Bruce I. Stewart passed away on April 4, 2013, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home, of natural causes.
Bruce was born on Dec. 13, 1920, to Robert Fulton Stewart and Rosa Grace Tucker in Spokane. When Bruce was a small child the family moved to Havre, where they raised five children in town during the school year and on a ranch in the Bear Paw Mountains during the summer.
Bruce attended high school and college in Havre and was a master machinist by age 21. He moved to Seattle and worked for Boeing aircraft through the end of World War II.
He met and married Missoula native Vera Van Ostrand while at Boeing, and they had the first two of their four children while living in Seattle. After the war the couple moved to Hungry Horse where Bruce worked on the construction of Hungry Horse Dam and Vera ran Stewart's Drive Inn. At the end of dam construction, Bruce partnered with Tom Ladenburg and started Stud Timber Company. When their partnership ended, Bruce opened Chipmunk Timber Company. The family moved to Bigfork in 1968 and Bruce closed his logging business and went back to full-time machinist work for Plum Creek, where he worked until retirement in 1988.
Bruce was an avid outdoorsman, spending as much time as possible in a boat, an ice house or behind the scope of his rifle. He was a patient teacher of woods craft and spent countless hours with all of his children and their families in the great outdoors of Montana.
He is survived by his wife, Vera, at Buffalo Hills Terrace in Kalispell; son, Don Stewart, and daughter-in-law Judy, of Columbia Falls; son-in-law, Ron Koppang, of Oregon City, Ore.; daughter, Cindy Patterson, of Columbia Falls; daughter, Shelley Borden, and son-in-law Brad, of Kalispell; grandson, Tyler Stewart, his wife Elaine, and great-grandson Alex, of Missoula; grandson, Chris Stewart, great-granddaughter Clare and great-grandson Mason, of Columbia Falls; granddaughter, Riona Tilley, and her husband Andre'; granddaughter, Shanin Prusia, her husband Christian, and great-grandsons Cole and Owen, all of Portland; and grandson, Clayton Patterson, of Columbia Falls.
He was preceded in death by his parents; all four of his siblings; his daughter, Karalee Koppang; and son-in-law, Len Patterson.
Cremation has taken place and there will be a celebration of his life at Bitterroot Lake in the late summer.
Monetary donations will be forwarded the Fish Wildlife and Parks youth program, Hooked on Fishing.
In lieu of flowers, please take the rest of the day off and take a child fishing.
To send a note of condolence to the family, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Bruce Stewart, please visit our flower store.
Bruce was born on Dec. 13, 1920, to Robert Fulton Stewart and Rosa Grace Tucker in Spokane. When Bruce was a small child the family moved to Havre, where they raised five children in town during the school year and on a ranch in the Bear Paw Mountains during the summer.
Bruce attended high school and college in Havre and was a master machinist by age 21. He moved to Seattle and worked for Boeing aircraft through the end of World War II.
He met and married Missoula native Vera Van Ostrand while at Boeing, and they had the first two of their four children while living in Seattle. After the war the couple moved to Hungry Horse where Bruce worked on the construction of Hungry Horse Dam and Vera ran Stewart's Drive Inn. At the end of dam construction, Bruce partnered with Tom Ladenburg and started Stud Timber Company. When their partnership ended, Bruce opened Chipmunk Timber Company. The family moved to Bigfork in 1968 and Bruce closed his logging business and went back to full-time machinist work for Plum Creek, where he worked until retirement in 1988.
Bruce was an avid outdoorsman, spending as much time as possible in a boat, an ice house or behind the scope of his rifle. He was a patient teacher of woods craft and spent countless hours with all of his children and their families in the great outdoors of Montana.
He is survived by his wife, Vera, at Buffalo Hills Terrace in Kalispell; son, Don Stewart, and daughter-in-law Judy, of Columbia Falls; son-in-law, Ron Koppang, of Oregon City, Ore.; daughter, Cindy Patterson, of Columbia Falls; daughter, Shelley Borden, and son-in-law Brad, of Kalispell; grandson, Tyler Stewart, his wife Elaine, and great-grandson Alex, of Missoula; grandson, Chris Stewart, great-granddaughter Clare and great-grandson Mason, of Columbia Falls; granddaughter, Riona Tilley, and her husband Andre'; granddaughter, Shanin Prusia, her husband Christian, and great-grandsons Cole and Owen, all of Portland; and grandson, Clayton Patterson, of Columbia Falls.
He was preceded in death by his parents; all four of his siblings; his daughter, Karalee Koppang; and son-in-law, Len Patterson.
Cremation has taken place and there will be a celebration of his life at Bitterroot Lake in the late summer.
Monetary donations will be forwarded the Fish Wildlife and Parks youth program, Hooked on Fishing.
In lieu of flowers, please take the rest of the day off and take a child fishing.
To send a note of condolence to the family, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family