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POCATELLO – Richard Stallings, a former U.S. Congressman from Pocatello who passed away in October, was honored at a banquet Thursday night.
The Bannock County Democrats hosted the 2026 Stallings Banquet at Juniper Hills Country Club. It was first held several years ago, but this was the first year it’s been held since its namesake died. The 85-year-old died at his home from an aggressive form of lymphoma surrounded by family, according to his widow, Rebecca Richards.
Stallings’ daughter, Sallianne Duncan, attended the banquet, and she shared with EastIdahoNews.com how she thinks her father would want to be remembered.
“He would want to be remembered as a husband, father, grandfather (and) I think he would want to be remembered as a statesman — and what I mean by that is someone who put the people first before power,” Duncan said.
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During the banquet, Duncan spoke with many people who knew her father, including elected officials he mentored and candidates he raised funds for.
“I heard stories that I hadn’t heard before. I always love to hear stories about my dad and meet people whose lives he touched,” Duncan said.
Stallings’ political career
Stallings was born in Ogden, Utah, but he and his wife, Ranae Garner, moved to Idaho in 1969 to teach history at what was then Ricks College, now Brigham Young University–Idaho. He taught there until he was elected to congress in 1984, where he served three terms.
After losing an election for an open Senate seat in 1992, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator for the Clinton administration. He served in this capacity until 1995.
He went on to serve locally as the executive director of Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services, which later became Neighborworks Pocatello.
Although Duncan says some might have bristled at taking a local position in housing revitalization after serving in the federal government, her father loved the job. When she and her family would visit from their home in Utah, Stallings would drive them around and show them housing projects they were working on.
“He would just talk with such pride about the new families that were able to get into homes that normally would be a dream that would never be realized,” Duncan said.
In 2000, Stallings ran for office again and won. This time, it was as a member of the Pocatello City Council. He served in this capacity from 2001 to 2007.
“I don’t think it mattered to him where he served, but just that he served,” Duncan said.
‘Dad, you did it’
Stallings and Ranae, who died in 2015, had three children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. At their cabin in Island Park, Stallings would take his grandchildren on four-wheeler rides, fishing trips and tell them stories around the campfire, which Duncan said became the kids’ “greatest memories.”
The story of Hugh Glass, as depicted in the 2015 movie, “The Revenant,” was one of Stallings’ favorite narratives to share with his family.
“He always started this story with, ‘Hugh Glass was a tough old bird,’ and the kids would just be captivated. They would just hang on every word,” Duncan said.
Up to the end of his life, Duncan says her dad showed how proud he was to be a grandfather. While Stallings’ health was declining, he made the trip to Utah to see the birth of his youngest grandchild.
“You could just really tell that dad was not doing well, but he made the trip to see the baby, and he just was so proud,” Duncan said.
He was quite active in politics until his death as well. Even in his old age, Duncan said he had a natural gift for giving impromptu public speeches.
“He could get up completely unprepared and just give the most brilliant speech. I think that comes from his history as a teacher, but he was a storyteller,” Duncan said.
In April 2025, EastIdahoNews.com interviewed Stallings at the Hands Off protest in Pocatello, which were organized nationally to protest the actions of President Donald Trump.
At the time, he said, “We’re at a turning point in our country, and I think it’s just in time, because (if it goes on) much longer, Trump would ruin this whole place – just using a wrecking ball.”
Duncan said that in his career at the national level, he never forgot that he was one of the people.
Duncan said that when Stallings and Ranae moved to Washington D.C., they were living paycheck to paycheck, and couldn’t afford to hire a mover.
“So they moved themselves, and they put the mattress on top of a station wagon, and drove it across the country,” Duncan said.
Before he died, Duncan says she held her father’s hand and reminded him of the influential life that he lived.
“Dad, you did it,” Duncan recalls saying to him. “You did all the things, and you can go now. You should be so proud of the life that you lived, and the family you raised.”
Duncan hopes that those aspiring to public office and who already hold it can learn from her father’s example as a statesman. She offers some words of advice.
“Remember to focus on the people and to remain one of the people, and remain humble,” Duncan said.
The post Former Congressman honored at Pocatello banquet months after death appeared first on East Idaho News.
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