EDITORIAL: Sliter lived life worthy of his family legacy
The name Sliter is etched in the history of the Flathead Valley, but Tom Sliter didn’t rely on his name to get ahead.
Instead he used hard work, creativity and community spirit to cement his own place as a pillar of the community in Somers, Lakeside, Bigfork and Kalispell.
Sliter died at the age of 69 on Saturday.
After a successful career as a systems engineer in the Midwest, Sliter returned home to help his father, Everit Sliter II, modernize the family’s lumber and hardware store in Somers. He took over management of the store in 1986, and eventually expanded into Bigfork and Lakeside.
He also had time for community service on the Trinity Lutheran School Board, in various business organizations and most recently as a volunteer with the Somers Company Town Project, working to preserve the history of the former railroad town.
He will be missed, and we send our condolences to his family and friends. A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at the Sliters Lumber Yard in Somers on Tuesday, following the 11 a.m. service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kalispell.
A great life cut short
It’s a testament to how many lives Brad Treat touched that his funeral service today is planned for Legends Stadium in Kalispell.
As many as 3,000 people are expected at the ceremony for Treat, who died after colliding on a bike with a bear last week near West Glacier. The funeral will be preceded by a procession through Kalispell, Treat’s hometown.
He was well-known and universally liked and respected in many circles: law enforcement, Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, competitive running and outdoor recreation, to name a few.
As his widow, Somer, put it: “He impacted everyone. He brought out the best in everyone. He lived life to the fullest, he committed to everything he did and everyone in his life 100 percent. He is the role model for doing it right.”
Many of those people he impacted no doubt will be present today for a last goodbye to Treat.
And it is fitting that the goodbye ceremony will be conducted at the stadium where Treat was a star distance runner two decades ago for Flathead High School.