Maurice E. Woodard

Maurice E. Woodard, 90, of Nampa, passed away peacefully at home on November 21, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.

Maurice was born on March 19, 1930 to Clarence and Frances (Basey) Woodard in Nampa, Idaho, and was the eldest of three children.    Much of his early childhood was spent on the banks of the Phyllis Canal in Eagle where his father was charged with headgate duty and daily monitoring of the canal to ensure there were no water breaks.  He often talked about riding his horse to elementary school along Linder Road.  Later, they moved to Nampa and lived with his grandparents on their forty-acre farm in the Lone Tree community. 

Maurice, “Mutt,” loved baseball and played throughout his high school career. In 1946, he was one of twelve players from Boise valley to be selected for tryouts held in Ogden, UT for the All-American Boys baseball game in Wrigley field, Chicago.  He graduated from Nampa High School and several years later, in 1950, he married his childhood sweetheart, Elaine Thomas.  They moved to her family’s farm where they raised their sons, Stephen and David.  He had many hobbies including, hunting, fishing, breaking horses, and rodeo roping.  His true calling and passion was in farming which he first developed a love for in early childhood.  He managed to have a farming career all his adult life, raising milk cows, hay, grain, and corn; later adding more row crops, growing sugar beets, beans, sweetcorn seed, mint, and onions. 

Maurice was very active in the north Nampa farming community.  He served on the Canyon County FSA committee for 15 years and served as President of the Nampa Countryman’s Club.  He was honored with multiple awards including “1991 Farm Family of the Year” from the Nampa Chamber of Commerce, 40-year Grower Award from the Nyssa-Nampa Beet Growers Association, and the Century Farm Award from the Idaho State Historical Society.  He was a longtime member of the First United Presbyterian Church in Nampa.

Maurice is survived by his sons Stephen (Paula) Woodard of Nampa and David Woodard of Houston, TX; granddaughter Valerie Forster of Nampa and her children, Dylan, Zach, and Evan ; and grandson Aaron (Maria) Woodard of Meridian and their children, Payne and Fred; his sister Roberta (Dick) Spangenberg of Meridian, and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his loving wife Elaine and his sister Carol Woodard.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the following people: Dr. Michael Dee and Dr. Christopher Keller for their continued medical care over the years;  Bonnie Lapidus for her continued home care and support over the years; and for the support provided by Keystone Hospice and Bridges In-Home Care during his last days.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to your favorite charity. 

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, a memorial service will be arranged at a later date. A Private burial will be held at the Kohlerlawn Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel.  An online guestbook is available at www.nampafuneralhome.com

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