Falls Journal
From the
International
Former Boise Cascade chairman and chief executive officer John B. Fery has died following complications from acute leukemia.
Surrounded by family, Fery passed away at his California home on Feb. 11, just days before his 87th birthday.
According to a news release, Fery was perhaps best known for his deft turnaround of the Fortune 500 company during its diversification years.
The company experienced the largest write-offs in business history in the early 1970s.
Fery’s response was to focus the company on its core forest products businesses, which returned the company to profitability and place Fery as CEO.
He graduated from the University of Washington and earned his MBA from Stanford University in 1955.
He joined Boise Cascade in 1957 and was an executive for the company during the 1960s.
He became president and CEO in 1972, and remained at the helm until his retirement in 1995.
Fery also served on the boards of some of the world’s largest corporations, including Hewlett-Packard Co., Boeing, and Union Pacific Railroad.
Fery was a noted philanthropist, contributing millions to organizations and institutions ranging from the arts to universities to the Nature Conservancy.
He was an avid outdoorsman and helped establish the YMCA Camp at Horsethief Reservoir in Cascade, Idaho.
The Fery family issued the following statement:
“John may have been best known as the chairman and CEO of Boise Cascade Corp. but he also was a dedicated philanthropist.
“John’s life is an example of what a person can accomplish with hard work and determination. His humble beginnings as an only child raised by his single mother provided the backdrop for his motivation to achieve great success.”
Fery is survived by his wife of 63 years, Delores C. Fery; and their three sons, Brent, Bruce, and Mike Fery; and daughters-in-law, Sandy, Monica, and Patty Fery.
He also is survived by his grandchildren, Margo, John Michael and his wife, Maryclaire, Blake, Camille, Paige, and Dominick Fery.
Services were held Feb. 18 in Boise, Idaho.
