Alan F. Cain, 80
Alan F. Cain, 80, of Bigfork, passed away at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, Jan. 23, 2020, after a very, very short battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Alan was born April 22, 1939, in Missoula, one of two children to Harold and Marguerite Cain. He graduated from Missoula County High in 1957, attended Oregon State University and then graduated from the University of Colorado on a NROTC scholarship. He served in the U.S. Navy, was designated a Naval aviator and flew the P2-V Neptune and P3-A Orion. He was a true patriot. He met Judith Reinemann at the University of Colorado and they were married in 1962 in the Corpus Christi Naval Chapel. After flight training, Alan was stationed at Barber’s Point in Hawaii for three years.
After serving five years in the Navy, he returned to Montana and attended University of Montana law school. Alan and Judy then moved to Helena where he eventually became a partner at Hughes, Bennett & Cain law firm. Alan went on to work for Blue Shield Of Montana, became CEO and then was instrumental in the merging of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana in 1986. He served on many boards over his career, as well as the University of Colorado Foundation and several advisory boards at the University of Montana. He was a proud member of the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers. Together he and Judy raised their three children, Kirsten, Whitney and Matthew, in Helena.
After his retirement from BCBS in 1999, Alan and Judy spent their time between Bigfork and Palm Desert, California. He truly enjoyed the new friends, golfing, and especially his time as a volunteer as a docent at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
Alan was passionate about many things, uppermost of which was his family. He loved his Montana Griz, his Irish and Montana heritage, jokes, boating on his beloved Flathead Lake, and crab cakes.
He was so proud of and is survived by his children and grandchildren, Mike and Kirsten Smith, Aidan, Sophia, and Rory of Kalispell; Whitney and Eric Meredith of Helena, Madison Meredith Meis (David), Bailey Meredith Ehle (Brandon), and Emma; Matthew and Kelli Cain and the youngest of the seven grandchildren, Libby of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He is also survived by his sister, Carol Herron of Tucson, Arizona, and brother-in-law Edward Reinemann (Dianne) of Reedsville, Wisconsin, and several nieces and nephews.
A favorite charitable cause of Alan’s was the Friends of the Bigfork Fire Department, P.O. Box 2333, Bigfork, MT 59911.
A celebration of Alan’s life will be held at a later date in Montana.