William D. "Bill" Weston

Missoula  -  It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of William D. Weston, a cherished husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend. Born on December 23, 1931, at Thornton Hospital in Missoula, Montana, Bill was the son of Barney and Alice Weston. He grew up on the family farm at Beavertail Hill, Bonita, Montana, alongside his brothers Ben and Emery "Buzz”.

The entire family worked together to raise cattle, sheep, pigs, turkeys and chickens. They also raised and harvested hay and grain for the animals as well as a large vegetable garden and an apple orchard for themselves. Bill had many stories about hauling water uphill for the pigs and feeding them a warm mash of boiling water, potatoes and table scraps. He enjoyed the warmth of the wool quilts that his mother made from the wool sheered from his sheep Maggie Murphy and other sheep on the farm. We still enjoy the warmth of two of those quilts.

At the young age of eight, Bill began driving a pull-off team of horses with an overshot stacker. On his first day, his team ran away and became tangled with the other horses. Seeing the mayhem his father calmly retrieved the horses and all continued their days work. At the ages of 9 and 10, he and his brother Buzz worked alongside hired men during the hay harvest. Insulted by the fact their father thought it was necessary to hire the men to help the boys worked diligently to out thrash the men. This was the beginning of a lifelong love of Weston Ranch and its workings. It was also an early example of Bill’s fiercely competitive spirit.

Bill was extremely resilient. At age 10 he survived an accidental shooting while duck hunting. He walked half a mile back to the family farm before being rushed to the hospital, where he spent seven weeks recovering, mostly by himself because his family was rarely able to visit due to work required at the ranch and gas rationing. At age 11, he had his appendix removed and in eighth grade he sliced his thumb to the bone while chopping wood. He attempted to cover up the injury so he could play basketball that night.

Bill attended grade school in Clinton and graduated from Missoula County High School (now Hellgate High School) with a perfect attendance throughout all four years. In 1948, he moved to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. After one quarter, he was short on funds and began working two jobs pulling green chain at White Pine and Sash Co. and working at Missoula Brewing Company (Highlander Beer) logging 16-hours many days.

In 1952, Bill married the love of his life, Delores Beier, and they began building a life, including a family, rentals and business enterprises. Together they had four children, many gardens, skating rinks in the back yard, dancing in the living room to the orchestral song stylings of Lawrence Welk as well as awesome bowling teams. In the beginning they purchased their first house on Ninth Street. Bill then built his family’s home, with his own hands using hand tools and without a mortgage. The young family moved into that home on Eight Street and he resided there for the rest of his life. The Ninth Street house became the first of many rental properties Bill and Delores owned, repaired, remodeled, and managed throughout their lives, it still remains in the family to this day. Bill was a self-taught carpenter, plumber, electrician and all-around handyman who personally worked on, maintained and managed his rentals into his 90’s.

But wait, there is more. He served as a Warrant Officer with the National Guard at Fort Missoula until the helicopter pilot training program that he was slated to attend at Fort Sill, Oklahoma was discontinued. In the 1960s, he became a partner in a concrete foundation business, eventually establishing Weston Foundations. He had an excellent reputation as a contractor and was the only Missoula concrete contractor to offer brick designed foundations. Bill and Delores sold the business in 1986.

The garden got bigger; they took up golfing and Bill once again spent summers haying at Weston Ranch. This time he was driving a tractor. The extended Weston family still owns the ranch. Unfortunately, in 2013 Delores became ill. Bill learned a new skill set and cared for her in their home until her death in 2019. Bill was a consummate gardener, in the last few years he built raised beds for his tomatoes. He harvested his last beets, onions and tomatoes in the fall of 2024.

Bill, known to his children as Wild Bill, had a fierce loyalty and dedication to the people and things he loved. He was a bit of a perfectionist, extremely generous, had a great sense of humor, a great work ethic and loved a philosophical discussion.

Bill was preceded in death by his loving wife, Delores; his parents, Barney and Alice; his brothers, Ben and Buzz; and his son-in-law, Jon Siegel. He is survived by his children: Barbara (Dennis) Druffel, Connie (Martin)Hahn, Bill (Jamie) Weston, and Shelly Weston. He also leaves behind his beloved grandchildren: Kelcey, Chase (Lilah), Camille (Ben), Andrew (Aniva), Alexander (Jenna), Madelaine (Daniel), Cameron (Alyssa), Haley (Jon), Shelby, and Kimberly, as well as 23 great-grandchildren.

A luncheon celebrating Bill’s life will be held Saturday, December 14, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at St Anthony Parish Fellowship Hall, 217 Tremont, Missoula, Montana In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Future Farmers of America (FFA) in his honor.

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