Monte Jarvis

Monte Lee Jarvis, age 55, of Rock Creek, Montana, formerly of Glendive, Montana, passed away at his cabin at Rock Creek on Monday, March 26, 2007. A Life Tribute service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, March 31, 2007 at the Glendive Alliance Church with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive is entrusted with arrangements. Monte was born on June 18, 1951 in Glendive, Montana, the son of Paul and Marie (Maschera) Jarvis. He was raised and educated in Glendive and graduated from Dawson County High School with the class of 1969. Following his graduation, Monte attended Wyo Tech in Laramie, Wyoming. He then returned to Glendive where he worked at Main Street Standard, Urbanec Motors and Crisafulli Pump. Monte was united in marriage to Jane Sadorf on March 10, 1972 in Glendive. He went to work for Burlington Northern Railroad in their car shop. Monte and Jim Henry owned and operated Glendive Suzuki from 1986 until 1989. He later went to work for Burlington Northern Railroad, working in the roundhouse and later as a traveling mechanic. He then returned to the roundhouse where he worked as a machinist until his retirement in 2005. Monte and Jane purchased a cabin at Rock Creek and they turned it into a home and moved there permanently in April of 2006. Monte enjoyed fishing and being a part of the Rock Creek Community - helping many of his neighbors with about anything that they needed done. His hobbies included mechanics, woodworking, and reloading. Survivors include his wife, Jane, of Rock Creek, Montana; his sons, Shawn Jarvis of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Shane Jarvis and his wife Traci and their son Tristen of Glendive, and Preston Jarvis and his wife Dani and their children Zoe and Tatum of Baker, Montana. Life Tribute Service: “A Death Has Occurred” (by Paul Irion) A death has occurred and everything is changed by the event. We are painfully aware that life can never be the same again, That yesterday is over, That relationships once rich have ended. But there is another way to look upon this truth. If life went on the same without the presence of the one who has died, We could only conclude that the life we remember made no contribution, filled no space, meant nothing. The fact that the person left behind a place that cannot be filled is a high tribute to this individual…” The place left behind by Monte Lee Jarvis cannot be filled. The number of family and friends here today is a testimony to the significance of Monte’s life. Monte’s wife, Jane, his three sons, Shawn, Shane, and Preston, and Monte’s granddaughter, Zoe, will be lighting candles to honor Monte as a husband, father and grandfather. The light of these candles signifies the ever-present love and memory of Monte, which will always live on in the hearts of family and friends. Let us listen to Todd Naasz play the song “Wind Beneath My Wings”, as Monte’s family comes forward to light the candles. Song: “Wind Beneath My Wings” played on the saxaphone by Todd Naasz Celebrant: Monte had many friends over his lifetime. These friends have numerous stories and memories of adventures and experiences with Monte. A very good friend of Monte’s, Jim Gehnert, has a few thoughts about Monte he would like to share with us today. Jim Gehnert Celebrant: Thank you, Jim. Jim mentioned that Monte liked “living on the edge”. Many have described Monte with those words. Monte pushed the limits throughout his life. He loved fun and adventure, and he was fearless. Whether he was working or playing, whether he was disciplining kids or helping a friend, whether he was telling a story or giving an opinion, Monte held nothing back. Monte was only child and his living on the edge was hard on his parents. Monte was not denied much, and his mother, Marie, could only tell Jane about one time that Monte had been spanked. Monte was about six and had just gotten dressed one morning, when he took off outside without any kind of jacket or coat. The weather was bitter cold, and across the fields Monte ran. When he got back to the house, Marie was so frightened of him freezing that she gave him a good spanking. But that was the only time. Monte’s parents farmed and ranched near Glendive, and Monte did many chores and worked hard out there. Monte often commented that the reason he didn’t play sports was because he had to work at the farm. When Monte was in his school years, his parents bought a house in Glendive. Monte actually lived only two blocks from his future in-laws. A memory, two of his brothers-in-law have, is of a sledding day. Monte was older and bigger than they and he managed to break the hood off an old abandoned car to use as a sled. They hauled that hood up the hill and came down many times that day, until the hood got Monte. When Monte had broken the hood off the car, a piece of jagged metal was left on the hood. This jagged edge found its way into Monte’s rear. He ended up with stitches, inside and out. Russ Pulse, a friend of Monte’s from childhood, remembers how creative Monte could be. Monte and Russ would go sledding