Lynn Albert Eichelberger, 87, died Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, of congestive heart failure, in the home he built more than fifty years ago. Lynn was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on Jan. 17, 1919, the oldest son of H. Carl Eichelberger and Frances Elizabeth Mock Eichelberger, both children of Idaho pioneers. He lived on his own terms and maintained his independence and dignity until the very end, no matter what the struggle. Lynn grew up on 26th Street, in Boise´s North End, and attended Lowell Elementary School. He spent his childhood climbing in the foothills, riding the electric trolleys, swimming in the canals and at the old Natatorium, riding his bike, and working, working, working. He and his three brothers, who were all born within a five year span, along with their cousin Eva Louise, stayed close all their lives. During his senior year, his family moved to Kuna, and so he and his brother, Don, commuted into Boise High School, to graduate in 1937. After graduation, he worked on the Stroebel farm in Kuna, where he met his future wife, Esther Stroebel. After a couple miserable years milking cows and working on various farms around Kuna, he learned that he never wanted to become a farmer, and moved to Los Angeles to work at Lockheed, building airplanes for the military during World War II. He married Esther in 1941 and brought her to Los Angeles, where their first daughter, Ruth, was born. He was drafted into the Army, served in the Pacific, and was wounded during a brutal battle on Ie Shima in Japan´s Ryukyu Islands. He was awarded the Purple Heart, among other ribbons and medals, but didn´t actually receive them at the time. He was given them much later, however, when Congressman Butch Otter and Jim Adams researched and obtained the awards and pinned them on him in a special ceremony on June 24, 2006. After he recuperated from his war injuries, he moved Esther and Ruth to the Boise Bench, where he lived the rest of his life. There, two more daughters, Linda and Carol, were born. He and Esther were very involved in their daughters´ lives, their education, interests, and activities. He designed and built their house and taught them skills and qualities they would need throughout their lives: hard work, self-reliance, thrift, honesty, and dependability. Esther died in 1976. Lynn was a lifelong Baptist, attending the Baptist Temple as a child and Whitney Baptist as an adult, until the last years of his life. He volunteered during the building of the new sanctuary in the 1960s, and worked months to tape the drywall seams to perfection. Lynn´s real passion was flying. His Uncle Glen gave him flying lessons, and he began flying Piper Cubs. We all loved flying around the area, dipping in over Grandma and Grandpa´s, flying out to Emmett for the Cherry Festival, anything to spend the afternoon in the clouds. Among his commercial projects, he flew cargo transport planes cross country for Braniff Airlines. He kept his pilot´s license until his fifties. He took any opportunity to fly, even if only in a hot air balloon or gliding over the Sawtooths near Hailey. He also built, flew, and crashed u-control and radio-controlled planes. He worked in the Roadway Design Section at Idaho Transportation Department for more than 30 years, retiring in 1978. He was instrumental in designing Interstate 80 in eastern Idaho and rebuilding roads and bridges after the break of the Teton Dam in 1976. He loved fast cars, but only Fords, and motorcycles, and he used to drag race out south of Gowen Field. He loved riding motorcycles and logged more than 83,000 miles on his last BMW alone. He and his brother Frank rode together to motorcycle meets in South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, Wisconsin, California, and Nevada, the last time when he was in his eighties. Virginia Blakeslee Hambley, a church friend, brought a roasted turkey over one night, conveniently leaving the roasting pan. When he returned the pan to her, he began a new romance. They felt like "sweet sixteen" again and married in 1977. They honeymooned in Canada and traveled extensively in their retirement, visiting friends and relatives in every part of the United States and taking a Caribbean cruise. Marriage to Virginia also brought even more family, and he loved attending her family gatherings. He also added two more daughters and finally a son, as well as more grandchildren. Virginia was his love and his angel, and she cared for him at home during the last difficult years. Through the combination of his willpower and sheer determination and her strength and nurture, he was able every day, amazingly even 'til the very last day, to be dressed, have his comb, knife, and wallet in his pocket, and walk to the kitchen table to eat his meals. Family was very important to Lynn, and he visited and stayed in touch with relatives all over the country. Survivors include his wife, Virginia; his daughters, Ruth Card; Linda Heller and her husband, Russ; Carol Barton and her husband, Dean, all of Boise; grandchildren Shawn and Robin Card, Jordan Heller, and Brigette Teets, all of Boise, and Amber Prebble, of Longmont, Colo.; great-grandchildren: Kieron and Edward Teets, Dylan Gingrich, Abigail Card, and Baby Prebble to be born in January. He is also survived by stepchildren, Judy Hambley, Gary Hambley and his wife Jeannine, and Jan Smith; by Bonnie Robinson, who was like a daughter to him; by step-grandchildren, Amy Henry and Stormy Goodwin; by step great grandchildren, Cian and Carter Henry, and Alex, Elise, and Graham Goodwin; by his brothers Don, Ralph, and Frank and his cousin, Eva Louise, and their families, and many, many cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Esther; and his son-in-law, Paul Card. The family would especially like to thank Dr. Rodney Herr, the surgeon who performed Lynn´s by-pass surgery in 1971 and thought this new procedure might extend his life by an additional five years, and to Dr. Charles Rasmussen, his most recent heart specialist, and his warm and caring staff, who saved Dad after a severe heart attack in 1996, and then many times since, and extended his life another ten years. Visitation will be Tuesday, Oct. 10, 5 to 7 p.m., at Cloverdale Funeral Home. Graveside services will be at Kuna Cemetery, Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m. A celebration of Lynn´s life will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Cloverdale Funeral Home. A reception will follow. If you would like to make a contribution in Lynn´s name, please do so to a charity of your choice.