Friday, June 9th, at 7 p.m.
The run will continue to take place with the help of Reno Olvera, www.infinitepatriot.com. Please come out and enjoy a warm Montana evening and walk, run or just support the fundraising efforts we are undertaking. All proceeds for the run go directly to the benefit of the Montana Fire Fighter’s Memorial Park.
Montana Firefighters Memorial Run (runsignup.com)
Our beloved Michael Thomas Kuntz, 49, passed away on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, following a three-year battle from cancer. Mike displayed strength and courage. His “unbreakable” spirit never let his prognosis define how he lived his life. Mike was born on March 15, 1973 and was raised in Sun River and Vaughn. He loved playing sports and being outdoors. He was a hard- worker beginning at an early age breaking horses, feeding animals, and stomping wool bags. In high school, he worked at Vaughn Meats to fund his shoe obsession. After graduating Simms High School, Mike worked at The Daily Grind where his humor, sarcasm wittiness, and his gift-of-gab connected him to the Great Falls community. In the spring on 94’ he was introduced to the love of his life, Donelle, by her mother. They were engaged by Thanksgiving and were married and inseparable for nearly 27 years. During their first few years of marriage, they welcomed two adored children, Taylor and Tia. Before becoming a fire fighter, Mike touched many lives owning his own coffee shop, Charlie’s Coffeehouse, in downtown Great Falls. In 2003, Mike embraced his true passion and began his 18-year career with Great Fall Fire Rescue. With his ability to connect with any person, from any walk of life, along with his caring nature, he was destined to be successful. Mike loved his time as a fire fighter and excelled at every position he held, climbing through the ranks quickly and retiring as Captain. He also served as a member of the Montana State Hazardous Material Response Team. True to Mike’s nature of always wanting to be busy, he used his spare time to start his quest in 2014 to become a journeyman electrician for A-H Electric. In early 2021, Mike medically retired due to the advancing cancer prognosis and treatments. He considered the members and retirees of Great Falls Fire Rescue his second family. Even after his retirement, he maintained his relationships with his brothers and sisters at GFFR. Mike was a very competitive athlete! He enjoyed many sports, especially basketball and softball. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, shooting, as well as collecting and trading guns. Mike was a true “fix-it” guy, who had every tool imaginable and the ability to fix most anything. Mike was extremely involved in his children’s activities, coaching many of their sports. He had an incredible bond with the kids he coached and loved them all like his own. He considered those times some of the best of his life. Mike had a very special relationship with his kids- Taylor, who was not only his son, but a true friend and Tia, the ultimate daddy’s girl. He treasured every moment they were able to spend together. After becoming a Papa, Mike never missed an opportunity to hang with his “little dude” Hudson, his constant companion, his spunky granddaughter Tatum, and his sweet granddaughter Wren. Mike always thought of others, never turning away anyone in need and never missing an opportunity to be generous. The way he led his life was an inspiration to many. Mike will be remembered for everything he did for his community, the incredible friend he was to many, and the love he had for his family. His wife, children, and grandchildren were the center of his world. He is sorely missed and will forever be remembered as “unbreakable”. Mike is survived by his wife, Donelle Kuntz; children, Taylor and Tia; grandchildren, Hudson, Tatum, and Wren; mother, Nancy Howell; sister, Sheri Yeager; mother-in-law, Lorrie Hardy (George Fultz); grandparents-in-law, Don and Sharon Howarth; godchildren, Hannah and Jace Pimperton; stepmother, Shirice Ivers; step-siblings, and many dearly loved uncles, aunts, and cousins, extended family and friends. He was predeceased in death by father, Thomas Kuntz; father-in-law, Rick Hardy; brother, Ron Howell; and countless other loved ones.
On June 11, 2022, the Montana Fire Fighters Memorial added four names to the wall. These heroes will be forever in our hearts and minds.
Ian McBeth
Ian McBeth was a C-130 pilot with the Wyoming and Montana Air Guard, completing multiple firefighting missions across the United States and serving in the private sector fighting wildland fires.
Ian’s childhood was quintessential (He would have hated that word, but it means the pure and essential essence of something.) of a small ranching community, fostering love of animals and reverence for hard work. A standout athlete at Wray High School in Wray, Colorado, Ian earned 11 varsity letters in football, wrestling, and track. He was a mainstay of the 1993 State Championship football team and a perennial placer in the state track meet at 1600 and 800 meters. Ian was known for his humor and hijinks and his toughness, determination, and skill, a theme repeated throughout his life.
At the University of Wyoming, Ian ran track, earning WAC Academic All-Conference. He earned several academic honors and graduated with a M.S. in Range Management. He was the main character in many adventures where he acquired the title “The Instigator,” a nickname used throughout his life.
