Gary Robert Biehn passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Rigby, Idaho.  He was born to Carl and Maxie Biehn in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 11, 1946.  He spent most of his childhood living in Salt Lake City on Pugsley Street next to his Grandma and Grandpa Neilson.  Grandpa Neilson was a great influence in his life and inspired his love of animals, farming, and woodworking.  In his later teens, his family moved to Bountiful, Utah. He continued going to school at West High where he played in a folk singing group called the Troubadours with his brother, Carl and his friends Dick Baggett, Mike Westberg and his cousin Terry Hamblin. He also played in the Neilson Family Orchestra which performed mostly at Senior Citizen Centers.  He loved hunting, fishing, and working on cars with his brothers.  He graduated from West High School in 1964.  He loved sports cars and owned an Austin Healy, as well as a Porsche. To transport his bass violin, he strapped it to the back of his small sports car.

On November 23, 1966, he married Terry June Hill in the Salt Lake Temple.  He served in the US Army as a Private for 4 years, most of which was spent in the Army Reserve.  Their daughter, Stephanie, was born 2 years later followed by their son, Jeremy 3 years after that.  They moved to West Bountiful in 1974 where they raised their children.  Gary used the skills he learned from his grandfather to build a barn and raise animals. He spent time riding horses, especially his favorite, Smokey.

Gary worked for the Salt Lake City Water Department for 25 years.  During this time, he completed the Police Academy and served as a Canyon Patrol Watershed Officer, which was his favorite assignment.  He worked weekends as a West Bountiful Police Officer.  He also did undercover work for the police, which he loved.  He belonged to a mountain man club, made his own buckskins, and cut lodge pole pines to make his own tepee poles.  Gary continued his career as a musician and played in many bands, the longest of which was a Country-Western group called The Mountain Boogie band, where he played the bass guitar.

After Terry's untimely death in 1987, Gary met and married Cheryl Bailey June 6, 1988. They moved to Rigby, Idaho a couple of years later, where they have lived ever since. With Cheryl, Gary had many adventures including crewing for hot air balloons, building a cabin in Island Park from scratch, remodeling a modular home into a cabin in Rigby, flyfishing, and spending time in the mountains.  But ultimately the place that made them happiest was being in the temple.  They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on May 5, 2012.

Gary loved his grandchildren and was affectionately known as "Tractor Grandpa" because he took the kids for rides on his antique tractor.  He taught them to shoot pellet guns in a range he set up and cooked hotdogs for them over the firepit in his backyard.

Gary always loved being in the outdoors, whether it was hunting and fishing, or in his yard where he was an expert gardener.  He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served in his ward in various callings.  He loved hosting family and friends at his home and was famous in his ward for "Pie Night."  He always had a dog (or two) at his side and raised horses, cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits and fish during his life.

Gary always had a smile and a joke to share which made all who knew him love him.  He will be greatly missed by all.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, his daughter, Stephanie Richardson (Clark), son, Jeremy Biehn (Mandy), stepdaughter, Heather Sannes, stepson, Jason Bailey (Christy), 10 grandchildren and six of his seven brothers, Carl Biehn (Mary Jane), Tim Biehn (Kathy), Ted Biehn (Karen), Russ Biehn (Janalynn), Max Biehn (Cindy), and Scott Biehn (Vicky).  He was preceded in death by his wife, Terry,  his brother, Joel, his father and his mother.

Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the Labelle 2nd Ward Chapel, 4223 East 528 North, Rigby, Idaho 83442,  with Bishop Taylor officiating.  The family will receive friends Wednesday morning from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services.

Gary's Funeral Program

Services can be viewed at: https://my.gather.app/remember/gary-biehn