Jackson Chester McWhorter, 74
Jackson Chester McWhorter was born Dec. 13, 1942, and passed away at his home Feb. 25, 2017, in Nampa, Idaho.
He was the first child born to Chester and Siri McWhorter. Jack attended elementary school at Boorman School west of Kalispell and graduated from Flathead County High School in 1961. He started his college education at Northern Montana College in Havre. Jack didn’t like the wind in Havre. He told us the wind blew his hat off onto the side of a building and it stayed there for months. After attending college in Havre for a couple years, he transferred to the University of Montana where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Jack worked construction while attending college to help finance his education.
After graduating from college Jack served four years in the Air Force. When he returned home from his military service, Jack taught high school math at Lodge Grass and Butte Central High School.
He left the teaching field in 1979 and went to work for the telephone company in Kalispell. While working at the phone company, he taught algebra classes at Flathead Valley Community College for a short time. It was during his time at the phone company he met the love of his life, Sandy McClanahan. Jack and Sandy were married May 23, 1981.
In 1991 he left his job at the phone company to teach high school math at a very remote village in Deering, Alaska. His remaining working years were spent at Hewlett-Packard in Boise, Idaho. He retired from HP in 2006.
Jack is survived by his wife, Sandy, of Nampa, Idaho; daughters, Lori Emmert of Douglas, Wyoming, and Kathy and Kurt Hafferman of Kalispell; brothers, Bob and Judy McWhorter of Kalispell, Gary and Sharon McWhorter of Butte, Melvin and Lindell McWhorter of Walla Walla, Washington; sisters, Faith and Dale Hodges of Kalispell, and Laurie Foster of Helena; 11 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents, Chet and Siri McWhorter.
When Jack and Sandy retired, they enjoyed traveling across the United States and especially enjoyed their time in Quartzsite, Arizona, where Jack became an ardent rock hound and jeweler extraordinaire. Jack and Sandy were both passionate fisherman, and they loved their Boston terriers. Jack loved the time he spent with his family and the time he spent with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jack was very much a people person. He always had the biggest and brightest smile; Jack never met a stranger. His favorite saying was “top of the morning” or whatever time of the day it happened to be.
Friends and family are invited to a potluck and celebration of Jack’s life at 2:30 p.m. on July 8 at Smith Valley Grange Hall west of Kalispell.