Jim Hiebert

Jimmie (Jim) Hiebert of Whitefish passed away April 21, 2019, very suddenly, honoring his vow to not make it easy for Mother Nature to take him after almost two years of battling metastatic renal cell cancer. Not one day laying in bed. The first one dressed every day. Never once did he let on he had pain or discomfort. He did it his way.

Jim was born at home on August 27, 1940, in Langdon, North Dakota, to Abraham and Margaret (Arens) Hiebert. He was the sixth of eight children born to the family and they all attended the one-room schoolhouse down the road and completed their educations there. Jim helped his father in his junk iron business like the other boys. When he learned to drive he went to work for neighboring farmers driving brand new tractors to work their fields. He saved his last paycheck to buy a used car and in 1959 drove him and some of his brothers to new ventures in California, where his oldest brother told them of available work. While passing through Montana on the way to California, he remembered his dream as a little boy to move to Montana, where they had cowboys. One day he would be back.

Crescent City, California, was exciting for a young teenager coming from the flatlands of North Dakota. Jim admired the country music icon, Johnny Cash, and was euphoric at the chance to see him play live and meet him personally while living there, chatting with him and taking his own photo of the star. Johnny Cash remained a favorite of his throughout his entire life. Jim hustled at different jobs: laundromats, planting daffodils, detailing cars and pulling green chain at a lumber mill. He also traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, to work in a meet packing plant. He became a father in 1962, when his daughter Connie was born in Crescent City. By this time several members of the family had discovered work in Montana and Jim decided he’d see if there were real cowboys there. In September 1962, he realized those childhood cowboy dreams as he moved to Whitefish. His first job here was for Dr. Whalen, working with horses on his small ranch. Jim became an auxiliary policeman for the city of Whitefish, working under Joe Eason. He went on to work for Stoltz Lumber Mill, DePratu Ford and Western Fruit Express on the railroad.

Jim enjoyed walking the woods and shooting gophers and one day met a neighbor kid, Roger Erickson, doing the same. Jim was invited to come home with him to meet the family, and that is how he met his future bride, Phyllis Erickson. They dated for two years and they were married Nov. 6, 1964.

In February 1965, he joined the Montana National Guard and spent his basic in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and Fort Ord, California. While he was in training, everyone soon learned Jim was an extremely talented artist, and he made extra money drawing girlfriends, horses, and wive’s pictures for his fellow classmates. When he finished basic, he and Phyllis spent six weeks with his brother Glenn in Tuolumne, California. They traveled to Concord to visit an uncle, and were so happy to bring a tiny cousin, Wendy, to Montana with them to share their lives for the next three years.

Jim started working in refrigeration for Western Fruit Express in the fall of 1965. He bought his first house in May 1968 and the next month his first son was born while he was gone to the annual guard camp in Helena. Rick was born quite early and was very tiny and frail. The chaplain let Jim come home to see him overnight and then back to camp. An opportunity came for Jim to work extra at Stoltz, and so he worked for both the RR and Stoltz for several months and put his extra money into real estate that he and a good buddy, Wally Reis had developed a deep interest in. Jim bought a small house next to his home and second son, Jimmie, was born in 1973. A growing family inspired him to buy a 5 acre ranchette on Blanchard Lake road. The children thrived in the country before the RR transferred Jim to Spokane in the spring of 1975.

Jim and Phyllis rented out their three properties in Whitefish and moved to Hillyard, Washington.

Jim bought a triplex by Gonzaga University and a ranch home in north Spokane. He was loving real estate. By this time Phyllis was expecting their third child, and our baby girl, Mindi, was born in 1976. We missed family in Whitefish so badly that we drove there every weekend after work on Friday and back to Spokane every Sunday afternoon. That got old for Jim and one weekend in September 1976 while Phyllis remained in Spokane with the two youngest babies,

Jim took Rick to Whitefish for the weekend with the idea of scouting around for anything that we could manage to purchase that would allow our family to move back.

When he returned to Spokane he was so excited. He said to start packing as he’d bought a small motel and we’d be leaving Spokane in a month! Without even calling his wife to ask first!

Realtor friends in Spokane and Whitefish started selling their six properties and in October 1976 they took over operating the Whitefish Motel as their very own for 36 years. Happy man. All those years of real estate investments was paying off.

Jim had continued working in Spokane for the winter, and in the spring of 1977 he transferred to the Carman position with the railroad in Whitefish. Their third son, Donovan, was born in 1979, and they were so blessed to be living back in Whitefish. Jim continued buying and selling real estate. He also began selling fireworks and firewood. In 1983 his fourth son, Dustin, was born and they packed babies on their hips and backs and cleaned motel rooms, did laundry, and rented them again even expanding the motel in 1991. They also welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Breanna, in 1991. After that Jim retired from the railroad and he and the kids fished, camped, and hunted as much as they could, again realizing his dream of living and raising his family in the state of Montana; cowboy hats, boots, and all.

In the later 1980s, Jim started volunteering with the United Veterans of the Flathead Valley, helping to provide military honors for veterans who had passed. The team was addicting and fulfilling for Jim and he helped grow the organization profoundly. For over 25 years he dedicated himself to making sure there were full military honors for each family requesting it. The camaraderie with the team was such a satisfaction for him, as he commanded and captained the ritual team through the years. Jim was proud to give of himself in service to the UVFV, and it was hard for him to let go as his health failed.

His family was blessed to have extra time to love on, encourage, and support him before he took the lead on that inevitable journey we all will take. Our family deeply misses our very own “iconic” cowboy. Camping, fishing, hunting, jamming on guitars and sing alongs, smoked salmon, clam chowder, and family dinners every Sunday with western music and adorable grandchildren entertaining and loving on Grampa will never be the same. The hole in Jim’s family circle leaves a gaping wide void. He is and will always be loved and missed immeasurably.

Preceding Jim in death are his parents Abraham and Margaret Hiebert, brothers Wayne, Jack, Leonard, Loren, his grandparents, numerous aunts and uncles and some of the best buds a guy could ever wish for.

Jim is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 54 years; children Rick (Traci) Brittany, Bailey; Jimmie (Cheryl); Mindi (Dave Gawe) Hanna, Hazel; Donovan (Sara) Kaiden, Sebastian, Briar; Dustin (Chelcie) Ezekiel, Chazz, Harlow, Haskill; and Breanna (Joshua Hart) and Petra. Brother Glenn, and sisters Delores Fish and Carol Jerome. Nieces, nephews, and dear friends too numerous to name. Also, very importantly, his faithful Rottweiler companion, Ziggy, stuck by his side knowing a pat on the head, a treat, and a “Great big good ol’ boy” praise was coming his way from his beloved master. They shared an awesome bond.

The United Veterans of the Flathead Valley will do a flag folding ceremony for Jim at 1 p.m., Saturday, July 20, with a Celebration of Life to follow at the Whitefish Community Center next to the Veterans Memorial Bridge that Jim helped to dedicate.

Jim’s request was for us to remember and celebrate the good times and to mourn just a smidgen please.

Signed, “Eternally Yours”