Retired businessman and rancher, Ned Eyre, died at his home in Washoe Valley.
Descended from two pioneer families, Ned grew up in Atherton, Calif., the town named for his great-grandfather. He was the son of Edward E. Eyre and Suzanne deLenclos Eyre. He attended Thacher School and Taft School, graduated from Yale in 1949, and served in the U.S. Army 1950-1952.
Ned had a long and interesting career, beginning with the invention and successful marketing of the first long-burning fireplace log - Pine Mountain Log - in San Francisco. He formed Western Eleven States Marketing Corporation, which successfully utilized unique methods of marketing consumer products to the supermarket trade. After selling these businesses, Ned realized his dream of becoming a rancher and moved his family to Eureka, Nevada, in 1964 to raise crops and cattle. He saw the need to develop new strategies for marketing alfalfa hay. With help from the University of California, Davis, he developed a formula for selling hay to the dairy trade on a "TDN - Total Digestive Nutrients" food-value basis. This is the method currently in use today.
Ned cared deeply for his friends, his community and his country and was a generous giver of his time, effort and means. Thus, he either initiated or was asked to serve on many Advisory Boards, Commissions and Associations, including Chairman of the Holbrook Palmer Park Foundation, Principal Founder and Manager of the Eureka Producers Cooperative, President-Nevada Cattlemen's Association, Board member-National Cattlemen's Association, Chairman-Citizen's Development Committee for the Eureka County (Nevada) Master Plan, Chairman, Advisory Committee-University of Nevada, Reno, College of Agriculture, Trustee-Northern Nevada Community College Foundation, Elko, Co-founder-Coalition to Cease MX Development in Nevada, President-Coalition to Support Nevada Water, Member-Nevada Ranch Open Space Commission. Ned taught Hunter Safety classes for many years. He published a book about his great-grandfather, "Edward E. Eyre: California Pioneer." His love and concern for his adopted state led him to become a candidate for Nevada Governor in the 1982 and 1994 Republican primaries. He was President of the Carson-Tahoe Regional Healthcare Foundation when the commitment was made to build a comprehensive Cancer Center, which opened in Carson City two years ago.
Ned was a member of the Bohemian Club and the Pacific-Union Club in San Francisco, and the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. A lifelong horseman, he was a past President of the Frontier Boys. He was an avid golfer and a founding member of the Thunder Canyon Country Club in the Washoe Valley.
Ned had a deep and abiding love for his family. He is survived by his wife, Carol, daughter Janet V. Eyre, son Edward L. (Ted) and his wife, Suki Eyre, grandchildren Ned and Evan Eyre, his sister Florence and her husband John Bryan and their four daughters, stepchildren William Pattison and Laurie Pattison, and five step-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his former wife, Janet Hartwell (Dickie) Eyre.
Celebrations in Ned's memory will be held at a later date in Washoe Valley and San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Carson-Tahoe Regional Healthcare Foundation, PO Box 2168, Carson City, NV 89702; Hillsdale College, 33 East College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242; or St. Mary's Hospice, 520 West Sixth Street, Reno, NV 89503.
Arrangements are in the care of Autumn Funerals and Cremations.