in a scoop shovel, or fishing in a winter wheat field. When fishing, they would cast their lines out into the field and when they reeled in, it sounded like the line was going across water. Of course they got snagged many times. Monte had one cast that was high and long and he really got snagged. He pulled and jerked on the line and finally on one big pull the line came flying past their heads, weight attached, and broke a window in the house. Russ and Monte had many adventures in their younger days. Summing up their experiences together, Russ wasn’t sure if “they just had a lot of fun or were in trouble all the time.” Monte’s days in high school were colorful too. Like the time he rode a motorcycle through the halls. Or when he and friends parked a vehicle in the hallway between the cafeteria and the gymnasium. It is generally believed that his father, who was on the school board, had to intercede on his son’s behalf. Like most teenagers, Monte began to drive and he also worked on his vehicles. Whatever he drove had a unique feature, at least one part of the vehicle was primer gray. When the family, was discussing the candlelighting for today’s service, Shane suggested that the color of the candles be primer gray. Monte would have liked that. And it was in high school that Monte dated that Sadorf girl. No, not Jane but Judy. Judy and Monte were in the same class and Jane was a few years younger. Monte and Jane began dating when Jane was a junior and Monte was working at Main Street Standard. Monte’s mother-in-law, Lois Sadorf, recalls some Christmas’ when Monte was dating Jane. He would come over to see Jane and not go home because he had to play with all the toys and gifts that the Sadorf kids had received. Lois finally started inviting Monte’s parents over too, so they had some holiday time with him. Monte and Jane were married in 1972. For a wedding gift, Jane’s brothers and friends “redecorated” their apartment for them while the wedding reception was going on. Ask Jane about the bathroom shower! When Monte and Jane started their family, Monte made the comment that he wanted all boys because he didn’t want to have to worry about a daughter dating someone like himself. He got his wish and had three sons. Shawn, Shane and Preston all have memories of hunting and fishing with Dad. One hunting trip in particular was quite memorable. Monte had taken the boys hunting in the mountains and Preston got separated and they couldn’t find him. Search and rescue were called in but Shane finally found Preston. Monte was very shook up over that incident. Shane remarked it was better to have had Dad discipline you than Mom. Monte had a temper that would flare up big and bright but burn out quickly. So being grounded for a week was over in an hour with Monte. Monte could be a bit rough around the edges, and he was tough as nails on the outside. But on the inside he was quite soft. Monte wasn’t very sentimental and wasn’t very good about remembering birthdays but he was generous with his kids. When the baseball bus broke down, he loaned his vehicle to the coach to take kids to a state tournament. His boys always had a something to drive. Shawn recalls having a three wheeler about when he was six or seven. It got away from him and he ran into a telephone pole. Monte thought Shawn was exaggerating his pain as he limped into the house and up to his room. The next day, Shawn’s leg was still swollen so Monte and Jane took him in to get it checked. Shawn had a broken leg. Shane tells of Monte putting a screw on the throttle so the three wheeler couldn’t go too fast. But as soon as Monte would start it for them and go out of sight, they took the screw out. Shawn feels they learned that “sense of adventure” from their dad. At Christmas, Monte left the shopping up to Jane, and then just before Christmas, he would want to check to see what she had gotten the boys, and since it wasn’t enough, he would go out and get more. Monte had to get a bit more creative with Jane’s Christmas gifts. Jane can’t stand to not know what is in packages. She’s very good at finding and getting into surprises. One year, Monte brought home a huge motorcycle box. Jane’s gift was inside wrapped in a mattress and a lot of other things that took up most of the box. Jane didn’t dare try to open it early. Another Christmas, Monte got Jane a ring and hung it on the Christmas tree. Jane never thought to look there. Monte’s soft side certainly came out when he became a grandfather. His granddaughter, Zoe, could do no wrong. Monte got Zoe a four wheeler to ride at the lake. Zoe can tell you about winning races with Papa. Papa just worried that she was going too fast and he made some adjustments to slow down her four wheeler. Papa was looking forward to when Tristen and Tatum would be older and could do fun things. If you wanted to guess what Monte’s other soft spot was, look at the picture boards the family put together. Dogs! Monte loved dogs, and was always taking in strays, a trait Shawn inherited. And dogs loved Monte. Monte had two at the lake, a boxer and a basset hound. They went