Stanley Albee

Stanley Albee, age 88, passed away July 19, 2026, at his home in Buhl. Stanley was born July 19, 1938, in Twin Falls. He entered and departed this world on July 19, a fitting coincidence for someone whose determination remained evident throughout his life.

Stanley was the son of Ralph and Esther (Deters) Albee. He grew up on the family farm in the Northview area of Buhl. He graduated from Buhl High School in 1956 and from the University of Idaho in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy. Later that same year, he married the love of his life, Betty Albee (Edmons) of Buhl.

He then began a career working for the federal government as a soil scientist. Throughout the 1960s he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation on irrigation components of large water projects, like the Garrison Dam Project in North Dakota. In 1970 he joined the Soil Conservation Service (NRCS) where he mapped soils across the western US. He drove his government pickup with a large hydraulic soil auger in the back onto private and public land where he sampled different soil types and recorded the results in ink on large aerial photographs.

During the UFO cattle-mutilation hysteria of the 1970s, the Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, newspaper published a front-page photograph of Stanley standing beside his government pickup beneath the headline, "Do Not Shoot This Man." Stanley appreciated the humor of the moment and delighted in telling the story.

His years mapping soils sparked a lifelong fascination with geology and the forces that shaped the Earth's landscapes over millions and billions of years. Equally important to him was understanding how those lands could be wisely managed and protected for future generations.

In 1981, Stanley retired from federal service and returned to the family farm near Buhl. Alongside traditional row crops, he raised U-pick black raspberries, cucumbers, and other vegetables. He also established a tree farm, growing Austrian pines and Colorado blue spruce that today mature across the Magic and Wood River valleys.

Over the course of his life, he and his wife, Betty, were members of various Methodist and Nazarene church congregations. One of Stanley's favorite bible verses, which he would often recite was "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth (Psalm 121)."

Stanley was a man of deep Christian faith and an equally devoted student of science. To him, the two were never in conflict but were complementary ways of understanding God's creation.

Friends and family knew Stanley as someone who could rarely pass an interesting rock outcrop, unusual tree, or productive field without stopping to wonder how it came to be.

He began life on the family farm, spent decades traveling the West studying and caring for the land, and ultimately returned home with his family to cultivate the farm where he was raised.

Above all, Stanley was a considerate neighbor, a faithful friend and a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Betty Albee, his sister, Ann Evans, his son, Robin Albee (Christine Zadra), his daughter, Angela Overturf (Ken Overturf), his granddaughter, Elizabeth Overturf (Jax Taylor) and his grandson, Zachary Overturf.

His funeral service will be held at the Twin Falls Nazarene Church on Saturday, July 25 at 2pm, with a meal and reception to follow. Funeral arrangements are under the care of Farmer Funeral Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Prairie Falcon Audubon Society 1467 Falls Ave W, Twin Falls, ID 83301.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Stanley's memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com.