John Edward Stollfuss, 87
John Edward Stollfuss, 87, a longtime rancher, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at the Brendan House in Kalispell following an eight-year battle with lymphatic cancer.
He was born on July 23, 1921, in Prince George, British Columbia, the son of Fred and Mary Strobel (Palm) Stollfuss.
He moved with his parents to the Thompson River ranch in 1923. He attended grade school in Marion, where he and his mother lived in a one-room cabin during the school year, and later the Thompson River School, graduating from Flathead High School in 1939. He was extremely proud of the fact he never missed a day of school.
He joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and trained as a telegrapher. In 1943 he transferred into the Royal Canadian Air Force and was afforded the opportunity to fly. In 1945 he met the love of his life in Toronto, Ontario, and he married Elizabeth Ann "Bette" Hall there on April 6, 1946.
They moved to Kalispell where John worked as the parts manager at Manions. In 1958 he went to work in Glacier National Park, working in the shop and then in the warehouse until 1968. He resided in Evergreen during this time. The opportunity to do what he loved came about in 1968. With some help from his uncle Ed Palm, he moved back to the ranch in Thompson River. He served as Deputy State Stock Inspector from the late 1960s until the time of his death. He also served many years on the board of the Marion Rural Fire Department.
He loved the tranquility of his ranch and walked its reaches as often as he could. He was a quiet man who loved to work and stay busy. He was self-taught at most everything he did. He played guitar for many years, worked very hard at teaching himself how to speak Spanish and started to learn how to play the bagpipes a few years ago.
There weren't many things he couldn't fix with just a few hand tools and a little elbow grease. Only in the last few months of his life did the cancer slow him down, but it didn't stop him as he went for a snowmobile ride through his cows in late February so he could see how they were doing.
John was a strong believer in our First Amendment Rights and was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
He was preceded in death by his parents Fred and Mary Stollfuss and his loving wife, Bette, in 2002. He is survived by his son Larry Stollfuss and his wife Donna Rae of Carter, Mont.; grandson Joshua and wife Fiona and great-granddaughter Jordan of Dearborn, Mich., and grandson Jacob and wife Linda and great-grandson Eli of Cleveland, Ohio; his sister-in-law Emily Ogden and husband, Jack, of Toronto, Ohio; nieces Debra Ogden, Janet Maynaugh, Jill Ward and nephew Wayne Hall, all residing in Ontario, Canada, also survive him.
Memorial services for John will be held in June at his ranch in Thompson River. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Marion Rural Fire Department, 180 Gopher Lane, Marion, MT 59925 or the National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 or to the charity of your choice.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for John's family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and sign John's guest book.