Larry Thorngren

Larry Thorngren, 85, of Boise passed away Sunday September 21st 2025, after a multi-year battle with the complications from a stroke.

Larry was born in Rigby Idaho in 1940 and spent his early school years there before moving to Moore Idaho and attending high school at Butte County where he graduated in 1958. He attended the University of Idaho, Ricks College, and Utah State University before marrying Connie Jensen, also from Moore, in 1960. Their daughter Cindy was born in 1961. After working at the INEEL x-raying piping and fuel elements in the various atomic reactors onsite, he returned to school at Idaho State University where he got his bachelors and then masters degree in Physical Education, minoring in Biology.

Moving to Boise in 1966 Larry started his science teaching and coaching career at Hillside Jr. High and then Capital High School. He spent his summers working for the Fish & Game on mule deer and bighorn sheep studies, including a thrilling summer capturing and then transplanting Canadian bighorn sheep into central Idaho, and then he stepped away from teaching to be a realtor. Following his divorce in 1974 he returned to teaching at West Jr High followed by eight years teaching Biology and Photography at Boise High School. He took sabbatical to visit Alaska and the call of the wild never completely left him after that. As he always left on his own terms the Boise School District hired him five different times. In his 25 years of teaching he also taught at Wood River, his alma-matter Butte County, Dubois, and Horseshoe Bend.

His early introduction to nature started with bird identification cards found as prizes in Carnation Corn Flakes cereal and his family’s Rigby farm, which had a 25 acre abandoned homestead and orchard housing a multitude of birds and small animals. Struck by lightning as a high schooler while working at the Mackay fish hatchery he was never afraid of being out and about in the wilderness, often alone even 200 miles from the nearest gas station on his way to see caribou and polar bears. He enjoyed taking his daughter on trips including a memorable lunch with bighorns in the middle of a lightning storm on Glacier National Park’s Highline Trail.

His hobby of taking pictures to educate his biology students became his cherished 2nd career and reason for travel throughout the West concentrating on wild animal and bird portraiture which he sold at art festivals and online. He loved national parks and was a great observer of animal habits so that instead of chasing after animals he was more often waiting for them to come to him. He had a lifetime affair with Bighorns and even talked a Canadian mining company into allowing him onto their land to take photos of the ones he nicknamed Monstero. Wolves also became a passion. On a trip to Dagger Falls with his grandson to check out the Pika colony he returned the howls of a wolf pack in the distance. Later that night some members of the pack showed up and howled right outside their camper. After seeing his images online the Bradford Exchange tracked him down for their first Yellowstone Wolves photo plates collection.

When not traveling Larry enjoyed staying in his travel trailer on his lot in Donnelly and raising strawberries. Following his stroke and while moving into assisted living he reunited with former late-1970’s girlfriend Marilyn Garcia. They joked with the staff that they had found each other again after 40 years. Reminiscing over camping and nature trips with Marilyn and her two, now grown up kids, along with raising strawberries on their adjoined patios were highlights of his last years.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Lydia Greenwood & Vernal L. Thorngren along with two brothers, Lynn & Dan. He is survived by daughter Cindy (son-in-law Walt Fennell), grandson Jered Fennell, and also by sisters, Judy Rindfleisch & Karen Wilburn, brother Kent, and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Idaho Conservation League, Defenders of Wildlife, or The Nature Conservancy.