- Date Of Birth: December 13, 1938
- Date Of Death: August 30, 2020
- State: Idaho
Bertha Bernice (Owings) Severe, 81, passed peacefully to rejoin her husband and family members on Sunday, August 30, 2020.
Mom was born on December 13, 1938 in King Hill, Idaho and started her life out on what is known as the Owing’s Ranch, where her and her little sister – Annie had the run of the high desert, with one horse and one dog to keep them out of trouble.
They had only one rule from mom – Be Home Before Dark. That rule would be broken many times. They would often ride the horse over to the neighbors and play cowboy by chasing his cows. They never did get caught.
Later when Uncle Tom started to run the ranch, mom and Aunt Annie lived with their mother up the hill from the King Hill School. One day they decided to go see their sister – Myrtle who lived on the other side of the Snake River. They had just crossed the river on the old wooden bridge when a neighbor stopped and asked them where they were going. “To see our sister”, was the reply. The neighbor gave them a ride since it was another five miles to her place. These events took place when mom and Aunt Annie were very young.
When mom was 12 years old, she was hit by a car while crossing the street in Burley, Idaho on her way to school. This would leave her with a bad hip the rest of her life. This never slowed her down. When she decided there was something she wanted or wanted to do, she did it.
She was the best horseman that I ever knew. She rode with the Liberty Bells Riding Club for many years. For those who may not know, this was an all-female horseback riding club that competed and won many awards and trophies in the 1970’s for their skills.
Mom was always surrounded by horses and cattle. I think she enjoyed the years that me and my brothers spent in 4-H and F.F.A. more than we did.
Mom was always an independent individual, that always spoke her piece.
She was a kind loving mother that never raised her voice or a hand to us boys and we always knew when we had pushed as far as we dare and when to toe the line.
There was love in our home even though the words were seldom said.
Mom is preceded in death by: her parents – Samuel and Ethel Annie (Parker) Owings; our father and her husband – Lawrence Raymond Severe, Jr.; his parents – Lawrence Raymond and Agnes (Thurber) Severe; three sons – Raylyn Severe, Rodney Gene Mangum and Ricky Lee Mangum; three brothers – Tom Owings, Charles Owings and William Owings; two sisters – Rose Perry and Eunice Bellegante; and brother-in-law – Eugene Bellegante.
She is survived by: four sons – Larry Severe, Terry Severe, Mark Scott Severe and Marvin Scott Severe; three granddaughters – Heidi Mangum Kent, Holly Mangum Kenyon and Emilee Ann Blakley Severe; several great grandchildren; and sisters – Wilma, Doris, Myrtle, Frances and Annie.
Larry and myself at this time want to express a heart felt thank you to C.N.A. Kyla Coates Ramirez. She tended to moms needs for the past several months, easing our minds, knowing that she was well taken care of. This made it possible for mom to stay in her home until her last day. Mom had a great love for this young lady. I fully believe they were both cut from the same mold, just several generations apart.
We would also like to thank St. Luke’s Life Flight for the flight coming to get mom the day before she passed. I learned that Life Flight does no just deal with severe trauma emergencies, but with simple emergencies also.
Thank you from the Severe Family.
