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11/17/2018 - Winnemucca, NV, USA

(This is the obituary sent by his family. GB)

Frank Ramon Bidart, entered this world on September 20, 1922, 4 weeks premature on the Upper Leonard Creek Ranch. He passed from this life 96 years later on November 17, 2018 with his family by his side. He was born to French and Spanish Basque immigrants, Michel Bidart and Francisca Montero Bidart. His first language was Spanish and when he started school in a one room school house on Leonard Creek Ranch, he was introduced to the English language. He attended elementary school with his brothers, sisters and cousins. They were a wild bunch that he described as a little “brushy”; they definitely were not city material. He was the first brother to attend high school in Winnemucca. He enjoyed his time in Winnemucca with his Aunt Petra Larragueta and Uncle Fermin watching over him. He made long lasting friends and always spoke of his time as the manager of the basketball team coached by Albert Lowry. After school, he went back to Leonard Creek where he helped with the cattle operation. He enjoyed his time away from the ranch visiting cousins and friends in California and Northern Nevada.

In 1962, he moved to Soda Springs, Idaho, and managed the family ranch there. In 1963, he married the girl from Woodward Ranch that grew up around the mountain, Jo Bidart, and she then joined him in Soda Springs. While in Soda Springs, he made some long lasting and cherished friendships and endured many long and extremely cold winters. All three of their children, Frank, Andree and Robert, were born while on the ranch. The ranch was sold in 1971, and Frank and Jo decided to move their family across the state to Weiser, Idaho, where Frank worked for Howard and Ed Raney on a feedlot. Winnemucca and family kept drawing them home. In 1973, they moved back to Winnemucca, and he worked on farm machinery with his brothers, Louie and Leonard, at Bidart Brothers Machinery and helped at Leonard Creek when he could.

Two heart bypass surgeries, a year apart, forced his retirement in 1983. He continued to spend time at the shop tinkering around on machinery until it was sold in 1985. The sale then took the Bidart Brothers on the road for a little more than 20 years to help various ranchers get their equipment up and running. During his lifetime, Frank enjoyed many years of riding horseback in the mountains of Northern Nevada and Idaho and travelling through the backroads to go fishing and hunting. He loved helping, or maybe, more so supervising, at brandings and sheep markings and shearings, and volunteering with his brothers on the starting gates of the Mule Races. And, we can’t forget his good times serving steaks at Superior Livestock with the Dufurrena boys and his priceless time out at the Ranch with the Woodwards and the Nuffers. He chased kids to all their events and later did the same with grandkids, when he could. He spent an abundance of time with his best friends (his brothers) and enjoyed every opportunity to spend valuable time with family and good friends. He rarely missed a home Lowry basketball game. When he attended, you would find him seated at the top of the stands.

He was honored numerous times. He received the Nevada Cattlemen’s 100,000 miles award, Ranch hand of the year with his brother, Louie, Honorary Buckaroo by Lowry High School, VIP of the Lowry High Basketball team, Grand Marshall of the Basque Festival, Grand Marshall of the Labor Day Parade, and was inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame.

He worked hard, he enjoyed good stories and laughter with family and friends, he loved unconditionally and most of all, he lived an amazing life with purpose.He was preceded in death by his brothers, David, Mitch, Louie, Leonard, and Maurice Bidart, his sister, Elise Ware, and his grandson, Joshua Rose.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jo Bidart, his sister, Josie Anderson, his sons, Frank (Tracy) Bidart, Robert (Kelly) Bidart, daughter Andree (Carl) Rose, his “son” David Elizondo, grandchildren Dylan and Ali Miller, Vinnie and Marissa Depaoli, Angelo Bidart and Elise Rose, great granddaughter, Brooklyn Depaoli, numerous nieces and nephews and numerous Bidart, Montero, Larragueta, Rauscher, Etchart, Etchegoyen, Urrutia and Esparza cousins.

Services will be held Saturday, November 24, 2018, at 1:00 pm at the Boys and Girls Club, 1973 Whitworth Way, Winnemucca Nevada. Graveside services will follow the services and a light dinner and drinks will be provided to allow everyone to continue to celebrate Frank.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Lowry High School for the Joshua Rose Memorial Scholarship, Acct 551, c/o Andree Rose, 3289 Great Basin Avenue, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445.