Jeanette "Jean" Offermann

Jean Offermann was born Nov. 16, 1940, in Turtle Lake, N.D. She passed quietly on July 9, 2017, in Hamilton, Mont. Her parents were Ferdinand and Marie Klain. She was the youngest of eight children. Her siblings were Lenard, Albert, Eddie, Hilda, Elsie, Ruth and Edith. Jean grew up on the family farm in North Dakota, which instilled in her the value of a hard day’s work. Horses were on the farm for work, but she enjoyed riding them, too. Her father never allowed her to have a saddle because he said her feet would get caught in the stirrups. In high school, she was a cheerleader. After high school, she went to Bismarck to attend beauty college; upon completion of school, she moved to Rockford to work at a beauty salon. That is where she met her husband, Herb. They were soon married on May 25, 1959, in Rockford, N.D. An opportunity for a new life brought them to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where she continued to work as a beautician and also sold Avon. In 1965, they moved to the Sandpoint, Idaho, area and soon purchased land on Shingle Mill Road. Jean had many interests over the years, including riding motorcycles. Jean also enjoyed shooting archery competitively for many years. But her love of horses was always with her and Jean started her dream of a horse ranch, which eventually became the Rocking O Ranch. For years she continued to learn as much about horses and began sharing her knowledge and becoming a 4-H leader and instructor. Jean’s horse ranch began growing with a quarter horse stallion and eventually Herb bought her a paint stallion, Cowboy Bar. She spent countless hours training and showing horses, earning many honors. She felt one of her greatest achievements was when Cowboy Bar had earned the certificate of American Paint Horse Association champion. She took great pride in the people that she coached to ride. Her passion to help people started from the most basic of horse care to events such as cutting and jumping. She loved to see “her students” become confident and skilled horsemen, too. For many years, she would even go to the shows just to watch and support her students. For several years, she also judged horse shows; one of her favorite events was trail class. She was in the original Rodeo Club that developed the rodeo arena at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, which for years hosted PRCA rodeos and later revived the club to bring rodeos back to the area. Her love for the horse community also extending to painting flower pots around the fairgrounds and fundraising for continued improvements. Jean’s commitment didn’t just stop at the horse ranch. She was also involved in the Bonner County Farm Bureau, the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, Ag and Forestry, Bonner County Noxious Weed Board, Toastmasters, Idaho Horse Council, Sandpoint Rodeo Club, Kaniksu Reined Cow Horse Club, and was active in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sandpoint. Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Herb. She is survived by her children, Pam and Rick Gurley, Ondomo Offermann, Sandy Andrews, and Wendy and Steve Klappenbach; and seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. A Rosary will be Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and services will be Saturday, July 15, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Services will be officiated by Father Dennis Day. A brunch will be served afterward on Saturday by the St. Joseph’s Altar Society. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Joseph’s Altar Society.