James Lake Willows, 92

James Lake Willows, one of the Flathead Valley's founding fathers, died peacefully in his sleep with a smile on his face on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, in Kalispell. He was born to James Ferris and Maude Ingles Willows in Cranbrook, British Columbia on Sept. 6, 1916, growing up on a large ranch near Red Deer, Alberta, where his father raised draft horses.

Later moving to Lewiston, Idaho, James graduated high school as valedictorian and student body president and was appointed to West Point by the state governor upon his graduation. Honoring his mother's wishes, Jim turned down West Point and instead joined one of the last regiments of the U.S. Mounted Calvary stationed in Idaho while attending and graduating from the University of Idaho. James built and sold his first house at 18 to finance his college education and upon graduation, decided to spend a year traveling throughout the United States exploring not only the country and the people but all the different churches and worship centers that he found along the way. While he was a deeply spiritual man, his own beliefs were very private, founded on the belief that each individual's pathway to God was to be honored. He liked to say that the great outdoors was the temple that inspired him the most.

Willows married Laverne "Olga" Zerbin in 1947, and together they homesteaded in Fairfield before moving to the Flathead where he worked logging the Hungry Horse Dam before opening the "Willows Honeyberry Farm" restaurant, gift shop and wild berry jam and jelly manufacturing company. Jim and Laverne built one of the original two homes in Hungry Horse, purchasing large tracts of land in the town for an acre which he later developed, platted and sold as the town grew.

Jim and Laverne were founders of the Hungry Horse Community Club, organizing the purchase of the old "Mint Bar," which became the town's first community center before donating land across from the Honeyberry Farm to create the town's first park. In the early days there would be weekly potlucks at the community center, with adults socializing and dancing in the front and kids playing four square, hopscotch and watching Three Stooges movies in the back room. Willows owned and operated the Hungry Horse Water System, was Hungry Horse fire chief, an active member of the Kalispell Toastmaster's Club and a much loved Boy Scout leader in the area for numerous years. Many of the area's young men became Eagle Scouts under the guidance of Willows who believed in and taught a strong work ethic, self sufficiency, and shared his great love and knowledge of Montana's wilderness areas. He even set up a boxing ring where he could teach his scouts how to gain the confidence to defend themselves in life should the need arise.

The Honeyberry Farm became a landmark in the area, boasting the best homegrown barbecued chickens, huckleberry pies and jam in the area, but Willows always saw a deeper purpose for his establishment and that was teaching the local youth how to work. He never gave up on a kid and when they left his employment, they knew how to move fast, work hard and make smart decisions. He was a firm believer in giving young people the tools and maturity to make things happen for themselves without outside help.

Willows will always be remembered for his generosity. He helped many a young couple get a start in life by trading land for work, and any person down on their luck could always depend on Jim Willows for a hot meal and a roof over their heads. Numerous times he brought people home to the family home, putting them up in the basement, and asking Laverne to feed them a hot meal.

Jim and Laverne had four children, Sharlon L. Willows, Bonni Willows Quist, Jamey Faun Willows and last, his son and cherished namesake, James West Willows. He ruled over his family with an iron hand, teaching them the value of money, the joy of self sufficiency, the importance of setting goals and always moving forward in life. He watched over his daughters with an eagle eye and there wasn't a high school boy in the area who dared bring one of Jim Willows' daughters home late after curfew. When his children graduated from high school, Willows had three rules: 1) If you want to keep living at home, you pay rent and still have to go by my rules. 2) Parents shouldn't have to hear about their kids' problems after graduation — figure out your own problems and just talk about your successes when you come home. 3) There is no substitute for common sense, so learn to make good, quick decisions and go out and make something of yourself.

After Laverne's death, Willows sold the Honeyberry Farm and decided to move south to the sunny beaches of California where he started another 20-year chapter of his life. He met and married a very colorful local, Gladys Laberge, and the two of them made their home in Malibu where they quickly became very well known for their dance moves and their love of life. Jim enjoyed Gladys' family and the family compound where they lived very much and pursued his love of gardening, planting orange groves, orchids, and vegetable gardens around their home. Gladys kept James hopping in later life and he always liked to say that "there was nothing whatsoever boring about that woman!" They would drive back to Montana yearly until Gladys was 90 and they insisted on camping along the way because they both grew up in the Depression and they couldn't stand the thought of spending 0 for a motel room.

In his later years, Willows enjoyed going to jazz festivals with Gladys, watching his grandchildren play sports and traveling extensively with his daughter, Bonni, who was an International flight attendant for United Airlines. He visited Hawaii, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Japan, dancing his way across Asia, even being asked on stage in Singapore to dance with a touring Brazilian dance troupe. He and Gladys especially enjoyed dancing to his grandson Guthrie Quist's rock-and-roll band while Guthrie attended Pepperdine University in Malibu. Guthrie's friends always thought his grandparents were part of the show.

Jim Willows' life touched more people than he will ever imagine — he lived his life by simple personal beliefs. He never let the sun come up on yesterday's anger, he believed in keeping quiet and listening to others unless he had something of value to say and his most famous saying was coined on a trip to Australia with two of his grandchildren. He had boundless energy and after an all-night 14-hour flight, he had gone out and purchased tickets for a visiting Broadway play, only to come home and find his grandkids wanting to get some sleep. Grandpa flashed his trademark fiery glare and with great disdain said, "There's plenty of time to sleep when you're dead." He lived by that motto and he sought life's adventures to the best of his physical abilities right up to the day that he died.

Willows was preceded in death by his two wives, Laverne Olive Willows, and Gladys LaBerge Willows; his parents, James and Maude Willows; his four siblings, Tommy, Jack, Esther and Ruby "Jan"; and his daughter, Sharlon Linda Willows.

He is survived by his son, James, and wife, Jaekyung, and their children, Josiah, Esther and Abe; his daughter, Bonni Willows Quist, and husband, Rob, and their children, Guthrie and Halladay; and daughter, Jamey Fawn Willows, and her son, Harley Hanks; his granddaughter, Willow Miyamoto, and husband, Kevin, and their son, Dylan, and his Malibu family, Pammy LaBerge McCarthy, Michael LaBerge Sr., Michael LaBerge Jr., Jason LaBerge, Chandra LaBerge Fortier, and Janelle Shawver.

A funeral service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 27, at Love and Faith Fellowship, exactly five miles east of Super One on Highway 35 (1/2 mile west of Woody's), and at 4 p.m. Sept. 6, there will be a memorial service and 93rd birthday celebration for James Lake Willows at Rob and Bonni Quist's Sweetwater Ranch in Creston. Willows will be buried at Fairview Cemetery in a casket made by his son, James. Feel free to call James at 270-8677 or Bonni at 253-8604 with questions.

James Willows always signed his letters with the words, "Courage Smiles," and he died with a book called "Courage" on his bed table. Inside the cover he had written, "Great people are ordinary people who are very determined!" The family welcomes everyone whose lives were touched by Jim to celebrate his passing.