Jack Roy French

Jack Roy French, 89, died on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, after a long battle with COPD. He had a great run and cheated death many times over the years.

Born to Roy and Tena French in Lewistown, Mont., on June 21, 1922, he narrowly survived scarlet fever as a child. As a boy, he absorbed his father’s mechanical knowledge at French’s Garage in Grass Range, driving cars when he was barely tall enough to see over the dash, wood blocks enabling him to reach the gas, clutch and brake pedals. Townsfolk joked that they saw his father’s car gliding down the road driverless.

The auto theme followed him into high school where he was nicknamed “Jalopy Jackie.” But he was no slacker. When the lights would dim at a school dance, it was his signal to rush to fuel the diesel generators that powered the small town’s light plant.

After delaying his entry into World War II when his father had a heart attack, Jack enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was trained in Texas as a bombardier. He flew missions over Germany from France and England in Douglas A-26 and A-20 bombers as an 2nd Lieutenant in the Ninth Air Force, 642nd Bomb Squad, 409th Bomb Group. For ever after, he was a fly boy at heart, enamored with aircraft, flight and his tour of duty in Europe.

After returning from service he was soon smitten with a new beauty in Grass Range. On June 14, 1947, he married LaVell Johnson and adopted and raised her son, Calvin.

The family quickly grew with the addition of children James Royal, Janice and Helen Lynn. In 1960 the family pulled up roots from Grass Range and moved to Bozeman where Jack started a One Hour Martinizing dry cleaning franchise with family members. His youngest son, Brett, was born in Bozeman. Jack expanded the business to two shops in Bozeman, one in Helena, Missoula and two in Great Falls. Following the untimely death of his son, Jim, in 1969, he gradually sold several of the businesses and concentrated more on his family.

To that end, he built a summer home at Canyon Ferry from his own design, even cutting much of the wood on an old tractor-powered sawmill at his Uncle Carl Sanderson’s Forest Grove ranch. The cabin, dubbed “Jack’s Shack,” was a gathering place for family and friends where Jack would grill his famous steaks basted with a special barbecue sauce of his own invention. Many people learned to water ski on Canyon Ferry Lake under his patient tutelage behind his 19-foot jet boat. He even built a party barge in his front yard that he launched on the lake to accommodate more people on the watery outings.

In his fourth career, Jack worked as a welder for Williams Construction Co. in Bozeman, building trailers, hydraulic presses and many other specially designed items from scratch. Construction work gave him the opportunity to enjoy one of his other pleasures at quitting time – some good conversation and beer or a highball with friends.

Jack was an intelligent, inventive, kind, helpful and fun-loving man, not only with his family, but to his many friends and neighbors. His death leaves a great void in many people’s lives.

He is survived by his wife, LaVell, of Helena; children: Calvin; Janice (Creighton) Young; Lynn (Dave) Mito; and Brett (Stacie) French; and his grandchildren: Darren and Nicole Young; Cameron and Callie French; Mathew, Nathan and Adam Mito; and Alex and Samantha French. He is also survived by his brother and best friend, James French, and sister, Mary (Phil) Seaholm, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

His son, James, and brother, Ralph, preceded him in death.

Remembrances can be made in Jack’s name to a charity of your choice.

A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, 1610 E. 6th Ave.
Interment and graveside military services will be held at the Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7.