Steve Vranish, 101

On Jan. 6, 2016, I received a call from my dad saying, “Loren, I want you to come by. We need to have a talk.” Thirty hours later, my dad passed away, at an age of 101, from a tiredness of a time long lived.

The last two days of his life were spent reminiscing about the good, and also of the difficult experiences he had throughout his many years. He was born in a mining camp in 1914 in Klein, Montana. Upon graduating from high school, he was immediately conscripted into the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) where young men from poor families were automatically sent to help provide for those at home trying to recover from the Great Depression. He was sent to the South Fork of the Flathead at the old Elk Park Station which is now under Hungry Horse Reservoir. He later worked in the coal mines, followed by running a drag line and shovel building dams and roads for Works Progress Administration (WPA) throughout the West. The opportunity came to buy the Standard Oil bulk plant in Roundup allowing him to go into business for himself, which he did for over 30 years.

During this time, Steve married Stella, to whom he would remain married for 66 years ’til her death in 2008. Together they built their home in Roundup and also a cabin at the head waters of the Musselshell River where he showed his son Loren and grandson Rhett the way to sneak up on a German brown.

He came from a musical family. His dad sold his own accordion to buy Steve his first guitar. He developed his love of music and played his guitar in a band at dances throughout the surrounding towns on Saturday nights. He wrote a lot of his own music. He would start his “set” by saying, “Hi! This is Ol’ Lonesome Steve playing for you from the heart of the beautiful Flathead Valley nestled at the base of the majestic Rocky Mountains.” He finished up his long, musical career a week before he passed away by playing at the Immanuel Lutheran Home, entertaining guests and residents with his singing, playing the harmonica, guitar and pausing now and then for a good storytelling.

Steve lived to an age of seeing many changes in a still young country. He saw the era of the horse and buggy, and rockets going to the moon. He saw communication go from the telephone operator knowing you by name to information stored in “The Cloud.” He had been hungry as a child, and never failed to appreciate a good fried chicken dinner. He walked a fair distance to school and church, and later was able to travel throughout the United States and Europe. He also experienced hurtful prejudices for the fact that his last name ended with “ish.” It made a lasting impact on him, and he talked about it still to the day before he died. He always said his greatest accomplishment was, “raising a son who became a loving and caring family doc.”

His grandchildren and great-grandchildren thought he was the “funniest Big Papa in the world.” They loved to hear him call himself, “Johnny Poopindyke.” He was always laughing, joking and had the rare ability to make one feel that, at this moment, they were the most important person in the world.

Steve Vranish was a man of principle, who never said ill of anyone. He was a man who sought joy in the everything of life and who by his unending positive attitude, gave us all this gift of example by which to live. He will be missed by his broad family of nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, a son, daughter-in-law, and all the many lasting friends he made no matter where he went. He had a grand life with love and few regrets. We love you, Gramps!

He will be buried in the Roundup Cemetery alongside his wife and beloved mother and father-in-law.