Larry J Curtiss

Larry J. Curtiss was born March 19, 1923, at his parents' homestead on Deep Creek near Fortine, Montana and died in his sleep 101 years later, April 8, 2024. Although he lived in Columbia Falls with his daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Teksu Rivera for the last three years, at the time of his passing he was visiting the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Peggy, and John Waters, in Kila. He lived a full, rich life, only resorting to using a cane in the last year or so and never having to wear eyeglasses, even to read, which he always did prodigiously. He was a strong man to the end with powerful handshake.

Larry recalls moving from Deep Creek to Meadow Creek in 1928. His mother, Mary Alice nee Hedrick drove the wagon while his father, Charles Alvin Curtiss, pushed their small herd of cattle. "We were the only family living on the entire creek," he recalled. Larry was five years old at the time and early on he began having vivid memories of all the hard work that was required to survive on a mountain homestead. He remembered helping to build a dam to store stock water which required filling in a fifteen-foot-wide ravine to about nine- or ten-feet high requiring thousands of wheelbarrow loads. "It took two or three summers," he said. "I'll never forget pushing that first wheelbarrow up to the edge and dumping it," he recalled decades later. And then there were six-foot deep ditches for water lines, outhouse holes, and irrigation ditches long before backhoes had even been thought of. Larry remembered his parents buying their first car in 1929 from Gibbons Chevrolet.

It comes as no surprise that Larry Curtiss, as far as anyone can tell, is the last surviving World War II veteran of the Tobacco Valley. He was a corpsman in the Marine Corp and saw action in the Pacific Theatre including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Remaining in the reserves, he was called up several years later to serve in Korea. If asked to elaborate on some of his wartime experiences he would reply modestly, "We don't talk about that much."

Larry Curtiss was a devout Christian who studied the Bible throughout much of his life. A pillar of the Fortine Community Church there is no one who could fairly say that he did not walk the talk. He logged his land, ran his own small mill, cut and shipped countless Christmas trees, raised cattle, hogs and a few horses. He was once a government meat inspector and served many years on the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Board.

He and his wife Harriet lived on Meadow Creek their entire married life and Larry remained on the ranch after Harriet passed away in 2020. They raised five children and served as school bus drivers throughout much of that time. Decades passed before Meadow Creek was paved to just beyond the Curtiss Ranch. Spring breakup was a challenging time of year and during that period, which could last six weeks, give or take, Larry parked at the Fortine Church and walked the six miles to the ranch while Harriet and the kids stayed in Eureka at the home of her parents Hadden and Guida Finch.

There is one aspect of Larry Curtiss to which those who knew him well will attest. He was a master at droll, self-deprecating humor. He was an avid and capable horseman and always had riding horses in his pasture. And they weren't there just for looks. He and several of his children often rode them. Of course, his horseback riding tapered off over the years, but he could and would sit a horse well into his nineties. Two or three years ago he said, "I don't think I rode atall (he pronounced it as one word) last summer. I was too busy. I had this chair in here I had to get broke in. But I'm lookin' for another horse. I got to find one that's real quiet and real steady and don't have no bad vices or habits atall. When I find one of them, I'm going to get it."

He is survived by five children: Diane Glazier; Steve Curtiss (Jennifer); Sharon Rivera (Teksu); Kathleen Johnson (Greg); Peggy Waters (John). There are also numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

        A memorial service will be held at the Fortine Community Church on April 24th at 1:00 p.m. Larry Curtiss believed fervently that he would reunite with his beloved wife, friends, and family in Heaven. Ideally there will be some horses up there that he can wrangle. Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Eureka, MT. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.

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