Forest "Buzz" Dupuis, 83

Forest “Buzz” Dupuis, 83 of Polson, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

He was born in St. Ignatius on April 2, 1943, to Floyd and Ruth Dupuis. Buzz grew up in Polson and was a proud member of the Class of ’61.

His first job was setting up pins at the bowling alley, and he would always talk about his time working at both the theatre in town, and the drive-ins during the summer.

Buzz, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1962 and was always very proud of his time in the service as a Corpsman. He did six years of active duty followed by another 21 years in the Naval Reserves.

He spent time at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, Alameda Naval Air Station, and Naval Station Treasure Island. One of the highlights of his military career was taking care of injured Fleet Admiral Nimitz for a while in 1964.

After the Navy, Buzz had a career working at Caterpillar Tractor, as well as numerous tech companies throughout the Silicon Valley where he met many lifelong friends.

Buzz married Lori Clifford in 1972, and they raised their three children together: Holly, Jeff and Kerry. As sometimes happens, they were divorced in 1995.

When Buzz retired in 2011, his parent’s cabin on Skiddoo Lane came up for sale, so he bought it and moved back home. Buzz enjoyed taking care of his property, picking up pinecones and raking the pine needles, and then sitting on the porch with a Coors Light and watching the deer in the yard. He lived there until moving into memory care in 2020.

If you knew Buzz, then you knew his love of the Oakland Raiders. Neighbors down the street knew when there was a Raider game on TV. Buzz was also a fan of Stanford Women’s Basketball and would watch the games whenever he could.

Buzz was also very particular about grammar. “Those aren’t kids, those are children … Kids are baby goats” was among one of many phrases he would say over the years.

Buzz was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Ruth; brothers Kenny, Donny, Russell and infant brother Richard Dupuis; and his sister, Dorene Dupuis Vallee.

Buzz is survived by his children: Holly (Brad) Lloyd, Jeffrey Dupuis and Kerry James. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Colton, Savannah, Chase and Aimee Lloyd, Tatyana and Tristan Dupuis, and Laurel and Hazel James; and great-grandchildren Bray, Lively, Harley, Audrey and Billie Lloyd, Tyson Birch, and one more on the way. Buzz is also survived by his brothers, Darryl Dupuis, Mike Dupuis and Greg Dupuis, and his sister, Peggy Dupuis VanNess, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at The Lake Funeral Home, on Tuesday, June 23, at 10 a.m. with the visitation starting at 9 a.m. until the service starts. Full military honors will follow the service at Lakeview Cemetery following the funeral.

Messages of condolence may be shared with the family online at lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com.

Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.