Vern and Marilyn Duffin met at a church dance in Aberdeen the summer before Marilyn started attending Aberdeen High School as a sophomore. They dated through high school and were married in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Idaho Falls temple on Jan. 18, 1950. Their wedding day also brought with it a big snowstorm, so their reception was postponed for three weeks. When the weather cleared enough for a reception, everyone was there to have a fun evening of dancing and socializing. They are the proud parents of eight children. Kathy (Larry) Ames, Cheryl (Art) Meadows, Mark Duffin, Glen (Debbie) Duffin, Marie (Kevin) Fortney, Jeanine (Roger) Bliss, Jim (Becca Ricks) Duffin and Jeff (Chana) Duffin.

Kevin Johns also spent time in their home.

Vern and Marilyn always enjoyed having a house full of family.

They have 33 grandchildren, 64 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.

They farmed with Vern’s father Lorraine the first year of their marriage and the second year farmed Marilyn’s father Clyde’s farm in the Springfield area. In 1952 they started farming on their own. In those early years, Vern would work at the Simplot fertilizer plant in Pocatello in the winter until he could start farming in the spring. He farmed for 50 years in Pleasant Valley and developed over 1,500 acres of land in Lake Channel. Vern drilled many wells, domestic and irrigation. He was a hard worker and expected his children to do the same. He taught his eight children to work in the fields, move hand lines/wheel lines, drive trucks, drive tractors, along with riding on the diggers and hoeing beets at a very young age.

They built a cabin in Island Park in 1971. They enjoyed many family trips fishing, boating, snowmobiling and going to the Playmill Theatre with their family. Vern’s hobby was farming and Marilyn’s hobbies were her gardening, sewing and painting. She enjoyed her painting classes and has painted many beautiful landscape and floral paintings. Marilyn also enjoyed her friendships in the art guild.

Vern enjoyed flying and they were members of the “Flying Farmers.”

They both held many positions in the LDS church and enjoyed serving alongside their neighbors and friends.

Vern and Marilyn enjoyed their years in Eastern Idaho and retired in 2004 when they moved to Nampa, where they now reside.