Myrna Christine Behunin Lupher was born in Rock Springs on Aug. 10, 1940, to Christena Isabella (Slagowski) and Orson Nathan Behunin. She passed away Monday, Sept. 29, at the age of 85, at her home on the Lupher Ranch in Mountain View, surrounded by family.
Myrna spent her early life in Burnt Fork on her family’s ranch. She attended school in McKinnon, Rawlins and Green River. Myrna considered college, but fell for James Wesley Lupher instead. They were married June 4, 1958, in Mountain View.
The newlyweds moved around Oregon and California for Jim’s work. Their first child and only daughter, Deborah Gail, was born in Mariposa, California. After moving back to Mountain View, they had four boys, Jeffrey Nathan, Wade Scott, James Wesley and John Clark.
Her whole life, Myrna’s main focus was her family and the ranch. The kids were involved in rodeo, sports, 4-H and FFA, which was enough to keep Myrna busy at home. At times, when ranching was tough and they needed extra money, Myrna worked out of the home, doing different jobs.
When she was 38, she decided she would like to go to beauty school. She went to the beauty college in Rock Springs and worked as a beautician for many years, owning her own shop for a while. Myrna was a cowgirl in every sense of the word and always loved riding horses and helping on the ranch.
As grandkids came along, Myrna was very involved with them and loved them all! They had many adventures and learned lots of life skills from Grandma Myrna.
When Myrna and Jim retired, they spent several winters in Overton, Nevada, where they made many friends and enjoyed their time in the sun. They loved going south and loved coming home even more.
Myrna lived a good, productive life. She left a legacy of hard work, feisty determination and love for her family and close friends. She is survived by three of her sons, Wade (Angie), Wes (Becky) and John (Tamara), all currently living on the family ranch in Mountain View.
She is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Orson and Christena Behunin; her husband, Jim; her daughter, Gail; son, Nate; and all of her siblings: Don, Shirley, Bonnie, Geri and Karl.
We would like to express heartfelt thanks to Becky Jones, aka Becky2, her “driver”/caretaker these past few years. Becky has been the epitome of kindness, reliability and patience, even when times were not easy.
We would like to thank Myrna’s friends and the staff at Mountain View Senior Center for tasty meals, card games and companionship. Thanks to all health care providers, the Uinta County Sheriff’s Office, Crandall’s Funeral Home, Rocky Mountain Rehabilitation, and Home Health for their kindness and dignity at the end of Myrna’s life.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. at the Fort Bridger Cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 11. Please join us for lunch at the Mountain View LDS Church afterward. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Mountain View Senior Center.
