As people streamed in for the memorial service for Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy James “Jim” Femrite Jr. last week, it was preternaturally quiet.
People were packed into every corner and doorway of the Boise City Police Association Clubhouse. American and Idaho flags hung still at half staff outside the building and provided a somber backdrop for those who couldn’t get inside. In the hall, one deputy played bagpipes as others folded an American flag.
Then the crowd of hundreds laughed for about an hour straight.
The chuckles and smiles were the enduring legacy for a man who might be known as “Guardian of the Foothills” to the public but was better known to his co-workers, friends and neighbors as somewhat of a prankster — a totally loyal friend who used a seemingly quiet and low-key persona to hide a mischievous streak.
Whether it was sneaking up behind golfers and yelling “hey” during a backswing; putting weight loss or hair loss pamphlets in the mailboxes of his co-workers at the sheriff’s office; driving up to a friend’s house on a dirt road in rural Nampa with the sirens and lights going on his squad car to delight his friend’s kids and freak out the neighbors; or “arresting” a buddy who was in the middle of a speaking engagement at a high school dinner, friend after friend painted a picture of a man who may have been quiet on the outside but was laughing on the inside. To be pranked by Femrite was a privilege, they said.
“He was a man of few words but made up for it with a big heart,” said Ken Smith, a retired Ada County Sheriff’s detective who joined the force with Femrite in the 1970s.
Smith said for all the fun, Femrite was a man who cared deeply about his family, friends and community and always thought of others before himself.
For instance, friend Lyle “Butch” Stilwill shared a story about how Femrite finished the remodeling job on his home when Stilwill was laid up in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. Stilwill said Femrite snuck him out of the hospital and took him to the house for a surprise.
Smith relayed a story about how Femrite spent years helping an older couple he met as an animal control officer in the 1970s. He did chores around their Boise-area farm, helped them pay bills and got them to a doctor’s appointment or two — in Cascade.
“It was such an honor to be (Femrite’s) friend ... Jim was like the sunrise. I always knew he would be there,” said Dan Douthit, a retired sheriff’s captain.
Femrite was dubbed “The Guardian of the Foothills” in the pages of the Idaho Statesman in 2002 by former Bureau of Land Management law enforcement ranger Lee Kliman as he described Femrite for a feature story.
Femrite spent more than two decades patrolling the hundreds of miles of trails and dirt roads of northern Ada County on a BMW motorcycle. His beat covered an area of about 117 square miles, from Idaho 21 to Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area to Idaho 55. He kept an eye on the Foothills and the people who recreated in them.
To his friends and family, Femrite also was a proud father, outdoorsman, hunter, former rodeo cowboy, traveler, workout enthusiast — and running nut.
Smith and others talked about how Femrite would buy running shoes for his friends— whether they wanted them or not — and how he enjoyed preaching the benefits of fitness.
In fact, Femrite still holds the POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) record for sit-ups, which he set in the late 1970s with 2,511. He doubled the previous record of 1,100 in under two hours.
“He only stopped because the guy who was counting got tired,” Smith said.
Femrite loved running so much he competed in triathalons, marathons and the Race to Robie Creek — and was always trying to get other people involved. That’s where the shoe gifting came in.
Stilwill said Femrite was trying to convince him to run Robie when he told him, “All you do is pick a cute girl, and follow her over the top” of the hill.
Femrite ran home from the sheriff’s office on his birthday every year, an 8-mile trip.
Family and friends say Femrite, 60, was fit and active right up until his sudden death from an aneurysm in January.
Femrite was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1951. His family moved to Medford, Ore., and then to Cheyenne, Wyo., by the time he reached the seventh grade.
Femrite moved to Idaho to attend Boise State University in the 1970s and stayed in the Treasure Valley after graduating with a criminal justice degree. He joined the sheriff’s office as an animal control officer so he still had time to participate in rodeo events, riding broncos bareback — and the occasional bull.
He moved to patrol in 1978, joined the sheriff’s SWAT team a short time later, and eventually achieved the rank of detective. He became a school resource officer at Kuna High School in 1987.
He began patrolling the Foothills in 1988 during the summers on a BMW motorcycle. He held that job until he retired in 2010.
Femrite married Vicki Smock in 1985, and Boone was born in 1989.
Friends say Jim and Vicki were a happy couple and dedicated parents. Jim and Boone became especially close after Vicki Femrite died from cancer in 2003. Smith said Femrite might even have been known to brag a time or two about Boone’s soccer exploits.
Femrite married Brenda Murdock last year after retiring from the sheriff’s office. The couple spent their short marriage “doing everything together,” including riding motorcycles, going to Boise State football and basketball games, and hunting.
Femrite is survived by Boone, Brenda, her children, and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.
In Remembrance is a weekly profile on a Treasure Valley resident who has recently passed away. To recommend a friend or loved one for an In Remembrance, email newsroom@idahostatesman.com.
