Respected community leader DePratu dies at 74

Whitefish has lost another of its esteemed community leaders.

An entrepreneur, respected state legislator and devoted family-man, Bob DePratu passed away Friday at North Valley Hospital at age 74.

He was known by many as owner of the DePratu Ford dealership in Whitefish, but his caring and genuine personality went far beyond business transactions, said Ryan Zinke, a longtime family friend who will deliver DePratu’s eulogy at a service on Thursday.

“He spent most of his adult life helping the community — as a fireman, a politician — he was there in so many ways. It’s rare there is an individual that makes as much of an impression on a community as Bob.”

Fellow Whitefish auto dealer Don Kaltschmidt visited with DePratu shortly before he passed.

“I just loved the man,” Kaltschmidt said on Monday. “He was a great mentor for me of what a good business man is. He has taught me a lot and showed me what is possible.”

Kaltschmidt said DePratu was at peace when he passed.

As Whitefish’s representative in the state senate from 1995-2004, DePratu was notorious for his ability to find common ground and listen to all sides of an issue.

“Bob always said there are two sides to every story and you have to listen,” Zinke said. “As a politician, Bob listened and cared about the community.”

“He was passionate about doing good. That’s probably his legacy. He was a saint of a man and you respected Bob because you knew he was never into self-interests. He was a straight-shooter.”

Former state senate president Bob Brown said DePratu was one of his closest political allies for 30 years, as well as a personal friend. He said DePratu’s work as chair of the Senate Taxation Committee highlighted his competency as a legislature.

“You have to understand technical information and how taxes work,” Brown said. “It gets down to fractions of percentages. Bob was able to master that and explain it when necessary.”

“He had wonderful people skills. When there were problems between members on the committee, he was always able to mediate and smooth things out.”

Brown describe DePratu’s personality as “genuine.”

“He was congenial, but wasn’t a phony about it,” he said. “He was fundamentally kind and thoughtful. People naturally trusted him — which helped him in his business and political life.”

DePratu grew up in Eureka and began working with the Sterling Rygg Ford dealership in Whitefish at age 12. He would find potential buyers and give their names to one of Ryggs’s salesman who visited the Eureka area.

“Back then, it was rare to go to a dealership to buy a car,” DePratu told the Pilot in a 1996 interview. “We sold cars like the Fuller Brush man — door to door.”

After graduating from Lincoln County High School in 1957, he would go on to attend the Kinnman School of Business in Spokane and earn a degree in accounting. He later returned to Eureka to marry his high school sweetheart, Bea, in 1959.

He bought the Ford franchise from Rygg in June 1964 when he was just 23 years old. At the time he was the youngest Ford franchise dealer in the United States.

He moved the dealership in 1984 from downtown to its current location on U.S. 93 South. For a time, DePratu was one of the largest auto dealerships in the state.

Kaltschmidt called DePratu’s work ethic a throwback to the old times.

“He’d tell me about selling cars door to door — he was just a hard worker,” Kaltschmidt said. “And he was a car guy. We could relate really well.”

He retired from the auto dealership about five years ago but continued to stop by nearly every day at the business he loved.

DePratu joined the Whitefish Fire Department in 1968 for a 20-year stint and served two years as fire chief.

He also served in many community clubs such as Rotary and the Jaycee’s.

“He was involved in so many things and was first to lend a hand,” Zinke said. “He always made time for everybody.”

In 2012, DePratu was honored with the Great Whitefish Award from the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce for his lifetime of contributions to the community.

“He was a stalwart in the community,” Kaltschmidt said. “One of the guys that started a lot of what we take for granted today.”

“He had a big impact,” Brown added. “He will be in our community memory for a long time.”

DePratu was proud of the work ethic he and Bea instilled in their own three children, Bret, Bart and Brenda. All three worked at the dealership during their youth. Bart joined the business as a partner in 1985 and remains a primary owner. Brenda is the parts and service director.

DePratu was a self-described family-man.

“My favorite thing is being with my wife and family,” DePratu said in a Pilot interview. “I want things to be good for them.”

DePratu’s death follows the recent passing of Norm Kurtz, the father of Whitefish Winter Carnival and Big Mountain manager, and June Munski-Feenan who led the North Valley Food Bank for years.

Kaltschmidt said the loss of the three community leaders will leave a void in Whitefish.

“The rest of us have to step up,” Kaltschmidt said. “But they were all such great mentors — there are others that will step in.”

Visitation for DePratu will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Whitefish Emergency Services Center. There will be minimal parking, for family and handicap only, at the ESC building. A shuttle service will transport folks from the Mountain Mall parking lot to the ESC from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Burial will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell.