John Robert Maloney

John Robert Maloney, 80, of Pierce, Idaho, passed away at Kindred Care in Lewiston, Idaho, from cardiac arrhythmia at 5:20 a.m. on Jan. 10, 2014. John was born Feb. 25, 1933, to Lafte and Elizabeth Maloney on their farm on White River in Pine Log, Ark. He came from a family of 10 siblings. He went to school at "Pine Log." He was an excellent basketball player in all his years of school. He graduated at Rogers High School. There was always work to do on the farm, milking cows and farming, making cedar posts and white oak staves for staves on barrels. John did a lot of this. Hunting and fishing were fun things they did in their spare time. He joined the Navy and graduated from medical school in St. Albans, N.Y. He received an honorable discharge and went on to Oregon and worked in the logging industry. He worked at Martin Brothers Box in Oakland, Ore., where he met the love-of-his-life, Betty Sistrunk. They were married and inseparable, doing everything together, for over 60 years and raising three wonderful children. They moved to Arcata, Calif., where he went to work for Arcata Plywood. There he loaded and unloaded trucks of veneer and plywood. John also had a poker room at Toby and Jacks as an extra job. They then moved to Cloverdale, Calif., for one year then onto New Waverly, Texas, and helped the plywood mill there get started. John and Betty moved to Idaho to work at Potlatch Jaype Mill until his retirement, January of 1997. Since then until 2007, he logged with Ed Randal. Outdoor life was for John. He was the happiest on his bike riding the back roads, always with his wife or grandkids. There is not a road or trail John didn't go over. He loved the forest and being out in them whether for leisure or mushrooming, horn-hunting, picking huckleberries or a winter's wood. He loved hunting on the Snake and Salmon River with his friends or kids and his dog, Lucky. John was lots of times giving of himself, helping others and was happy to do so. He walked in the Path of Righteousness proudly. John belonged to the Orofino ATA Trap Club, where he shot at most of the area trapshoots and had shot at Canada's Invitational shoots. He had a passion for trapshooting and won at least three trips to Ohio, plus the times he went on his own. He had an average score of 95 to 100 most of the time. He passed on his love of trapshooting, teaching his daughter and two of his grandsons. Shooting was an enjoyable sport and he started at Fraser with the Randals and their group. He is survived by his wife, Betty Sistrunk Maloney of 60 years; two children, Gary Maloney, Redding, Calif., Joan Beebe, Missoula, Mont.; six grandchildren, Alison Beebe, Portland, Ore., Mathew Beebe of Missoula, Mont., David Beebe, Dallas, Texas, Kevin and Jennifer Josephson, Rathburn, Idaho, Christopher and Trisha Josephson, Sandpoint, Idaho, Jonathan and Kristen Rouleau, Rathburn, Idaho; two great-granddaughters, Jade and Taylor Josephson, Sandpoint, Idaho; siblings, William Maloney, Cassville, Mo.; Mike Maloney, Tulsa, Okla., Cleo and Dorothy Shephard, Cadet, Mo., Mildred Hicks, Pea Ridge, Ark., Mary and Mitchell Adkins, Mountain Home, Ark., and Hugh "Cisco" and Roberta Maloney, Seligman, Mo.; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lafe and Elizabeth Maloney; daughter, Amy Rouleau; three brothers, Floyd Maloney, Pat Maloney and Laurence Maloney. John's memorial service will be held Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, at 1 p.m. at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel in Orofino. Pine Hills Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.