everywhere with Monte. Fishing, four wheeling, to the neighbors, riding in the vehicles. Jane came to town over St. Patrick’s Day and when she got back to the lake, as she pulled up she sees that Monte has put what looks like her deck carpet on the back of the four wheeler where the dogs ride. Monte just told Jane she needed new deck carpet; her old carpet wasn’t very good anyway. When the dogs were with Monte in the house, if he was in his chair at least one dog was on his lap. If the dogs wanted to go out, Monte would let them out the side door and invariably as soon as he would sit down, he would get up to let them in the sliding door, cussing them the whole time. Monte was never without a dog. One of the events of Monte’s life that most everyone is aware of was his motorcycle accident. When Monte came home from the accident, he had a broken jaw, a crushed larynx, and two broken arms. Now, Monte had casts on both arms up to his armpits. But Monte still managed to go out and work in the garage. Jane went out to the garage to find his motorcycle up on blocks. When she asked Monte how it had gotten there, he replied that some of his friends had stopped and put it up for him so he could work on it. Jane later learned that Monte had gotten it up, in spite of his casts. It was hard for Monte not to be working on something. Monte was a great mechanic and came to be very skilled with woodworking. He could fix anything. Friends and neighbors counted on him to fix many things or give them advice on how to get it done. And he never expected anything in return. One thing though, you had to be careful where you stood. Monte was easily frustrated when things didn’t go the way he expected and tools, car jacks or whatever he was frustrated with could go flying. One friend would pick up the tools outside the garage door and take them home for a couple weeks before returning them to Monte. And if Monte needed something he would use whatever was handy, such as Jane’s good bowls and measuring cups. Monte’s daughter-in-law, Traci, is sure he used the dishwasher to clean a carburetor. Monte learned through his life experiences to carry tools with him. The first, being a scoop shovel, to dig himself out of places he went. Later he generally would have wrenches and other tools for fixing things. And a winch was always good to pull a four wheeler or vehicle out of the lake after checking the ice. Monte had a wide circle of friends. In life we can probably count on one hand the friends we consider “good”, those friends we know we can count on. Monte was that kind of friend. Some have been his friend since childhood, some have only come to know Monte in recent years, some felt he was more like a brother, some enjoyed pushing the limits with him. All valued his friendship; and all enjoyed being around Monte. Dennis LeDoux summed Monte up when he said, “Monte was the kind of friend you didn’t have to be with every day; he was there when you needed him.” Many stories have been told and retold between family and friends these past few days. Please listen to these few about a man who lived life to the fullest. Granddaughter, Zoe, tells about Papa taking her out on the ice, to fish with his friend Jim. When asked if she caught any fish, Zoe replied no, she sat in the car. But fish were caught and one fish was all bloody. “Did you take these fish home to eat?” “Yes, but not the bloody one. We threw it back in the water. Jim did.” Craig Buelow, a friend from Monte’s railroad work, relates a tale about a trip made to Bismarck in 1989 to pick up a car. It was a long drive to Bismarck and before heading home, Monte and Craig stopped at a Mexican place to have a cold one. Finally, ready to make the long drive home, they stopped for gas. The attendant seemed to think they had had to many, and called the authorities to report them. Barely out of Bismarck, they were stopped by the highway patrol, cited and put in the patrol car to be taken to jail in Mandan. On the way in, Craig spotted body armor, vests, guns, and other equipment in the rear. President George Bush Sr. was in town that day to give a speech. Monte and Craig decided the cops must have thought they were in town to shoot the president. When they mentioned this to the officer there was laughter. Once locked up, Monte found he still had his car keys so he reached through the bars, put his key in the cell lock and got it stuck. It was about ten hours later that Craig and Monte got bailed out. At the appearance in court, the first thing the judge said was “So, I see you were in town to shoot the president.” Bruce Storlie’s tale is about a slow day of fishing. He, Monte, and Preston were out on the lake and the fishing was slow. Someone had brought along packages of dinky donuts. A challenge was thrown down as to who could stuff the most donuts in their mouth. Bruce and Monte got about three donuts in before their saliva dried up. Preston won easily by getting ten or so in. Nothing was said about whether they swallowed or spit. One day when the ice was just off the lake, Dennis Schwartz and Monte went out fishing. Dennis