John Ray Arrington

John Ray Arrington, 80, of Boise died on October 13, 2021, Cremation is under the direction of Cremation Society of Idaho. 

John passed away at home on October 13, 2021, after many great years of life.

John was born in Cherokee, Iowa on July 13, 1941, to Donald Ray Arrington and Edith Thelma Janet (Knudson) Arrington. He is survived by his sister Tracy Arrington. He graduated from Boise High School in 1959 and attended San Diego City College 1961 to 1966. He served in the US Navy from 1959 to 1963. He lived in various cities before settling in the Boise area for more than 20 years.

John took great pride working as a Swim Coach, the Outdoor industry for years for such companies as Gore Company the maker of Gore-Tex, Moonstone, and Gregory as a technical writer for their manuals. He also enjoyed working for Nelnet for many years in Boise where he met his very good friend Lora and husband Matt.

His personal interest varied from Backpacking, Hiking, Coaching, Surfing, Scuba Diving, Photography, Writing and most importantly Dogs. John was a very gifted writer and was published numerous times in magazines and the book Labrador Tales (A Celebration of America’s Favorite Dog). He was also a very talented photographer and has numerous photos in magazines and loved winning Blue Ribbons at the local State Fair. He always felt the best when he was with dogs and people who enjoyed dogs. He enjoyed running his Labs in Hunt Test and training them to be successful. One of his goals this past year was to get his youngest Yellow Labrador Rocky with an AKC Junior Hunt Test Title which he accomplished this past spring. As John got older and his mobility was limited, he still trained and provided most of his dog friends with thousands of photos of their dogs. We will always remember John through these wonderful photos.

He was a member of Ducks Unlimited, and Treasure Valley Hunting Retriever Club.

His family, friends and dogs loved him dearly.

No memorial of life is planned at this time.

In lieu of flowers, John would prefer donations be made to the Special Olympics in his name.