James Hodges VanDenburg, 70

James Hodges VanDenburg, 70, of Bigfork, died Sept. 2, 2010, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was born on July 21, 1940, in Fredricksberg, Va., the youngest of two sons born to Richard Horton VanDenburg and Virginia (Yeatts) VanDenburg. He was a true son of the South and the proud great-great-grandson of a Confederate veteran. He earned his bachelor s degree in forestry from the University of Florida in Gainsville, Fla. Stories of mountain men and fur trappers captured his imagination all of his life, and he dreamed from childhood of coming to the Northwest. He made his dream a reality when he and his firstborn son, Barton Hodges VanDenburg, moved to Montana in the 1960s for Jim to go to work for the U.S. Forest Service as a silviculturist. After being transferred to the Nez Perce National Forest in Grangeville, Idaho, he met a fellow forester s daughter, Carlyn Kennedy, and Jim, Bart and Carlyn became a family on Jan. 26, 1968. The newlyweds lived in Florida briefly before returning to Montana, where they remained until Jim s death. They added two more sons to their family in Montana, Jeb Yeatts VanDenburg and Colby James VanDenburg. The forests, mountains and streams of Montana gave him everything he had envisioned as he grew up, and he never tired of their beauty. He went to work every day of his life loving his work and doing it with enthusiasm. His knowledge was respected throughout the organization and beyond. Everyone knew that Jim would speak his truth. He always did. During his work years, he earned many prestigious awards, including the Danny On Conservation Award for his conservation leadership role on the Flathead National Forest and his reforestation plan, which resulted in more than 14 million trees planted and more than 100,000 acres reforested. This award read, in part, ... Jim VanDenburg is a manifestation of what true professional conservation forestry is all about. He retired from the Flathead Forest in 1998. In his retirement years, he did private consulting and worked as a fire prevention forester for many clients. He enjoyed meeting and visiting with people, especially the old-timers, whose knowledge he venerated. Jim s hobbies were gunsmithing and woodwork, and he enjoyed pioneer skills, hunting, fishing, hiking and camping. He had been a Free Trapper in Rendezvous re-enactments and a muzzleloader. He took pleasure in researching and preserving history, especially of the Lewis-Clark Expedition, for which he had an endless fascination, and of the Civil War, which was his passion. He belonged to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, was registrar for Sons of the American Revolution, was a lifetime National Rifle Association member and was a member of the Civil War Round Table. He enjoyed genealogical research and had recently discovered family members whom he had never met. He was planning a trip to Virginia for a family reunion and historical tour this month. The only things more precious to him than the lands he loved were his sons, his grandchildren and his wife. He is survived by his wife, Carlyn, at the family home in Bigfork; three sons and their families, Barton Hodges VanDenburg, wife, Amy, and children Ashley and Spencer of Shingle Springs, Calif., Jeb Yeatts VanDenburg, wife, Jacque, and children, Josephine and Logan of Corvallis, and Colby James VanDenburg, wife, Sheryl Verbitski, and daughter, Olivia of Arvada, Colo.; and one brother, Richard Horton VanDenburg Jr., of Breckenridge, Colo. He was a happy man who believed himself well blessed. A memorial celebration of his life is planned for 2 p.m. today, Sept. 9, at the Swan River Hall in Bigfork. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you plant a tree or send a donation in Jim s name to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for James family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to view James tribute wall and offer condolences.