Ronald “Ronnie” E. Thibert, 81

Ronald “Ronnie” E. Thibert, 81, went to heaven on Dec. 3 at his Kalispell home with his family by his side.

Born March 3, 1938 to Thomas and Alice Thibert, he was raised on the family farm off of Three Mile Drive. He and his three brothers and two sisters worked on the farm and that is where his love for horses began. He attended St. Matthew’s grade school and Flathead High School, where he graduated in 1956. After high school he would have many rodeo adventures and odd jobs. He met his wife Janyce in Casper, Wyoming, where they married in 1968. Shortly after, they moved back to Kalispell where they raised their family. Janyce remained by Ron’s side for the rest of his life.

Ron was known by many as the self-proclaimed “Mayor” of Kila. He began working for Pacific Power and Light in 1970 and retired after 27 years in 1997. His true passion was raising and training his beautiful race horses. He was never one to shy away from a conversation and always had a story to tell. He was always greeting people with a smile and was always happy to lend a helping hand. You could find him cheering his kids on form the sidelines, training his horses, drinking coffee at Sykes, attending mass at St. Matthew’s Church and almost always wearing his colorful welding hats. Later in life he spent as much time as possible with his grandchildren, whom he loved deeply.

Ron was preceded in death by his brothers, Francis, James and Roger.

Ron is survived by his wife Janyce, sisters Marcella and Agnes, daughter Theresa, sons Toby (Bridget), Matt (Kristina) and Don (Molly); grandchildren Cassidy, Lane, Gage, Zoey, Case and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of Ron’s life will be planned for the spring of 2020.