Abe Levengood, 41

“With love and broken hearts we say farewell, for now, to our mountain man, Abe Levengood, not just a Montana man, but a true Flathead Valley native. To claim this title, you better have proof. It was a source of pride and many conversations were debated on this topic.”

“Genuine: to know Abe was to love Abe. Courageous, caring, simple and giving. If you judged Abe by the outside, you found a man who probably needed a new shirt. There was no need to buy a new one till the old one wore out. He needed a good barber most of the time, but his pocket knife did the job.”

“Abe was born 100 years too late. If times got tough, he had his cabin on the mountain; he worked on it and loved it with all his heart. Of course the stories that came from that mountain were always entertaining. He was known to have his salt and pepper shaker handy along with a shovel. If he had to kill dinner because he was hungry, a little seasoning would be needed and then the shovel to cook it on. If it was a slow day of fishing and beef heart was the bait, well that could be dinner, too.”

Abe didn't have brothers-in-law, he only had brothers to share in all his fun. Scott was his lead man, Randy, Joey and Lowell completed the circle.

Abe loved guns. Inheriting this hobby from his dad, he passed it on to his daughter, Nikki. Once she got past shooting out the back windows of his truck, she eventually got the hang of deer hunting. Most weekends he and Nikki would drive around scoping out geese or deer, talking and telling stories. He loved to tell them and she loved to listen. “If along the way he found someone short of firewood for the winter, it was stacked outside their door the next day. There was nothing Abe couldn't build or do. Abe worked hard.”

With courage, Abe faced cancer, the same type of cancer that took his brother Scotty. It's not normal for a family to lose both its sons to this terrible disease, but Abe would tell you it's not normal to have a family such as his. The miracles and fun that happened over the years were his delight. Abe was 41 years old. Born Feb. 13, 1971, in Kalispell. He was preceded in death by his brother Scott, who also died at 41.

He is survived by his wife, Heather and daughter, Nikki. Abe's parents, Chris and Arlene, along with sisters Sandy (Randy) O'Connell, Christine (Steve) Blair, Debbie (Joey) Sidor and Laurie (Lowell) Panasuk and sister-in-law Karla Levengood, father-in-law Steve Douglas and brother-in-law Stephen survive him, along with his nephews Colt, Luke, Christopher, Zane, Bob, Josh and LJ and nieces Jenna, Lindsay, Mandy, Maggie, Sadie and Kelly.

In lieu of flowers, Abe's family would like memorials sent in Abe's name to the local Flathead Shrine Club transportation fund, P.O. Box 762 Kalispell, MT 59903. Condolences may be sent to Chris and Arlene Levengood, Box 220 Somers, MT 59932.

There will be a visitation for Abe on Tuesday, April 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home. Rosary will follow at 6 p.m. Mass of Christian burial for Abe will be held Wednesday, April 11 at 2 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church with Father Rod Ermatinger as celebrant. Burial follows services at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery. Reception will immediately follow burial until 5:30 p.m. at The Winchester Steak House.

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Abe’s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and view Abe’s tribute wall.