Richard Siderius, 84

Richard Wayne Siderius, 84 of Kalispell, passed away on Nov. 11, 2023. He was born on Feb. 20, 1939, to George and Ella Siderius in Kalispell.

He attended Demersville School, a two-room rural school, where he quickly realized that you learn more from listening than from speaking.

After graduating from Flathead County High School in 1957, he attended Montana State University (MSU) and majored in agricultural engineering, where he pledged the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

In the summer of 1961, he was selected to attend the International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program in Italy. For years after he raved about the delicious food in Italy!

He participated in the ROTC program while at MSU. After graduation, he was deployed to Alaska with the United States Army. As a First Lieutenant, he was a Defense Missile Unit Commander during the height of the Cold War.

He served in Alaska during the March 1964 Alaska earthquake, which remains the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America.

After completing his time in the military, he began his career in 1964 working for farmers’ cooperatives, a professional endeavor that gave him a sense of pride and satisfaction.

Upon his retirement some 42 years later, Richard proudly quipped, "I never missed a paycheck in 42 years."

In 2006, he realized his lifelong dream of returning to the Flathead Valley. He retired to the same house where in 1939, the family’s farm since 1911.

While retired in the Flathead Valley, he became involved with local non-profits, including Montana Rails to Trails, the Flathead Lakers, the Glacier Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center, and the Northwest Montana History Museum. He was a member, an elder, and a deacon at the 1st Presbyterian Church of Kalispell and a participant in a bible study fellowship.

His contributions to local non-profits earned him the reputation of being a welcoming and generous person who was quick to start conversations with people he did not know.

His favorite pastime was keeping up with local news from the daily newspaper while enjoying a warm cup of coffee.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ella Siderius. 

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Joan Siderius; his son, Joel Siderius of Lakewood, Colorado; his stepsons, James Gimurtu of Spokane, Washington, and Alec Gimurtu of Petaluma, California; seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Numerous "Siderius" cousins also survive him.

In lieu of flowers, have a good cup of coffee, say "Hi" to a stranger, learn from history, bike the trails, fish or boat the lake, donate to a charity of your choice, and attempt to live a holy life.

No services were held per his request.