James Crumley

James David Crumley passed away on Feb. 15, 2007.

"Dave," as he was called by friends and family was born Nov. 3, 1945, in Greenville, S.C., in 1945. At the age of one year, his family moved to Half Moon, in Montana.

Dave graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1963, after which he joined the Army and spent three years in the service, mostly in Germany. He quickly made "buck sergeant" in an artillery unit.

When he came home, he went to work for American Timber for one year before moving to Seattle and going to work for Town & Country Fence, owned by his future father-in-law.

In 1971, he married Valerie Nelson. In 1974, they had their first son, Tyson, followed three years later by twin sons Joshua and Jeremy.

In 1984, Dave moved to California with his family where he worked for the same company until being diagnosed with Huntington's disease in 1992.

Shortly after his retirement, he moved back to Whitefish and lived with his sister and her husband, Bob and Patty Morris. In mid-2006, Dave moved to Oregon to live near two of his sons and his grandchildren.

Dave is survived by his three sons, Josh Crumley, Jeremy Crumley, and Tyson Crumley and wife Hanneke and their four children Khalaysia, Kenya, Gavin and Taye; sisters Ginnie Ren and husband Doug, and Patty Morris and husband Bob; brothers Phil Crumley and wife Trudy, and Les Crumley and wife Julie; and many nieces and nephews.

Dave has been cremated and will have his ashes spread around Big Mountain this summer.