BASIL O BOZARTH Obituary (1935

Basil Orvil Bozarth went to the Lord's fishing hole on Monday, March 23, 2015 in Eureka, Montana. He was born in Camp Verde, Arizona on October 13, 1935 to Isaac and Marinda Bozarth. Basil was the youngest of six children, and attended Pomona Elementary School and Riverside High School in California, Basil was married to Margaret Dobbins for five years, and to this union three children were born. On November 8, 1958, Basil married the love of his lite, Juanita Suttle, in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time of his death they had been married 56 years. While living in Arizona, Basil leased an El Paso Natural Gas station and ran that until 1963, when he moved his family to Eureka, Montana. He worked as a logger until 1966, at which time they purchased Eureka Auto Supply. Later they built and operated Eureka Auto Repair. Basil and Juanita ran both businesses side by side for 25 years. Basil loved fishing and he passed that on to his children and grandchildren. Over the years, he accumulated many fishing buddies/ and he could tell a "fish story" better than anybody. He purchased and restored a 1935 Stancraft boat, appropriately christened "The Boz-Ark". He found great joy in taking family and friends out on the reservoir in The Ark. He also enjoyed camping with his family and friends. From Memorial Day to Labor Day you would find his family loaded up and heading off to a favorite camping spot...of course with a creek nearby to catch some brookies for dinner. Basil had an infectious laugh, and a great sense of humor that will be missed by all that knew him. After retirement, Basil and Juanita did a lot of traveling to Arizona and California to visit relatives. One year, they made the trip in his 1953 De Soto; this was something he had dreamed of doing since he began the restoration. In 2001, they joined relatives on a road trip to Alaska; many stories were shared of his adventure. Basil and Juanita built their dream home in the early 70's, and he took great enjoyment in tending the gardens and maintaining the lawn. He enjoyed tinkering around the house and in his garage. One of his greatest joys was having his grandkids ask, "Papa, can you help me with this?" He made a hobby of watching the deer and birds that congregated in the yard. He even bought a bird book so he could identify any newcomers. Basil was very involved in the community. He was a founding member of the Lion's Den Booster Club served on the board at First National Bank (Glacier Bank) for 17 years, and served for many years on the board for Midvale Water. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant daughter Deborah Kay, sister Juanita Lamey, and brothers John, Floyd and Cleo. Survivors include his wife and best friend, Juanita Bozarth, at the family home in Eureka; 5 children, Susan Otto (Tom ) , Missoula, Montana; Janice Wood (Jon), Galata, Montana; Wayne Bozarth (Tami), Eureka; Glenn, Phillipsburg, Montana and Sandra, Eureka; a sister Viola Warner (Howard), Oroville, California and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Services were held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2015 at The First Baptist Church in Eureka. Online memories and condolences may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.