Lloyd Brynie, 83

Lloyd Brynie wasn’t a tourist; he was a traveler. In his 83 years, he journeyed to 64 countries, finding joy in every event, custom, site and person he saw or met. He welcomed every new experience, whether he was riding camels in Egypt or climbing the ruins at Machu Picchu. As an avid photographer, he preserved incomparable images everywhere he went, from rural Spain in the 1950s to the modern-day camel fair at Pushkar, India.

Lloyd was born in Butte, the son of a miner. He graduated from Butte High, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology and a Master of Arts degree in education from the University of Montana. He was in inventive, enthusiastic and masterful teacher of science and math, spending most of his 40-year career teaching American students in Turkey, Spain, Germany and England. During his summer breaks, he and his family often returned to Bigfork, where his parents operated a cherry orchard for many years.

In 1997, he retired to Bigfork where he was a frequent traveler again, bicycling the Swan River Nature Trail, fishing from his kayak on Echo Lake, and exercising at the Montana Athletic Club. He took an active interest in local issues and played a major role in helping Bigfork acquire its new green box site. He loved people, parties and entertaining, and many friends enjoyed happy times with Lloyd as their host.

Of all his travels, his trips on his bicycle were perhaps most notable. He once cycled from the Mediterranean to Jerusalem, raising $4,000 for cerebral palsy. He cycled the length and breadth of the Netherlands and the course of the Moselle in Germany. He completed the UK’s 140-mile Sea to Sea cycle route, which begins on the Irish Sea and ends on the northeast coast. Closer to home, he pedaled the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in Idaho on several occasions.

His loss is deeply felt by his family: wife, Faith Brynie, of Bigfork; daughter, Tammy Brynie, of Newton, Massachusetts; son, Kevin Brynie, of Bristol, England; and stepdaughter, Ann Whiteley, of Denver; and four beloved grandchildren.

Those who wish to honor Lloyd’s memory are encouraged to send donations to the charity of their choice.

Lloyd Brynie: He began his journey on a Sunday, April 1, 1934, and traveled his last on a Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017.

“Keep traveling, dear man.”