Back to our roots: Fundraising efforts assist longtime Whitefish resident

In this season of gratitude and giving, some people in Whitefish have banded together to help a friend who is having a hard time. While the recipient of the love is longtime Whitefish resident and former ski patroller, Gary Cabell, everyone involved is feeling the benefits.

Cabell, 74, has lived years without running water and only recently stopped working after having some medical issues. He built his log cabin with some friends and he’s been hauling water to his home the entire time he’s lived there. Now, due to Cabell’s physical limitations, his home needs improvements for him to continue living there and recent medical bills have knocked him down a bit.

Friends are rallying to support him through a GoFundMe campaign and a fundraising event/party scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 7, Cabell’s 75th birthday, at the Montana Tap House from 5-8 p.m.

“Gary radiates the energy of love and kindness. His is always a warm hello and you know you could ask him for help anytime,” says his neighbor and friend Lauren Walker.

After visiting Cabell over Thanksgiving weekend, Walker decided to organize the GoFundMe page.

“You know how it is, you get a little bit behind and it’s almost impossible to catch up again these days,” Walker said. “Social Security is his only income and it doesn't cover food, water and medications.”

She said they are raising money to finish the upgrades needed on his cabin, get an accessible vehicle and care to help him heal completely.

“He is just one of those genuinely kind-hearted people,” said Walker. “He just has this spirit about him and he's been here for so long and so many people know him. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about Gary because he’s just so loving and kind and generous.”

When Cabell was asked why he is so beloved in the community, he said, “I'd say, probably my upbringing. I was never uptight about anything that wasn’t relevant and I never made any big deal out of anything. So that’s probably the reason why.”

AFTER ATTENDING college in Gunnison, Colorado, Gary Cabell had been skiing at Copper Mountain for a while when he got a call from Steve, a friend in Park City, Utah, who said, “Hey man, you ready to get outta here?”

Cabell said he was ready to leave.

“So I grabbed skis and my ‘58 Chevy pickup and threw everything in the back of it… and away I went,” he said.

Steve had a 1958 Porsche convertible and the two men were bound for Schweitzer in Idaho. After seeing Old Faithful and the Tetons, they decided to go through Glacier and ended up in Whitefish.

When they passed a local car wash, Cabell saw a familiar vehicle.

“Hey that looked like Hoover’s van,” Cabell recalls saying to Steve. “So we turned around and sure enough, it was Hoover. He was an ex-patrolman from Copper who came up here.

And he said a guy named Buckets, who was a patrolman down at Copper, (had) a place to rent.

And the rest is history. I stayed and Steve left.

“Got a job driving a snowcat, then got a job being on ski patrol. Then I quit that and started skiing,” said Cabell. “Every day.”

Though Cabell says he “quit,” he actually took many other jobs, some of which involved working graveyard shifts at several local restaurants, bars and hotels. One job involved driving a truck for Big Sky Mobile Catering, an outfit that supplies meals to firefighters.

“We’d go down early to get the trucks all ready to go for the summer, so I left skiing and went down to Missoula to where we were parked,” Cabell said. “I remember the boss, his name was Hal, and he said, “How many days of skiing you get this year, Gary?”

Cabell answered, 118 days. He said he never kept count until the mountain started keeping records with its vertical tracker.

WITH TWO friends, Melvin and Jimmy, Cabell built his log home several years ago. They did the excavation for the foundation, put in the floor and installed plumbing. He said he and Melvin saved big logs until he had enough of them to start building.

A friend who used to work for the county inspecting septic systems came over and talked with Cabell about installing a septic system. The two walked the property looking for a good site and soon, two cat drivers showed up at his door.

“One went one direction and one went the other direction and they dug the pad and put the tank in and the next thing you know I had a septic system,” Cabell recalls. “I didn’t have a well so that was more or less put on hold.”

Before he built his log cabin, he lived in other places, all without water.

“If you were counting all the years that I've been without water… probably since the late 80s I've been without water,” Cabell said.

WHEN JESSE Miller, Cabell’s neighbor and founder of Big Mountain Botanicals, started to help, the GoFundMe fundraising goal doubled to $100,000 so a well can be dug in the spring, bringing fresh water to his property.

