Jannine Fairchild
October 26, 2020
Jannine was born in Republic, Washington, on August 29, 1947, to Floyd Fairchild and LaRae Butler. The oldest of 4 sisters, Jannine grew up in Oakley, Idaho, and graduated from Moscow High School in 1966. She met her eternal companion, James Lucius Barrus, Jr., and they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on August 17, 1967.
Jim and Jannine settled in Moscow, Idaho, and Jannine took great joy in making their first home out of a small one-room camper trailer. She had an amazing talent for creating beautiful and loving spaces for her family out of humble circumstances. While living in Moscow, their first son and daughter were born. A daughter was born during their short time in Arizona. The family eventually settled in Boise, and two more children, a son and a daughter, and . then their last daughter was born. Jim and Jannine did divorce, yet she was looking forward to reuniting with him eternally.
Jannine had a creative gift. Her many talents included making porcelain dolls, beautiful scrapbooks, and her childrens clothing. Some of their fondest memories include matching dresses, MC Hammer pants, polyester swimming suits, and beautiful formals. Crafting would not begin to describe her talent of making things beautiful and making beautiful things.
Anyone who knew Jannine has become familiar with her label making skills. She was the queen of organization, and it was one of her passions. If you needed to find something, it was clearly labeled. This skill was useful in her professional career as an administrative assistant for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Boise and Oakley, Idaho, offices. More recently, her career focused on her grandchildren whom she loved to spoil with her time and attention.
Jannine was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she served in many capacities. When describing her faith, Jannine often said blessed are the peacemakers, and this was a quality fondly recalled by her children.
Our lives were richly blessed by her presence, and there is no question that a void now exists in this earthly life without her. Her generosity and kindness were always present and the love she had for her family was never in doubt. She loved her dogs, music (especially if her children were playing and singing), flowers, and coloring.
She is survived by her children, Craig (Andrea), Ann (Terry), Jennifer (Gary), Benjamin (Bridget), Steffany, and Kimberlyn; 19 beloved grandchildren who will miss her very much (and they promise to take care of her fur baby, Itsy). She is also survived by her sisters, Shannon Chapman, Lynn Moore, and Ranae Kopet. She was preceded in death by her eternal companion, James L. Barrus, Jr., and her mother, LaRae Adams.
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| Me |
Kids:
Six children and two grandchildren
I have had a wonderful time reading the bios of classmates and wish I could come to the reunion, but it is not possible. I would like to share a bit about me and my family and thank all of you who have worked so hard on the website and preparations.
First of all I would like to share that inside this old woman there is a young one asking, "what in the world happened and when." Time has flown by so quickly.
After graduation, I attended the U of I and then in August of 1967, I married Emery Barrus' older brother, Jim. We started a family right away and I chose to stay at home with my children. Craig and Ann were born while we were still in Moscow and Jennifer joined us in Mesa, AZ. We really enjoyed Arizona, but could not get used to the weather and being so far from family. We moved back to Idaho and Boise in 1975 where Ben was born the same week we purchased the home that we lived in for 20 years.
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| Jen, Ben, Ann, Steffany, Craig, and Kimberlyn |
In 1986, what I at the time thought was the biggest disaster of my life, turned out to be one of the biggest blessings. Kimberlyn was born and at first we called her MAC for "middle aged carelessness". She was also called the "oops" baby and the caboose, but now I just refer to her as my bonus baby. But a real disaster did happen and after 25 years of marriage and a great deal of soul searching, I could no long remain married to someone who was bi-polar and unwilling to face it. I have been single for 12 years now.
I work for the Bureau of Reclamation (within the Dept of Interior) in the Regional Office in Boise. I am the Office Manager for the Facility Operations and Maintenance division. For those who may not know, we take care of the dams on the rivers. Nobody likes us because there is not enough water to go around and so we are always the "bad guys." Fishermen, environmentalists, power plants, Native Americans, and farmers all view us as the enemy. Despite that, I really enjoy the work and find it fascinating. Southern Idaho would be a desert if it were not for the dams. I have helped survey Jackson Lake Dam and seen the breathtaking Tetons. I have helped take groups on tours of the dams of eastern Idaho and Yellowstone. I have been on detail at the Commissioner's Office in Washington DC and seen the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. I've given a presentation to a group of employees from all over the US at a conference in Page, AZ. I have had some wonderful experiences and learned a great deal.
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| BJ and Boden |
My children and grandchildren fill my life. Craig is 37 and lives in Seattle with his Andrea. By his sophomore year in high school he had reached his full height of 6'71/2"--he sets up stage and sound equipment and is a gentle giant. Ann is married to Terry Moore and has just finished her master's degree in counseling. Jen got her degree in marketing and works for Countrywide Mortgage. Ben is finishing his master's degree in accounting and is married to Bridget. They are the parents of the joy's of my life...BJ (6) and Boden (3). Stef just married her sweetheart who is a contract worker in Afghanistan and we worry about him a lot. I just took my baby to college last month and I am feeling the effects of "empty nest" syndrome. I really miss her.
My life has been full and blessed and although I have a bad back (degenerative disk disease) and weigh more than I should, I don't have a lot to complain about. After all I have a nice home that I share with my Mom, a dog who is a pure bred cockadaucarainian (at least those are the three breeds we recognize), and three cats. Who could ask for more.
Best Wishes to all and thanks for the good memories of Moscow High School.
Jannine