THE MINER
Timber
JULY 23, 2014 |
1C
Days
July 25 & 26 Bull of the Woods
Lifelong resident of Priest River BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
PRIEST RIVER - It’s not that unusual for somebody to live their entire life in one town but Darrel Wear, the 2014 Bull of The Woods, has lived on the same property his entire life. “I’ve lived here 72 years,” Wear said. He grew up at the family place along Highway 57 just north of the high school in Priest River. Wear and his twin brother, Don, live in houses on the family lot. While not identical twins, they do bear a striking resemblance. “A lot of people can’t tell us apart,” Wear said. His wife, Connie, can verify that. In the past, sometime even she mixed them up. “A lot of people tell me I have two husbands,” she jokes.
MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING
Darrel Wear is the 2014 Bull of the Woods. He is pictured here at his home in Priest River, where he has lived his entire life.
BONNER SAW & POWER EQUIPMENT
682 High St. • Priest River, ID • 208-448-1522
Tuesday thru Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm • Saturday 8:30am to 2:00pm
Wear was selected Bull of the Woods for this year’s Timber Days celebration. Wear certainly qualifies for the honor. He started working at the Carney Post Yard at age 14, along with his brother Don. “We’d pile posts in railroad cars,” he says of his weekend and summer job. After he graduated high school, Wear joined the Army. He served two years, including a stint in Vietnam. He worked in supply and transportation at Ft. Lewis, but soon found himself transferred to Oklahoma for artillery training and on to Vietnam. He ended up refueling aircraft at a small airport. Wear says he was fortunate to not have been injured in the conflict. “A week after I left, they blew up our depot,” Wear SEE BULL, 3C