Michael James Lyngholm, 66

Michael James Lyngholm, 66, of Missoula, “has launched his next great adventure.” Mike died on Jan. 6, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Raised in Davenport, Iowa, by loving parents who taught him to work hard, enjoy life and appreciate his family, he was the eldest of nine children. He loved his parents and his sisters and brothers, and remained close to them his entire life.

Mike attended school in Davenport at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School, Assumption High School (1968), and St. Ambrose College. He headed west in 1970 to study forestry at the University of Montana.

In the rugged mountains of central Idaho, he fell in love with a beautiful red-haired Montana girl who shared his passion for the outdoors. After graduation, Mickey and Mike married, started a family in rural Montana, and raised two boys to be fine men and good fathers. The love Mickey and Mike shared for 43 years lives on their children and grandchildren.

Mike had a successful career as a forester and sawmill manager with F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company in Dillon, Darby and Columbia Falls. He later managed a biomass boiler plant for the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. He retired to Missoula in January 2014.

Mike lived life fully. A certified blaster, he enjoyed the challenge of removing obstacles with a well-placed explosive charge. A fit and enthusiastic hunter, he explored hidden canyons in the Tendoy Mountains of southwestern Montana with his hounds and heard them sing on a lion in a big Douglas fir tree; he tracked elk at dawn after a fresh snow. An accomplished private pilot and sailor, he loved to fly Cessna 4AlphaMike out of the Dillon Airport on a cold winter day or to feel his boat surge in a good wind on Flathead Lake. He fished anywhere he could, but was especially fond of fishing for steelhead on the Clearwater River in Idaho. He loved the lift ride up Big Mountain after a good run. He shared these experiences with family and friends whenever he could. He especially loved his grandchildren.

Mike is survived by his wife, Mickey, in Missoula; children, Jeff and Jennifer Lyngholm and granddaughters Neila and Olive of Kalispell, and Wayne and Sarah Lyngholm and grandson Silas of Missoula; nephew Brice Pullen (Deb Hunter) of Bigfork; parents, Jim and Roselyn Lyngholm of Davenport, Iowa; brothers, sisters and many favorite nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.

A private celebration of Mike’s life will be held in the spring.