Robert E. Ewing “left this earthly realm” on Jan. 31, 2016. He was 102 years old.  

He was born Sept. 10, 1913, to Robert and Mae Ewing in El Paso, Texas.

Bob served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, mainly in the Pacific theater. After the war he met his future bride, Terry, in the cafeteria line at the May Company in Los Angeles. A flip of a coin decided they would move to Montana, where they made their home for 40-plus years. 

One of his first jobs was aboard the Paul Bunyan. He was to swim along the shore and retrieve logs that had come loose while being towed to the lumber mill. He joked that he swam the entire coastline of Flathead Lake, at least twice.

Bob mostly enjoyed hunting and fishing in the wilds of Montana and pretty much any place he could. He participated in weeks-long pack trips for elk and deer, always successful for game as well as great stories to share. He shot trap for a number of years and brought home several trophies. His love of geology lead him to get involved in rock hunting which, in turn, lead to jewelry making. Both he and Terry were members of the Kalispell Rock Hounds Club. Bob also founded a furniture and appliance store that was a staple of the valley community for many years.

Dad was also a pilot. Flying made it easy to fish those far-off lakes in Canada and Alaska. He also enjoyed taking his family to “fly ins” where private pilots would pick a place to meet and have a picnic. A favorite spot was landing on the sand on the north shore of Flathead Lake. He either owned or was a partner in several planes and, due to weather, even crashed one on the highway near Paradise.

He took his love of fishing to Seattle where he lived for many years. He presided as the president of the local fishing clubs, along with fishing the club-organized events such as the Blind Fishing Derby. A sighted angler would team up with a vision-impaired person in order to share the joy of fishing. 

At 100, Bob was finally convinced he might need some help and he moved from Seattle back to Kalispell where the good people at Prestige Assisted Living took care of him. His family would like to thank them for the marvelous care they provided for Bob.

Bob “joins his wife, parents and sister Lydia in heaven.”

Bob is survived by the family that he and Terry created who are spread throughout the country — his children, Steve and wife Wendy, Bruce and wife Renee, Dan and wife Terry Ann, and Sheila and husband Paul; his grandchildren, Erin, Keyvin and wife Elysse, Shane and wife Liz, Rob, Erik, Kate, Ryan, Jenna and Connor; great-grandchildren, Shane and Brynn, as well as many nieces and nephews. 

Whether you knew him as Dad, Bob, Captain, Mr. Ewing, or Fishy Papa, his stories, smile and great sense of humor will be deeply missed.

There will be no funeral service at this time. Instead, Bob’s life will be remembered and celebrated this summer by his family and friends at one of his favorite fishin’ holes. 

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the Ewing family.