Jeffrey Lynn Ingram

May 3, 1955 - May 9, 2023

Jeff Ingram, of Greybull, Wyo., and longtime former resident of Victor, Idaho, unexpectedly passed away peacefully in his home on May 9, 2023. Jeff is survived by his loving wife, two children, nine horses, three dogs and a cat. He was 68.

Jeff was born on May 3, 1955, in San Bernardino, Calif., at Loma Linda Hospital to Richard and Audrey Ingram. As a kid he attended Baptist church with his mom, had a bicycle paper route, was an ocean sea scout and body surfer, loved playing baseball, and eating fresh lemons and watermelon with his dog Toddy. He also enjoyed an occasional BB gun fight with his best friend against the neighbor kids. Growing up in the city and knowing it was not cut out for him, at age 14 he began working at White Pine Resort in Pinedale, Wyo., taking country movie stars Rex Allen and Slim Pickens on pack trips by horseback high up into the Wind River Range. He continued working in Pinedale every summer until high school graduation. Shortly after high school, he boarded a bus from California to North Texas Farrier School and graduated as a farrier on Nov. 23, 1974.

Not too long after, Jeff moved to Victor, Idaho to help his older brother Jon build houses amongst the Grand Tetons. He really enjoyed being in the Tetons and around the genuine people the valley offered and decided to stay. When the Teton Dam broke in 1976, Jeff learned how to weld and helped with the dam repair. Life continued and Jeff grew into an expert carpenter building custom homes, keeping everyone’s horses shod and trimmed and welding all over Teton Valley, Idaho and Jackson Hole, Wyo. After a long hard day's work, occasionally he would hit a local watering hole, and eventually found his life mate at the Cowboy Bar sitting on a saddle in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on July 14, 1984. Followed by a night of swing dancing, breakfast at the Elk Horn solidified he wasn’t letting her go later they got married and danced to the famous Sons of the Pioneers at the Silver Dollar Bar inside The Wort Hotel.  

Aside from work and marriage, throughout the years Jeff took pride in breeding mountain horses with the strongest feet and best stamina. From imprinting them as newborn foals, to raising them all the way to full grown adults, and into their senior years. In addition, his son was born in 1987 and Jeff wasn’t shy when it came to teaching him everything he knew. To name a few, riding horses, driving fast, playing baseball, how to swoon the ladies, and how to swing a hammer. Which by the way, resulted unintentionally in a whole box of nails driven into his front porch. Jeff also loved beating on the drums and played with several country and rock and roll bands at the Timberline, Knotty Pine, and Stagecoach. When he wasn’t drumming, he was the best swing dancer on the floor. He’d also beat you in the line to the Jackson Hole Elk Antler Shed Hunt, and if he didn’t beat you in line, he’d fly past you on his best horse.

In 2008 Jeff and his wife moved to Greybull, Wyo., with all their animals, and even added Black Angus cattle into the mix on their farm. He continued initially with construction and transitioned into working for 14 years as a lab tech for MI-Swaco testing bentonite samples to ensure they met specification. Just like in Victor, Jeff loved his wood stove, and he would cut and stack all his own logs to keep the house warm. He enjoyed eating homemade applesauce cake and watching his favorite western show "Gunsmoke." Jeff had a knack for growing fruits and vegetables and loved producing fresh fruit and green salads. After he retired, he liked to hop on his four-wheeler to wrangle his horses, or just go check on them.

Jeff was a cowboy from beginning to the end. He loved being on horseback in the dense-treed high country, elk hunting to fill his freezer. You’d often see him eating rare steak over the fire directly out of his cast iron skillet. Jeff had the ability to solve any problem thrown at him, typically with resources he already had. He was a skilled improviser and could turn junk into gold. He loved to learn and always had a keen sense for teaching himself and others. Jeff was always an extremely hard worker with a relentless work ethic. He loved cracking jokes, storytelling, and laughing. He was always very brave, had a heart of gold, caring, and always prepared. Most importantly, he was not afraid to tell it like it was and made sure to adjectively insert the F word as emphasis in the point he was making. More than once in one sentence if needed.

At this time, with Jeff passing so unexpectedly, his family is deciding how to honor and celebrate his life. We’d like to thank Haskell Funeral Home for their wonderful empathic help. If you’d like, please share a memory of Jeff on their website: https://www.haskellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Jeffrey-Ingram