John Falen Obituary, Death – John Leroy Falen, who lived in Orovada, NV, died on December 17, 2022. He was 85 years old. His wife of 63 years, Sharon Falen, and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were all with him when he died. John was born to Leslie and Letha Falen on March 18, 1937, in Caldwell, Idaho. He grew up on the L-F Ranch on Juniper Creek at the base of South Mountain, which is 40 miles southeast of Jordan Valley, OR. John and his brothers, Roger and Loyd, rode their horses to school. Like other kids in the area, they also had to work on the ranch during the school day.
John went to high school in Marsing, ID, near where his uncle Earnest Falen lived. When work was needed, John went back to the L-F Ranch to work. He went to college at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. In 1960, he got a Bachelor of Science in animal science. During his junior year, he met Sharon Franklin of Moscow, ID, who would become his wife. On her 17th birthday, about 65 years ago, they went on their first date. In 1959, they got married.
John was a cowboy in every way. He and Sharon got started in life when John worked in feedlots and bought cattle. He later went into business with Clarence and Wayne Johnson in Wilder, ID, to run a feedlot and trade livestock. He rented the “Home Ranch” near Orovada, Nevada, and the “UC Ranch” near McDermitt, Nevada, in 1977. The place where John and Sharon lived was the Home Ranch. John, Sharon, and their family would eventually work out deals to buy the Home Ranch and the UC Ranch so that the ranches and their way of life could be passed on to their children and grandchildren.