Dick Hampton, 80, passed away of natural causes Sept. 21, 2017, at his home surrounded by his family and friends.
Dick was born Dec. 24, 1936, in Glendive to Richard W. and Juneta Ullman Hampton.
He attended parochial school grades one through eight and graduated from Dawson County High School in 1954.
He was preceded in death by both parents and a sister, Joanne Sharbono.
Dick is survived by his loving daughter Darcie Marie Hampton, grandson Johnathan Learn, Gary Learn of Kalispell, Dawn and Jon Werner, granddaughter Jonna Werner of Columbia Falls, two sisters, Carol and Art Sjogren of Bismarck, North Dakota, and Loreen and Tom Morris of Billings, and several nieces and nephews.
Dick worked for Montana Dakota Utilities seasonally and then Consolidated Freightways as office manager, transferring to Miles City and then to Kalispell in 1960.
In 1962 he went to work on the construction project of the building of the Plum Creek plywood operation and secured a dryer tender foreman position in the operations when it was completed.
In 1966 he began employment at Columbia Falls Aluminum Company as an electrical and mechanical coordinator and foreman in the machine and fabrication shop. After 35 years he retired from CFAC as a maintenance foreman in the machine and fabrication shop in 2001.
Interests and hobbies included but were not limited to wrenching on cars, antiques, clocks, Indian artwork, license plates, model cars, balsa wood airplanes, banty chickens, kite flying and decorating his house and yard with old time stuff.
Dick was an automobile enthusiast from the invention of the wheel! From racing, being on a pit crew in the late ‘50s, Bonneville Salt Flats speed trials and old time drag racing, it never ended. He had built, modified and owned many collector cars and street rods. Included in his collection is a ‘26 Model T-bucket, ‘32 Essex, ‘32 Model A coupe, ‘54 Ford convertible, ‘55 custom Chevy convertible with a Packard floor shifter/transmission, ‘57 Chevy hardtop, ‘59 Chevy hardtop and a ’63 Ford Falcon named Suzie originally owned by his grandmother Marie Vervhafsselt. His greatest accomplishment was the radical customizing of an older 1938 Ford he owned in 1957; it had caught on fire shortly after he had sold it and it had never run since. He found it east of the mountains on the prairie and brought it home to rebuild from the ground up. After the restoration was finished it was featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine.
His travels took him to many events around the country and Canada in his cars and creations. He enjoyed the many friends and acquaintances he met at these gatherings and always looked forward to the next year when he could be reunited with them again. His greatest highlight was being instrumental in forming the Glacier Street Rod Association as well as being a charter member of the club. He was also a member of the Good Guys Auto Association, National Street Rod Association, member of the Eagles Club in Columbia Falls, and a member of the Moose Lodge in Kalispell.
As requested by Dick, there will be no funeral service as cremation has taken place. In his honor, a celebration of life will be scheduled next summer at the Moose Lodge in Kalispell, and his name will be engraved on the Perpetual Wall of Memory at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery.