‘Champ’ has moved ahead to the next camp. Robert Edward Champion, age 85, died Friday, March 29, 2019, in Helena. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Ruth in 2009.
Bob was born September 3, 1933 in Great Falls and raised at Fort Shaw, where he endured a harsh childhood. His early life was a mix of doing chores, herding sheep, tending bees for Rev. Baldwin, and piano & violin lessons. Dad started working at 14, driving truck for farmers. He worked summers on farms from Geraldine to Dutton to Conrad. He sprayed weeds for Cascade County on summer breaks during college. He was able to save enough money each summer to pay for a year of college at Montana State College.
After grade school in Fort Shaw, Bob graduated as Valedictorian from Simms High School in 1951. He played football, basketball & baseball for the Simms Tigers, but his favorite was playing baseball on the town team with his younger brother Donnie, and his dad refereeing. His love of athletic participation & intense competition carried on through refereeing basketball games at MSC. When he was head of Right of Way at MDT, he had the World Series broadcast into the entire R/W Bureau office. Even after retirement he regularly hiked the steep hill in back of his house ‘just for fun’. Dad’s love of intense competition also manifested itself in a life-long cribbage rivalry with our Uncle Evan.
Bob graduated with Honors from Montana State College in Bozeman in Civil Engineering, including Surveying, in 1955. During college he lived at 904 West Babcock, affectionately called ‘the Simms house’, with his buddies Steve Kologi, Bill Richter, George Evans & several other Sun River ‘Valley boys’. They had strict chore schedules for cooking, doing dishes, etc.
Bob was drafted into the Army in 1956, at Fort Ord, California, serving first with the 160th Engineers at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and later in the Secret Mapping Service at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. One lonesome day at Ft. Belvoir, he sat down on his bunk & contemplated his future; he vowed he would spend the rest of his days in Montana, even if he had to herd sheep again.
When Bob returned to Montana, he initially worked for the Bureau of Public Roads on federal highway projects in Washington & Oregon. In 1958 Bob was hired by the Montana Highway Department as a Highway Engineer in Great Falls, and he transferred into the Interstate Design Unit at Helena Headquarters in 1959. He then ‘read law’ and passed the Montana Bar Exam in 1963.
His most cherished accomplishment as a Highway Engineer was the part he played in the early days of the Interstate system, studying the routing for I-15 & I-90 in the Butte District. As a result of choosing ‘’cut-off” routes via Homestake Pass & East of Cardwell, the Department cut the travel distance between Butte & Three Forks by about 5 miles.
Bob was later head of the Right of Way Bureau for 16 years. He greatly appreciated the experiences he had in R/W and the valuable lessons learned from fellow R/W employees – especially the ones they don’t teach in engineering school. He was promoted to head of the Planning Division for 14 years and retired as Deputy Director in 1992.
Bob was a member of and officer in professional engineering, right of way acquisition, and land-use planning organizations; he served on the Helena Planning Board & the Helena Zoning Commission. He retained his Professional Engineer, Surveyor & Attorney’s licenses for about a decade after retirement.
In addition to an interesting career, Montana provided Bob with a wonderful outdoor playground. Even the offer of the Directorship of the Alaska Department of Transportation couldn’t tempt Dad away from Montana. Hunting, fishing, backpacking & camping were always on the agenda. In recent years, he realized carrying a pack & dragging elk weren’t so much fun anymore, and he spent more time floating the Smith & the Missouri, walking old railroad grades, and singing & playing his guitar near a campfire. Dad & Mom didn’t need much of an excuse for a road trip. They covered lots miles on all kinds of roads in Montana, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Idaho & Washington. Dad also enjoyed climbing to the top of Granite Peak & a long-planned road trip to Alaska with his buddy Jerry Anders.
Bob married Ruth Malmgren in 1958 at the Simms United Methodist Church. He learned from Mom’s family what family should be. They lived in Helena nearly all of their married life, where they raised their 3 kids: Cathy, Jacque & Thom. Dad & Mom designed & built two family homes in the Jefferson School neighborhood where they celebrated their wonderful & loving 50 year marriage in 2008.
