Our father, Bob Graham, passed away on June 29, 2015, at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.
Bob was born on March 30, 1926, in Kalispell, to Byron H. Graham and Anna I. Duffy Graham and raised on the family dairy farm in the LaSalle area. He graduated from Flathead County High School in 1944, eventually enlisting in the Army, stationed in Alaska.
After the war, he was a sheet metal apprentice in Conrad, worked on the construction of the Hungry Horse Dam and then started a 35-year career of sheet metal fabrication for the aluminum company in Columbia Falls, side by side with Jim, his twin brother.
Bob married Nina Cole, settling in the LaSalle area where they raised their family as well as cattle on 80 acres. Later he married Dorothy Bowman, living in Kalispell, yet visiting daily the farm he loved. When all the work was caught up he would still visit, if for no other reason than to watch his grazing cattle out in the pasture — a sight he never tired of.
Dad enjoyed the backcountry of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier Park on horseback as well as hiking the many trails. While fishing the numerous streams and rivers in our area, Dad most enjoyed the pursuit of the west slope cutthroat and Dolly Varden. Tossing a bull trout plug into the Flathead River with the expectation that he would pull in a “big one” was often part of the family’s nightly routine during the summers. Later on in life another passion was following the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. He read all of their journals and then set out in his pickup to follow their path throughout Montana and Idaho. All of his children and grandchildren grew up camping and hiking, continuing to carry on his legacy of enjoying the outdoors and appreciating what we have in our Montana backyard.
When mid-August arrived each year, Dad could be found at the fairgrounds, up in the stands, most likely with a new straw hat on, ready for each and every horse racing event during the county fair. Smiling from ear to ear, it was something he loved, “win some and lose some,” either way, he loved horse racing.
Dad was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; daughter, Linda; parents; and brothers, Francis, Lawrence and Jim.
He is survived by his daughter, Janet Larson, and Duane, and their daughters, Lindsey and Abby, of Missoula; his daughter, Donna Beagle, and Chuck, and their sons Michael, Ryan and Jace, of Missoula; his son, Murry Graham, and Jan, of Columbia Falls, and their daughters Katie and Faye, of Missoula; his daughter Linda’s family, Crystal Stricklin of San Antonio, Texas, Tami Williams of Kalispell, and Jeff Timlick of Kalispell; and stepdaughter Claudette Biller, and Randy, and her son Don Walters, of Kalispell. He is also survived by his eldest brother Byron Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas, and youngest brother Neil and wife Lorraine of Kalispell; sister-in-law, Ramona Graham, of Kalispell; 18 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Our dad will be greatly missed and our hope is that he will go on to find a place with huckleberry bushes alongside a beautiful flowing river from which he can pull out yet another record breaking bull trout. Here locally, the bull trout can rest a little bit easier.
A gravesite family gathering will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 2, at Glacier Memorial Gardens, followed by an 11:30 a.m. memorial luncheon at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls for friends and family to come and share their stories of Bob.
Our family extends its most sincere appreciation to the entire staff of the Montana Veterans Home for their professional and devoted care of our father, Robert Graham. He could not have been in better hands. We also wish to thank family and friends who took the time to visit Dad during his stay at the Veterans Home. We appreciate you all.
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.