Richard L. Browning, 74

Richard L. Browning, 74, of Columbia Falls, passed away in the early morning hours of Nov. 19, 2015, at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.

Richard was born on Sept. 13, 1941, in Oak Creek, Colorado, to Nova Rufus and Freda Vancil Browning. He attended schools in Oak Creek and Longmont, Colorado.

He moved to Montana in 1975 where he worked building log homes after arriving in the Bitterroot Valley. In 1989 he moved back to Colorado where he was a heavy equipment operator; he did that until his health wouldn’t allow and in 1999 he moved back to Stevensville near his sister Janet. He then moved back to the Flathead to be with his daughters and grandchildren.

His joys were fishing, gardening and watching the Denver Broncos play football. He loved the Denver Broncos! He also enjoyed taking rafting and fishing trips down the Flathead River with his fishing buddy Andrea in the early years, and in his aging years he loved to joke and watch cartoons and to visit and tell stories. He was able to take one last fishing trip thanks to the great staff at the Immanuel Lutheran Home — Thank you all for that; he treasured that.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nova and Freda Browning; one son, Ricky Lynn Browning; and nieces, Sheila Fox and Shannon Riley.

He is survived by his daughters, Lori Browning-Elliott of Nebraska, Andrea Browning and Robby Robinson of Martin City, and Keely Cunningham and Gene Palmer of Columbia Falls; sister, Janet Browning, of Small-town, Idaho, and her daughters, Christy and Stacie; brother, Robert, and Toy Browning of Oklahoma, and their children, Sherry, Robin and Mark; grandson, Jeremy Elliott, of Nebraska; and six granddaughters, Abbey, Destiny, Jaclyn and Allycyn of Montana, and Hannah and Harmony Browning of Illinois.

There are no services at this time. A celebration of life will take place next summer.