Henry Clair Whitmore

Henry Clair Whitmore left this world Monday, January 13, 2025, after a courageous eight-day battle with various sicknesses, while being cared for by those he loved the most, including his beloved daughter, Connie, and wonderful partner, Glenda. He was just shy of 85.

Clair was born to Cecil and Constance (Connie) Whitmore on February 27, 1940, in Ashton, where he spent a vast majority of his childhood. He was the first of eight children and took great pride in his big brother role up until the day his journey here ended.

Helping to round up his siblings over the years readied him for the hard work and dedication he showed to his children. In 1958 he welcomed his first son, Tony Lynn. In 1969 he was introduced and quickly married to Sharon Foster; Sharon entered the marriage with son Gregg Bradley, who Clair immediately and joyfully adopted. They often commented that it was an “extra special bond” because they got to choose each other. In 1970 he welcomed the baby, Connie Ellen. Though she may have been a total surprise, he loved every minute of her being his little girl.

Two weeks after Connie’s arrival, Clair followed his lifelong dream with a $250 loan from Grandpa Foster to open Clair’s Diesel and Automotive in Menan, Idaho. Many people have fond memories of “the shop” from their childhoods through to their adult lives. He employed many friends and family and made even more of them over the years. People fondly remember “shop lunches”, hot coffee and quick visits “just to say hi”. Some remember the stool that travelled from building to building, and greasy fingerprints on invoices when they picked up their vehicle. A handful of people were lucky enough to also get lunch dates to Hardy’s or DB’s, where it felt like “Cheers” when you walked in; it’s probably no surprise to mention that Clair was quite generous to those that got that treatment, enjoying leaving a hefty tip and picking up the tab for others.

Clair’s grandchildren truly idolized him and all that he embodied. They spent many years sweeping up his shops, twisting wrenches on the cars he helped them purchase and fix, teaching them to cook, spending the night sleeping on itchy buffalo hides, and the crisp $50 bill every Christmas Eve. Those childhood memories soon transitioned to being made with the great-grandchildren, while the grands shifted to adult conversations and coffee at the table or drinks around the fire with him.

Fourteen years ago, Clair was incredibly fortunate to have met his life partner Glenda Benedict. They shared a love that came so naturally and beautifully, it was impossible not to appreciate their connection and the silly antics they shared. Glenda was wonderful through all the good times, and even more so through the rough ones. They spent many hours working together in the shop, out in the yard, planting and harvesting gardens, and taking up various hobbies together. Clair often chuckled and would ask people where “his driver” was when Glenda wasn’t in the room with him, among many other comical jokes they shared. He truly loved the life he got to live with her and enjoyed every moment of the years they spent together. With their partnership Clair gained many bonus family members: a daughter, Carla, son, Nathan, and a handful of grand and great-grandchildren whom he loved and deeply enjoyed over the years.

Family get-togethers, annual holidays traditions, and summer cookouts will be vastly different for all of us – that gruff voice and belly laugh, perfectly-timed grandpa advice, crazy stories, helpful knowledge, eye winks across the table, and fabulously cooked meat with ice cold beers will be things we will all sorely miss for many years to come.

Clair was a big man with a heart of equal size. He loved hard, and made sure you knew it when he did. He was always well dressed, and smelled great. He never missed an opportunity to pair his buttonups with the perfect pair of boots, a flashy belt buckle and his gold elk rings. To know him was to know he was bold, in the way he dressed, how he carried himself and the things he said.

He was an avid hunter and traveler through the years; he loved telling stories of his hunts, especially if they were spent with someone he loved. You would think he would have bragged more about being a multi-record holding hunter, but he very rarely mentioned that fact. To pay for many of his trips he offered up being the camp cook, which he would also do during his many years doing ski patrol. He made lifelong friendships on the ski hill and in the mountains.

Many of his hunting stories included his son Gregg. Some of us had heard them dozens of times but never made comments on that. In 2004, Clair lost Gregg and spent the rest of his life with a large piece of his heart missing. Through that deep loss, Clair and Connie built a relationship that was profoundly cherished by both of them. As he neared the end Connie held his hand and made sure to remind him that Gregg would be waiting on the other side – we believe it to have been an incredibly joyous reunion between the two of them and hope that there will be new hunting stories when we’re all reunited.

Clair is survived by many, he leaves quite the legacy, and we’ve felt the ripples as people have poured in to show their love, support and send condolences during this time. Our family’s hearts are sad and broken with the loss of the pillar of our family, the mentor, our gentle giant. These mornings seem so quiet without those silly GIF text messages.

He is survived by his daughter, Connie (Jason) Allen; Partner, Glenda Benedict; Bonus children, Carla Spanbauer and Nathan (Kathy) Carnes; Grandchildren, Colton (Coral) Whitmore, Brittany (Nathan) Hulse, Austin Hope, Kyle (McKayla) Whitmore, Taytumn (Brock) Kessinger, Danielle (Andrew) Hall, Shianne Whitmore, Chelsey (Josh) Allen, Sydney Spanbauer, Ashley Spanbauer and Brandon Wale; Siblings, Gary (Ada) Whitmore, Patricia (Sam) Smith, Jolene (Ellis) Muir, and Pam Leonard; and 17 cherished great-grandchildren.

Proceeding him in death were his parents, three sisters and his sons, Tony, Gregg and (former) son-in-law James Hope.

Our family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the ICU/IMU on Floor 2 at Idaho Falls Community Hospital. What a kind, compassionate and caring group of individuals that we were met with during such a trying time in our lives. Thank you for the love and professionalism you showed us during our time there, we could never repay our appreciation for all of you. And to East Idaho Hospice for their wonderful care, if even just for a short time.

Please join us: A viewing will be held at Eckersell’s Funeral home in Rigby, Idaho, on Friday January 17, 2025 from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Eagles Lodge (635 Hemmert Ave, Idaho Falls, ID.) Saturday January 18, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.