Tate Brandon Hess, 30
A uniquely incredible young man, our so very beloved son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend, Tate Brandon Hess, began a new journey after 30 adventurous years. A tragic accident took Tate's well-lived young life, along with his two faithful dog companions, Cassidy and Baxter, on July 2, 2005. The one-truck accident occurred along Swan Lake on Montana 83 near Bigfork, only 20 miles from where he was driving to meet his dear family at the Flathead River Hess family Montana home that Tate loved so much. He was on his way to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend to hike, fish, practice archery and share special family time together. With his great passion for life, he fought for four courageous hours to Iive despite the gravity of his injuries in this unsurvivable accident.
His family expresses their deepest gratitude to the many volunteers and responders who tried so desperately and compassionately to save him.
His accomplished journey here on Earth has now ended, but the legacy of his life and his beautiful spirit live on.
Tate began his life's journey May 22,1975, as the first-born child of Jim and Bonni Hess. He later was joined by brother, Colby Tyler, and Brittany Shandell. He grew up on Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Wash. He attended elementary school at Sunny Hills Elementary School at Pine Lake, and graduated from Issaquah High School in 1993.
He then followed his heart to Montana, where both of his parents were born and raised.
He attended Montana State University, joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity (of which both his father and brother, Colby, are members) and graduated in 2000 with a degree in construction engineering.
Tate lived in the Bozeman area for most of the past 12 years where he studied, worked and spent any possible free time fishing the rivers and hiking the mountains of Montana that he loved so much and knew like his back yard. With his great love of the open roads, Tate also enjoyed motorcycling.
Since 2002, he has been employed as a project manager at Cascade Homes Inc. in Bozeman and had pIanned to break ground on his own home in Gallatin Gateway this summer.
There will be a celebration service of Tate's life at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9. The service, which is open to all who would like to attend, will be held at the Hess family home, known as River's Edge. It is at 138 Ranchett's Road, in Bigfork. In keeping with Tate's love of the outdoors and River's Edge, the service will be held there in view of the Swan Mountains and Flathead River under the Big Sky.
He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by his parents, Jim and Bonni Hess; 27-year-old brother, Colby, and 23 year-old sister, Brittany; as well as all of the Stukey and Hess family aunts, uncles, and cousins; his Sigma Chi brothers; his Cascade Home co-workers; all of his many friends; and all of those who knew him and loved him so much.
Also in keeping with Tate's dedicated support of his beloved sister Brittany's courageous four-year battle against alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Alliance Against ASPS at www.alveolarspsarcoma.net. This will help fund desperately need research to find an effective treatment and cure for this extremely rare cancer. For those who cannot join us at the celebration service, we ask that you remember Tate and his family in your thoughts and prayers, and honor him by living each day to the fullest and cherishing family, friends and the beauty of this world, as he did.