David Laing, Miller's co-worker and owner of Sure Water Systems, Inc., said the well is a costly step and that’s where most of the funds raised will go. In the meantime, a temporary water system was installed so Cabell won’t have to wait until the spring for running water.

“The first thing that needed to get done was to complete the plumbing. That was completed and supplied by LBR Plumbing out of Whitefish,” said Laing. “Once that plumbing was complete, it allowed us to get our temporary potable water tank delivered with a temporary water line and a pump.”

Cabell has personal connections with so many in the community, he was acquainted with several of the people who came to help out.

“I’ve known Andy (from LBR Plumbing) since… before he was in high school. He was in the race program up on The Big Mountain,” said Cabell. “So I knew all those kids, you know, helping with the start or if one of them got hurt.”

Laing said a hot water tank was donated and a contractor is lined up to dig a well in the spring.

“He never asked for anything from anybody,” Laing said of Cabell. “Having hot water, running water and a flushing toilet, you can already see the positive effects that’s having on him. What was kind of a little thing to us, as contractors — just seeing that switch for somebody who never had those amenities, is pretty dang rewarding.”

It may take some time to become accustomed to having indoor water after living so many years without it.

“It’s pretty fun now. Shower, use the toilet and do the dishes, you know, I mean, a lot has changed,” Cabell said when asked about getting used to his new plumbing. “It feels good. I think that when you don’t have all the necessities, that you learn to adapt and your appreciation value changes a lot. And I'm really appreciating this.”

IN ADDITION to supplying water to the property, there are other basic needs that the team is working to provide that will make Cabell’s day-to-day life easier, given his physical restrictions. Laing said they are working on stacking wood, shoveling snow and keeping his stairs clear.

Miller said they are trying to convince Cabell to switch from his wood stove to a propane stove.

“Knowing that he would have a gas bill is a scary concept but I think he’s starting to warm up to it,” said Miller. “Everything involved with using a wood stove, having wood cut, stacked and managed… maintaining a fire is quite a bit.”

They have also made arrangements for a physical therapist to work with Cabell in order to improve his mobility. Right now Cabell uses two ski poles to help him navigate his property and when he goes into town.

CABELL’S LIVE and let live philosophy has seen him through difficult times and trying situations. It has also drawn people to him and forged friendships. Now, his community is reciprocating.

“This is good for the community and good for Gary,” said Miller.

“Gary is the spark to bring Whitefish back to its roots,” said Laing of the efforts to help a neighbor.

Being involved with the improvements at Cabell’s house has inspired the team at Big Mountain Botanicals to consider this effort as the first of many.

“There are a lot more people out there like Gary, who could use a little bit of help and maybe this becomes a bigger thing. Our group’s been working so well together… that we could continue to have little community support projects like this,“ said Laing. “The response was incredible and I think it just takes a good group of people with good intentions to spearhead it and things really come together.”

Likewise, Walker felt that the energy and sense of community created by joining forces to help Cabell is reminiscent of how Whitefish used to be.

“I just remember years ago, there were fundraisers all the time for people that didn’t have insurance. Somebody broke their leg or tore their ACL and we’d have a fundraiser at the Northern or the Palace and raise a bunch of money,” she said. “This sorta feels like those days again. Like, let’s rally around the neighbor, this is what we need.”

If you’d like to donate, go to: https://gofund.me/5150b2c7

The community is invited to the celebration of Gary's 75th birthday and fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Montana Tap House in Whitefish. https://www.bigmountainbotanicals.com/event-details-registration/gary-cabells-75th-birthday-fundraising-party

The following have donated their help or supplies:

Andy at LBR Plumbing

Northwest Pipe Fittings

Anderson's Masonry

2M Company

Surewater Systems

Greg Eaton

Businesses that have donated for the raffle:

Big Mountain Botanicals

Galaxy Glass

Tap House

Backslope Brewing

Flathead Wakeboard Academy

Whitefish Lake Golf Club

Flip Spinal Care

Velvet Touch Energy Works

Haskill Creek Farms

Black Star Brewery

Casey's Whitefish

Schellinger Construction

Box of Rain

Karen Minton Creative

Firefly Horse Company Wellness Retreat Center

MT Coffee Traders

Walking Man Gallery

Vibe Wellness Studio