John F. Hossack, born June 11, 1927, to William and Clarice Coulton Hossack in Sandpoint, Idaho, passed away Dec. 19, 2014, at the Good Samaritan Mountain View Manor in Eureka.
He grew up in the Belton (West Glacier) and Kalispell area, graduating from the Flathead County High School in 1945. While still in school, he spent one summer playing semi-pro baseball for the Portland Beavers; he said he enjoyed the experience but discovered he really didn't belong there.
He entered the Navy immediately after graduating and served during World War II. He then attended school at Montana State for two years before transferring to the University of Montana in Missoula. He graduated from there with a degree in forestry.
He married Tana Marie Jones in Kalispell in 1958. During their marriage they adopted four children, sons William Floyd “Bill” and Robert Joseph Patrick “Tucker,” and twin daughters, Joni Marie and Marla Elizabeth. The children were the pride and joy of his life. Tana passed away in 2004 in Whitefish. In 2006 he married Cheryl White in Couer d'Alene, Idaho, and they enjoyed eight wonderful years together.
John started working for the Forest Service at the young age of 15 as a lookout/smoke chaser. He continued his career in the Forest Service, working on numerous ranger districts and forests in Northwest Montana and Idaho, starting at the Lolo National Forest at the Remount Station (Nine Mile) and moving on to the Nez Perce Forest in Idaho where he served as district ranger on the Moose Creek Ranger District when it first became a wilderness area, the Clearwater and Coeur d'Alene National Forests in Idaho, and the Kootenai and Bitterroot National Forests in Montana. He was fond of saying they moved every time the rent came due. He also served as an incident command officer on wildfires, and taught fire fighting skills at Marana, Arizona, in the winter for 15 years. He retired as forest supervisor in 1982 from the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.
After his retirement from the Forest Service, he worked as a consultant/lobbyist for members of the logging industry and joined the board of directors for Lincoln Electric Cooperative in Eureka. He served at practicums for the Native American tribes in Montana, which he enjoyed very much. He had very fond memories of the young people from these camps, especially the time his tepee fell down.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Maggie Hossack; parents, William and Clarice Hossack; wife, Tana Marie Hossack; daughters, Sharon Lee and Marla Elizabeth Hossack; and brothers, George “Gus” Hossack and Charles “Charlie” Hossack.
He is survived by his wife, Cheryl; sons, William Floyd “Bill” and Cathy Hossack of Casper, Wyoming, and Robert Joseph Patrick “Tucker” Hossack of Port Townsend, Washington; daughter, Joni Marie, and Todd Hudson, of Hayden, Idaho; brother, Donald Hossack, of Kalispell; eight grandchildren, Tana, Zackary, Andrew, Gabbie, Mia, Rashae, Dawson and Cassie; and four great-grandchildren.
This is just a brief summary of his life. He will be remembered by many with respect and love. John always said he lived the best life anyone could have and at his request no services will be held.
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