Francis 'Jack' Triepke, 81

Francis “Jack” Triepke, 81, died Monday, March 22, 2021, at his home in Palm Springs, California, where he resided the past several years.

Jack was born July 30, 1939, in Lewistown, Montana, the second of three boys born to Francis John Triepke and Rose Marie Triepke (Tuss). With his two brothers, he was raised by “Rosie” after his father died when Jack was 4. His parents’ families, Triepke and Tuss, were homesteaders, farmers, and ranchers in nearby communities including Winifred. Jack attended elementary and high school at Saint Leo’s in Lewistown, spent two years in the Army, and then attended Weber State College in Utah, later attending Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell.

Like his brothers and mother, Jack eventually moved to Great Falls where he worked for Buick and Rambler before starting as a dispatcher, bookkeeper, and truck owner with his brother-in-law’s cattle trucking company. He and his wife, Wendy, moved to Kalispell and bought the Shamrock Motel. Jack would eventually start his main career as a first responder on an ambulance and as a firefighter, but would take on second or third jobs to fill his off days. He also worked at Montgomery Wards, the airport, as a co-owner of a gas station and motorcycle shop, and later as a real estate agent. He also did electrical work and was known for his handyman and carpentry skills, among other things.

Like many Kalispell firefighters, Jack kept a lake place to summer with his family, owning a cabin on Fireman’s Island at Echo Lake for three decades. Jack spent most of his life in Montana, only later becoming a snowbird to Palm Springs after retirement, spending time with neighbors, playing cards, dice, dominoes, and mastering new games, with no thought to the cold Montana winters he left behind.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his two brothers, Richard (Joan) and Kenny (Bonnie); his son, Francis Jack Jr.; his daughter Toni Modie (Troy); their mother, Wendy Petesch; and his daughter Terri Radmall (Val); her mother, Jeanne Pack; 11 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.