Gerald A. “Gary” Mullins, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family, on April 11, 2025. Gary was 87 years old. Gary was born 4/1/1938 in Twin Falls, Idaho. His parents were Albert and Addie Mullins. Gary was the oldest of three siblings, Barbara (Fisher) and Ron Mullins.
Gary was instantly liked by everyone he met. His casual demeanor was especially endearing when combined with his humorous wit and charm.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, May 9th at 11:00 a.m. at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Weiser.
Gary is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Janice “Jan”, his son, Alan Mullins, and daughter-in-law, Rhonda, of Boise and daughter, Susie (Mullins) Peterson of Weiser.
Gary and Jan have six grandchildren, Stuart Mullins and his wife, Chelcie of Lander, Wyoming. Nick Mullins of Jerome, Addie (Mullins) Hagan, and her husband Zach Hagan of Boise, Andy Rybold and his wife Morgan of Reno, Nevada. Erin (Rybold) Kueffler and her husband, Ryan Kueffler of Meridian, Logan Pickers of Caldwell. Gary also has two Great Grandsons, Jax and Nash Mullins, of Lander Wyoming.
In September 2020, Gary and Jan lost their daughter, Jana (Mullins) Rybold, to Pancreatic Cancer. Jana was married to Ed Rybold who now resides in Kuna.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in Gary’s memory.
Gary was a student of the Twin Falls school district, graduating in 1956 as one of the top students in his class. In 1957, Gary enlisted in the US Army and was stationed at Fort Ord, CA. After two years of active duty, Gary served the next four years as a member of the Idaho Army National Guard where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
After returning home from his two-year active duty assignment, Gary found work as a baker for the Albertsons Grocery store in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1959. It was not long after that, Gary was promoted to Manager of his own bakeries in Pocatello, ID (1965), Reno, NV, (1966-67) and finally Caldwell, ID (1967-1971). In 1971, Gary and Jan decided to go out on their own and they purchased a small “in store” bakery in Weiser, Idaho. The Pioneer Bakery opened in the summer of 1971 and quickly earned a reputation as the place to go for scratch made donuts, pastries, bread, and cakes.
In 1974, Gary and Jan had the opportunity to move into a brand-new grocery store in Payette, Idaho, the R&B Food Town. It was there that the Country Fair Bakery opened, and it also was a huge success. The Country Fair Bakery was also a place where family and friends worked together, and it was later deemed the place where several lifelong friendships and even marriages started. Gary was always proud of that bakery and looked back on those days with pride and fondness.
As larger stores opened in the Ontario and Payette markets, it became financially necessary to move on from the bakery. Gary then took work in Alaska as a baker and a cook for West Wind Catering from 1980-1988, where he was assigned to camps on the North Slope, and Dutch Harbor.
Gary graduated from the Boise State Technical School in 1988 and earned certifications in General Automotive Mechanics and obtained a CDL and spent some time driving for May Trucking. Gary opened an auto repair shop in downtown Weiser in 1993. It was not long after that Gary decided that he wanted to make the transition to retirement, so he took a job as a school bus driver for the Weiser School District in the late 1990’s and drove the bus for three years before moving into full time retirement.
Once retired, Gary was finally able to devote all of his time to his favorite hobbies, camping and fishing, which he did at his favorite outdoor space, the Mann Creek Reservoir. Many of his family and friends would find Gary and his best pal, “Hershey”, his beloved dachshund, on the west bank of the reservoir, with his fishing boat, “Sponge Bob” and his red ATV, “Little Betsy”. Gary always had good music playing, a large stack of firewood, a full cooler, and plenty of lawn chairs for anyone who wanted to stop by his camp.
Gary loved his family very much and was proud of the lives they built for themselves.
As Gary would often say to all of us over the years, “the best thing in life is sitting in the shade with a cold beer in hand”. Cheers, Dad….to a life well lived.
