Leona Ruth McCaulou

   Leona McCaulou, age 77, passed away April 1, 2024. She was born to Lester and Elizabeth Bayes on June 18, 1946, in New Plymouth, ID. She joined 5 older siblings Ella Baxter, Lester Bayes, Walter Bayes, Virginia (Bayes) Waters, Dorothy (Bayes) Rogers. Then two younger siblings joined the family, David Bayes, and Hazel (Bayes) Brown.

   Her parents purchased 40 acres of sagebrush outside of New Plymouth, ID, where Leona was born in a tar paper shack which is currently a hayfield. She shared memories of helping clear the land where a house and dairy barn were built. Her life was full of adventures. Leona’s brother, David Bayes, shared how she was very protective of her little brother and sister. While they were living in the old house, David and Leona went to gather firewood. They came upon a “Bear,” behind the house and it started to come after them very fast. David said, “I’ll kill it, after all I am the boy!”. Leona threw him down and started running at the bear. They both hit it at about the same time and found themselves on the ground with a large piece of tar paper that had blown off the house. Leona spoke of milking cows with her siblings. They would carry the milk cans the ½ mile to the school bus stop for them to be picked up.

   She attended New Plymouth Grade School and High School. While in school her protective nature of her younger siblings appeared again. She made it a point to beat up those who tormented her little brother, David. In 8th grade she beat the boys in her grade at arm wrestling. During High School, she was one of the girls who led the cause to be able to wear jeans on Fridays, which she later expressed regret for it. She wasn’t popular in school but got good grades and enjoyed playing basketball. She also enjoyed spending time with friends. Leona graduated in 1964.

   In the Summer they would milk cows in the early morning and go to pick fruit in the orchards. She was a hard worker even at the age of ten when she picked a ton of cherries in ten days. One of the highlights she looked forward to was spending time with her Dad when he came home for the weekends from working on the railroad.

   Shortly after High School she had some hard times and made some decisions that left her as a young single mother. She met Robert McCaulou while she was working at Ore-Ida. They were married about six weeks later, on March 9, 1968. They rented a house in Emmett before purchasing a house on Hwy. 52 between Emmett and New Plymouth where 3 more children joined the family. They sold that place and started the purchase of her birthplace on the outskirts of New Plymouth, ID.

   Bob and Leona accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour during this time. They lived in a 20x30 house on the farm where 4 more children joined the family. Also, during this time, they felt led by God to homeschool their children. This led to a court battle with the New Plymouth School District. The court ruled in favor of them homeschooling and God gave the victory. She continued to homeschool all her children. Her sacrifice and efforts will always be appreciated by her children.       Over the years they worked on an addition to the house by hand digging a cellar and adding on to it. They got it finished by the time the tenth child arrived. Leona enjoyed farm life. Caring for animals, gardening, and camping were only a few of them that she enjoyed. One of her highlights of the year was the family hunting trip in the fall. She enjoyed anything that included time as a family. In 1990 the house burned down. The family enjoyed both Grandma Bayes (her mom) and Grandma McCaulou (Bob’s mom) living with them. They also opened their home up to children at different times throughout the years. They traveled to visit all their children out of state when they could. Leona suffered for the last three years with congestive heart failure and finally after a short hospital stay at the end of March, Leona went home to be with Jesus on April 1st at 4:25 pm.

   She is preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Elisabeth (Stotts) Bayes; her brother, Lester Bayes; sisters, Lucille Baxter, Virginia Waters, Dorothy Rogers; and four grandchildren

   Leona is survived by her husband, Robert McCaulou; her children, Rosie (Frank) Morris, Robert (Grace) McCaulou, Diana (Neil) Hall, Willard (Katharine) McCaulou, Cindy (Cameron) Mahler, Samuel (Julie) McCaulou, Tommy McCaulou, Joshua (Rebecca) McCaulou, Minnie (Wisly) Dor, Clifford (Kristy) McCaulou; 60 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.

   A Viewing will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the Potter Funeral Chapel, Emmett, Idaho.

   A Funeral Service will be held 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Emmett Church of the Nazarene, Emmett, ID. Graveside services will follow at the Park View Cemetery, New Plymouth, ID.

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