Deary resident Greg Warner tells a story that shows how small the world can seem at times.
Warner's friend, who had moved to the Midwest from Deary, attended a baseball game and struck up a friendly conversation with a stranger sitting next to him in the stands. When asked where he was from, Warner's friend told the stranger it was a little town in Idaho he probably never heard of called Deary.
The stranger responded: "Deary? You've ever been to Fuzzy's?"
Fuzzy's reputation is a point of pride for Greg and his wife, Dellrae, who have owned the restaurant since 2010. Just as important for them: It's a way for them to continue the legacy of Dellrae's father, Norman "Fuzzy" Nelson.
Nelson, known for his fizzy hair, started Fuzzy's in 1947, Dellrae Warner said. Nelson was a logger like just about everybody else in the town, but he was also involved in nearly every aspect of Deary.
He worked for the Latah County Chamber of Commerce, served on the Deary City Council, was president of the Lion's Club and was even the mayor from 1955 to 1959. Among his many accomplishments, Dellrae said, he was instrumental in getting the funds to pave Highway 9 from Deary to Harvard.
Those other responsibilities did not stop him from waking up at 4 a.m. everyday to open Fuzzy's and serve breakfast to the regular customers.
"My dad just loves people, always cared about people, always involved in the community," she said.
She said one of the joys of working at Fuzzy's is hearing the regulars and employees talk fondly of her dad. She said people would come up to her and tell her how much Nelson would go out of his way to help the residents of Deary.
"They would say, 'Fuzzy I need this, Fuzzy I need that,' " Dellrae said. "Dad would somehow make it all work."
People would talk often about Nelson's work ethic, Dellrae said. One employee who used to work for her father said the restaurant would sometimes remain open until as late as midnight, with Nelson working the entire day. One day the employee came in at 4 a.m. to see Nelson sitting asleep at the bar after only getting a couple hours of rest the night before.
The same work ethic persists in Greg and Dellrae. Along with running the restaurant, Greg is a logger and sits on the City Council. Dellrae, meanwhile, balances her time at work and at home taking care of their son, Kyle.
Neither had any experience operating a business, so they had to learn through trial and error.
"When you own a business, you should have a business degree," she said, laughing.
"I've come to realize it takes a lot more out of your day than you realize, Greg said. "A lot more than 9 to 5," Greg said.
Fortunately, Dellrae said they had plenty of support from the community, who filled the restaurant the first week it was open.
"It was like it was Deary Days, it was so packed," she said.
Their three other children, who lived outside of Deary, also came home to help their parents with the grand re-opening.
It was that sense of community that inspired Dellrae and Greg to take over their business after Fuzzy's had gone through a number of ownership changes since her father sold it in 1981. She said they wanted to evoke the memories of what Fuzzy's was like when her father was in charge, while at the same time creating new ones.
Like her father, Dellrae said they try to keep Fuzzy's family friendly. They made it a nonsmoking restaurant and, along with burgers and hot dogs, sell multiple flavors of ice cream like chocolate, huckleberry, maple nut and even lemon meringue pie to attract parents and their children.
Growing up, she remembers Fuzzy's being one of the few establishments in town that stayed open on Sunday. She said it was common for people to take a Sunday drive through Deary and make an ice-cream stop at Fuzzy's along the way.
Even today, the ice cream is still a big selling point for people coming through town. As for the local customers, she said many of the older Deary residents were happy to see maple nut on the menu, as it was a popular flavor when they were growing up.
Of course Fuzzy's doesn't look exactly like it did during Nelson's ownership. Back then, it didn't just sell food. It was also a place to buy shotgun shells, fishing lures and gloves for the loggers.
"In a way it was like a general store," she said.
But like in those days, Dellrae and Greg still open the restaurant at 4 a.m., and are willing to take extra measures to accommodate customers. Dellrae said they will even stay open later if someone out of town calls to let them know they're coming.
"If you're coming from very far, just give us a jingle," she said.
It's all an effort to give back to people the same way Nelson did, she said.
"We want to do right by our community," she said.
Anthony Kuipers can be reached at (208) 883-4630, or by email to akuipers@dnews.com.
