Jeff Hughes, 54

Jeff Hughes, 54, passed away Aug. 27, 2008, at his Kalispell residence after fighting prostate cancer for the past four years. He was born in Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 1954, to (the now-late) Agnes and Jack Hughes.

He moved his family from Clarendon Hills, Ill., to Kalispell during the summer of 1994 in pursuit of a change of life and to be the proud owner of ServiceMaster of Flathead County. Seven years later, he purchased Aamco Transmissions, and finally returned to his retail roots as a manager at the Kalispell Walgreens.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Judy (Halm); son, Craig, and wife, Jessica; two daughters, Madisyn and Emilie, of Corona, Calif.; son, Matt, and wife, Danielle, and their three children, Bethany, Benjamin and Brendon, of Spokane; son, Brad, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; brother, Tim Hughes and Jacqueline, of Barrington, Ill.; and a multitude of in-laws, nephews, nieces and cousins.

Jeff loved to travel, whether to see one of his sons for the holidays or to just get away for a weekend. He also loved music, politics, world events, and most of all, spending precious time with his best friend and wife Judy of 32 years. He was a very humble, strong-willed and faithful man who had a lot of courage, strength and patience. Jeff and Judy found a second family at Risen Christ Parish, who have provided an unbelievable support system for them the last four years during the very trying times of his illness.

A rosary will be said in Jeff's honor at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Risen Christ Parish in Kalispell, followed by a memorial Mass at 11 a.m.

In remembrance of his life, the family requests contributions be made to the Guardian Angels Foundation, a nonprofit corporation aiding cancer patients in financial hardship. The address is 2835 Fort Missoula Road, Suite 301, Missoula, MT 59804, and the Web site is www.guardianangelsmt.org.

Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family. To send condolences, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com.