Jesse Heavy Runner Jr., 54
Army veteran Jesse Heavy Runner Jr., 54, of Eureka, died of complications from cancer Tuesday at a Kalispell hospital.
Rosary was said Friday evening at Old Eagle Shields in Browning. His funeral is at 10 a.m. today, Saturday, Sept. 13, at Little Flower Parish in Browning, followed by a dinner at Old Eagle Shields. A memorial service will take place at a later date in Eureka. Cremation will take place under the direction of Foster and Spotted Eagle Tribal Wake Center.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Marlene Heavy Runner; grandparents, James and Teresa Heavy Runner, and Charlie and Alice Juneau; and great-grandfather, Heavy Runner.
Jesse Jr., is survived by his wife, Marilyn, at their family home in Eureka; a son, Jeremy, of Port Charlotte, Fla.; daughter, Jenny, of Eureka; his father, Jesse J. Heavy Runner Sr., of Browning; stepdaughter, Teresa, of Columbia Falls; stepson, Michael, of Eureka; grandchildren, Jade of Old Town, Idaho, and Odessa, Evelyn and Anthony of Eureka; stepgrandchildren, Stephanie and Bodee of Eureka, and April and Timmy of Columbia Falls; brothers, Steven Heavy Runner, William Heavy Runner, Keith and Bessie Heavy Runner, and Earl and Hope, all of Browning; and sisters, Denise and Rick Heavy Runner, and Lisa and Richard Heavy Runner of Browning, and Marsha Lamb of Birmingham, Wash.
Jesse Jr., known to his family and friends as "Junior," was born to Jesse and Marlene (Juneau) Heavy Runner on Feb. 27, 1954, in Browning, and baptized in 1959 in the Catholic Church in Browning. Junior grew up in Old Rexford and Eureka, and attended boarding school, Old Rexford, high school in Eureka, and college in Browning.
He joined the Army in 1974 and was stationed in Germany, and received an honorable discharge at the rank of sergeant in 1980. After his discharge from the Army, he lived and worked for Fred Johnson as a mechanic in Browning, with his wife, Faye, and two children. In 1986, they moved back to Eureka, where he then worked for Truman Logging as a sawyer, then as a skidder operator. He then went to work at Plum Creek in Fortine in 1989 and worked there until 1995, when he retired because of a disability.
Junior and Faye divorced, and he met his longtime friend, Marilyn, in 1991, and they married in 1994.
Junior's greatest love was hunting and fishing; he could catch the biggest pike and shoot just about any game animal he went after. He was also a member of the Blackfeet Warrior Society.
He was greatly loved by many, was easy-going and was always liked immediately. He was happiest when he was able to enjoy all the activities of the outdoors with his friends and family. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.