was at the back of the boat and Monte was trolling from the front of the boat. Suddenly Monte let out an expletive as his fishing rod went in the water. It was still pretty cold that early in the morning, and both Dennis and Monte had on parkas. Monte could see the rod just off the side of the boat and told Dennis he couldn’t let it sink because it was a Christmas gift from Jane. Monte slid over the side into the icy, cold lake, hanging on with his left arm and reaching the rod with his right arm. Monte was a big boy and now he was soaked up to his armpits with this wet heavy jacket on. Dennis told Monte he didn’t think he could get Monte back in the boat from the side. So, Dennis assisted Monte along the side of the boat to the back of the boat and Monte had to crawl in. Dennis accused Monte of dozing off and dropping his rod. Monte claimed that a fish had jerked it out of his hand. When Monte reeled in the line, he had a fish alright, about a six incher. But, Monte was not ready to quit fishing as his smokes were in a chest pocket and hadn’t gotten wet. He didn’t need to leave. Monte’s head and shoulders were dry, and he was good to go. They stayed out several hours longer before going home. Russ Pulse’s fishing tale occurred at a lake in western Montana. Russ and Monte were casting for fish and Russ was pretty successful. Monte’s wasn’t catching anything, so Russ offered to trade spots with Monte. Well, Monte told Russ what he thought of that and let loose a long, high cast and caught a seagull. Monte managed to reel in his bird as Russ rolled with laughter at the sight. Monte did manage to get the bird unhooked and let it loose. But Monte probably took the most ribbing about going fishing with Jane. Monte went out all the time but Jane only went once in a while. Jane was out on the lake with Monte and caught a really big fish. Monte asked her what she wanted to do with it. Jane said to throw it back. Well, Monte thought maybe they should measure it first. It was a keeper, and Monte had the fish mounted. Not long after Jane caught the big one, Monte caught a big one too. He had that one mounted also. Both nice fish, but Jane’s was a little bit longer. Monte’s friends liked giving Monte a bad time about this. This past year, Monte and Jane were living their dream. They moved permanently to the lake, were remodeling their home, spending time with neighbors and friends, fishing, paying no attention to the time of day or what day of week it was. Friends have remarked on how happy and content Monte seemed. Monte was the Rock Creek Fire Chief manning the fire truck to area fires and keeping the truck in good running condition. He even commented to friends he was ready to be sheriff too. Monte and Jane’s home was the go to place. You could find neighbor’s four wheelers and vehicles there from early morning and through the evening. Monte loved having people always dropping in and he and Jane made everyone feel welcome. One friend observed that for Monte, the sun rose and set with Jane. They were truly enjoying their life on the lake. Although we mourn what we have lost in Monte, we can be grateful he touched our lives, we can appreciate his significance to family, friends, and community, we can tell his stories and be glad to have felt his zest for life, for pushing the limits. Let us remember Monte as we listen to “Amazing Grace.” Song: Amazing Grace Celebrant: Never assume a friend wants to mourn alone. Continue to share your stories about Monte, your experiences with him, the way he touched your life. Jane and the family will need us in the coming weeks and months. Remember the 1sts; the first holidays, the first birthdays, the first anniversaries. It is at these times that Monte’s absence will be felt with a fresh sense of loss. Be very present during these times and honor the memory of Monte. “Some people die without having really lived, while others continue to live in spite of the fact that they have died.” Monte Jarvis will continue to live. He will live in your memories, and in your stories. He will live in the faces of his children and grandchildren. He will live in the hearts of family and friends. It is an important day when we stop to bear witness to a person’s life and times among us, the difference his living and dying made among family and community and to take time to express our grief, our hope, and our memories. Thank you for being here for this important time. One of Monte’s favorite beverages was Mountain Dew. Today, the family will be serving this favorite drink of Monte’s at the reception at the Elks, to which you are all invited. Following today’s life tribute service, the family has made arrangements to have Monte cremated. His ashes will be scattered at the lake, at the farm, and buried with his parents. Let us close this life tribute service for Monte Jarvis as we listen to the song “Fishin’ in the Dark”.

Monte Jarvis

June 18, 1951 - March 31, 2007

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Monte Jarvis

June 18, 1951 - March 31, 2007

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support