Ian’s love of adventure and service to others led him to the military. Enlisting in the Wyoming Air Guard in 1996 as a construction specialist, he was later commissioned as a C-130 navigator and pilot. Over his career, Ian completed multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, he joined the Montana Air Guard, becoming a pivotal part of the 120th Airlift Wing’s conversion from F-15 fighters to C-130s. A patient instructor who held his fellow airmen to his own high standards, he is remembered for his incredible competence as a pilot, teacher and evaluator, his unbounded humor, and a constant twinkle in his eye.
Ian’s first passion in life was his family. He and Bowdie had three beautiful, clever, and adventurous children. Abigail, Calvin, and Ella were his pride and joy and loved joining their father on whatever scheme he had cooked up, spending time outside skiing, hiking, camping, and kayaking. Ian dreamed up and executed family adventures with his parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews to the Black Hills, Fort Robinson State Park, Glacier National Park, the Delaware shore, and the Grand Canyon, to name a few. Uncle Ian was the main character in every trip’s greatest adventure, whether it was an overwhelming success or epic failure.
Ian lost his life in New South Wales, Australia, doing what he loved—flying and helping others. Ian’s death has reminded us of his passion for life, his service to others, and the dogged determination with which he faced any challenge.
Tom Duffy
On August 24, 2020, Tom gave his life in a helicopter crash while fighting fires in Oregon.
Anyone who knew Tom knew he was larger than life, both in stature (6′ 10″) and in everything he did. When God opened a door, he didn’t walk; he ran.
Tom was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. He attended Mount Ellis Elementary, Mount Ellis Academy, and then played basketball for the Bobcats at Montana State University. As a sophomore, Tom led the Big Sky Conference in blocked shots and the team in 3-point field goal percentage. He did this while missing half the conference games because, as a Seventh-day Adventist, Tom observed the Sabbath from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. Through that entire time, he kept God by his side and let Him lead wherever he needed to go. Tom was big, but God is bigger.
Tom was easy to like, with his big smile and infectious laugh. It was not uncommon to see Tom on the phone working through an employee’s personal life issue or talking to a new friend whom he met while working on his never-ending projects.
His dreams and aspirations were as big as he was. He built Excel Drilling from the ground up and not only made it into a very successful business but created another family of employees with relationships that will last a lifetime. He bought the Bozeman Hot Springs with dreams and an action plan already in place. The outside oasis at the hot springs is the realization of his dream because of his endless research, passion, grit, and drive to make a dream reality.
Even before all that, his family and friends were his world. His greatest accomplishment was being a father to his three beautiful children. His wife, Robyn, worked by his side for 18 years in every adventure he went on. His best friend was his father, who taught him to be the man that he was. For someone who didn’t like to talk, Tom never shied away from being there for his friends who became his brothers.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for another. John 15:13
He is survived by his wife, Robyn; children, Cohen (11), Sawyer (9), and Makenna (7); parents, Mark and Pam Duffy; sister and brother-in-law, Ashley and David Bowen; brother and sister-in-law, Tyler and Jackie Duffy; grandfather, Jack Larrabee, and his wife, Cathy; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Tim Hart
The U.S. Forest Service has confirmed the death of wildland firefighter Tim Hart while fighting a fire in New Mexico.
Hart, a USFS smokejumper, died from injuries sustained on May 24 while responding to the Eicks Fire in Hildago County, New Mexico.
Hart began his wildland firefighting career in 2006 on the Coconino National Forest and then the Fremont-Winema National Forest as an Engine Crew Member.
In 2009, he joined the Shoshone National Forest as a Lead Forestry Technician on an engine and in 2010 detailed to the Asheville Interagency Hotshot Crew as a Lead Firefighter.
Hart also worked for the Bureau of Land Management on the Ruby Mountain Hotshot Crew before joining the smokejumper program in 2016 and relocating to Grangeville, Idaho as a Rookie.
Hart continued his wildland firefighter journey in West Yellowstone, arriving in 2019 as a Smokejumper Squad Leader, then in 2020 as a spotter.
Jason Baker
Great Falls Fire Department firefighter Jason Baker died on February 20, 2019 after a two-year battle with lung cancer. He was 45 years of age at the time of his death.
Baker began his career as a wildland firefighter in the Seeley Lake area during a summer break from the University of Montana. He became a volunteer firefighter, and then found a job with the Great Falls Fire Department in 2000.
Baker worked for more than a decade to help firefighters statewide achieve presumptive health and safety coverage so generations of first responders tagged with lung disease and other serious work-related health conditions would have better odds at living a normal life.
Baker is survived by his wife, Jill, and their two children.
Jason was instrumental in getting Senate Bill 160 into law.