a young man who grew up without the constant presence of a father, John was blessed to find the YMCA, whose mentors instilled values in John that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. The YMCA was so important to John that he wanted to share his experience with others who might benefit from the values, bonds, and outdoor experiences that shaped his youth."
Fery was born on February 16, 1930, in Bellingham, Washington, and lived with his mother and father in Everett for the first few years of his life. Before Fery reached the third grade, his father died, and he moved to Seattle with his mother. He graduated from Seattle's Roosevelt High School in 1948.
John Fery met Dee Carlo while they were students at the University of Washington. The couple married in 1953 and moved to California after John Fery returned from serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He earned his MBA from Stanford University, then joined the Oregon-based paper company Western Kraft with Bob Hansberger. Fery and Hansberger moved to Idaho in 1957, and transformed what was then known as the Boise Payette Lumber Company into Boise Cascade Corporation.
After moving to Boise, John and Dee Fery had three sons - Brent, Bruce and Michael - and six grandchildren.
A memorial mass will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at St. John's Cathedral in Boise, with a graveside service to follow at Morris Hill Cemetery. Summers Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Fery's family released the following statement late Saturday:
We are saddened to share the news that John Fery has passed away following complications resulting from acute Leukemia.
He was our loving husband, father, and grandfather.
John may have been best known as the Chairman and CEO of Boise Cascade Corporation. He was also a dedicated philanthropist. John’s life is an example of what a person can accomplish with hard work and determination. His humble beginnings as an only child raised by his single mother provided the backdrop for his motivation to achieve great success. While we mourn our loss, we celebrate his long and remarkable life.
Please remember John by participating in a charitable act that benefits your community. The organizations that John held closest to his heart were the Idaho Community Foundation and the YMCA Horsefthief Reservoir Camp in Cascade, Idaho.
