Burt A. Whirry, 55

Burt A. Whirry, 55, died in a tragic, accidental house fire on April 10, 2011, in Las Cruces, N.M.

Burt was born in Shelby on Aug. 6, 1955, to Walt and Helen Whirry. His childhood was spent in Shelby, the family ranch near Browning, and then the ranch in the Bear Paw Mountains, Havre and West Glacier. He graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1973, and the University of Montana with a degree in business administration.

Burt served two years active duty in the Air Force during 1976-78, followed by the Air National Guard out of Great Falls.

He married Theresa Brady but their time together was short and they divorced.

A man of many talents, a few of his employers were, Valley Bank of Kalispell, NMSU, Schlumberger, and most recently Sapphire Energy, as a maintenance engineer.

Burt was quite involved with the Mesilla Valley ballooning activities, whether working the ground crew or celebrating the successful flights. He was with a woman he loved and had a job that intrigued him. Life was good.

Burt is survived by his friend and longtime companion, Patti Havstad, of Las Cruces; parents, Walt and Helen of Kalispell; brothers and sisters, Gordon Whirry and wife Janet of Great Falls, Judy Whirry and husband Mike Turner of Columbia Falls, Jane Mues of Kalispell, Brian Whirry of Whitefish, Bill Whirry of Ronan, and Dawn Diskin of Encinitas, Calif.; two uncles and an aunt, cousins, nine nieces, and two grandnieces and two grandnephews.

Thanks go to his friend, John Kemp, of Las Cruces during this difficult time.

There will be no funeral. At a later date, there will be a celebration of his life, where his family and friends will be releasing his ashes from a hot-air balloon.