Bob was cheap, even by ‘engineer’ standards. His favorite excuse was that he was Scottish. But he was a generous & engaged grandpa who saw it as his job to teach his 3 grandkids how to work. And Mom made it worth their while. He always enjoyed a good party with good music, and although he was a coveted dance partner, Mom always got the last dance. He listed his principal asset as ‘a wife & family who love me’.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Ruth; his parents Edgar Elias & Jeanette Isabelle Champion (nee Lowery); his sister Beverly Jean Cunningham & his brother Donald Fay (Carole) Champion; his in-laws, Rudy & Isabel Malmgren & their children: Tom (Ardythe) Malmgren, Ruby (Roy) Johnson, Marie Malmgren, & Alice (Evan) Heisel.
Bob is survived by his children & their spouses Catherine Champion-Predmore (Dan), Jacqueline (Neal) Whitney & Thomas Champion; his cherished grandchildren, Katelyn Champion (Derek Anderson), and Joe & Rudy Whitney; his Champion nieces Debra Blossom, and Lisa Cunningham & her three children; his Malmgren nieces & nephew and their families: Laura Johnson-Jewett (Rex), Amanda Anderson, Juli (Al) Kostelnik, Chris Heisel (Leanne Kuntz) [Dad loved being your Uncle Bob!]; the Holland cousins from Simms; and Katelyn’s mom, Andrea Carroll.
He is also survived by descendants of his father’s first family with Sunshine Gardner in Iowa.
Dad & Mom enjoyed so much being decades-long friends with Anders, Anthonys, Dunbars, Kologis, Lehmanns, Walkers, Walshes, and Williams. Of course there with others, our apologies for not mentioning.
The family wishes to extend their deepest appreciation to Thom for his gentle caring and devotion to both Dad & Mom during their last years. It allowed them to stay in the home they loved so much, so we could be together as long as possible.
The family also wishes to acknowledge the kind & caring people at Ft. Harrison VA Medical Center, Big Sky Care Center, & St. Pete’s Hospice. You helped us more than you know.
A memorial service will be held in September at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 512 Logan Street in Helena. A reception will follow the service in the social hall of Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. Bob’s ashes will be scattered near his favorite hunting grounds. Memorials in Bob’s name may be sent to the Prickly Pear Land Trust, PO Box 892, 40 West Lawrence Street, Suite A, Helena, Mt 59601 or Intermountain Childrens Home, 500 South Lamborn, Helena, Mt 59601. Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or share a memory of Bob.
Service Schedule
Memorial Service
2:00 p.m.
Saturday September 21, 2019
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
512 Logan Street
Helena, Montana 59601
Reception
Following Memorial Service
Saturday September 21, 2019
Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home Social Hall
3750 N. Montana Ave.
Helena, Montana 59602
Service Schedule
Memorial Service
2:00 p.m.
Saturday September 21, 2019
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
512 Logan Street
Helena, Montana 59601
Reception
Following Memorial Service
Saturday September 21, 2019
Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home Social Hall
3750 N. Montana Ave.
Helena, Montana 59602
Share
Reeve says
A thought of comfort and condolences to the grieving family. May the “God of all comfort” console the family during this time of sorrow. ( 2 Cor. 1:3,4)
Sally Russell says
Bob was a great man and person to work for at the Dept of Transportation. May he Rest In Peace. God bless and sorry for your loss.
Brenda Stephens says
Growing up with the Champion family brought me great memories. Bob and Ruth were always welcoming. They taught their children amazing work ethic and showed deep love. The Chamberlain family sends our love an condolences! ❤️
Neal Whitney says
I’m trying to think of a story that epitomized Bob’s character. We shared a passion for hunting. Shortly after I married his daughter, Bob invited me on a hunting trip. Knowing that Bob concentrated on Elk hunting, I was excited for the opportunity. We camped out in their tiny
camper so we could get a quicker start on the day. Up several hours before sunrise, for a quick breakfast and then we headed up the trail. We left the steep main trail to head up a steeper side hill, and then up and down through several side drainages as the sun came out. Scouting for game we saw a few deer, but the elk were elusive as usual. We reached the top of the canyon, and then took a side ridge down a bit for a better view. Pausing in a meadow at mid-morning I then learned Bob’s secret. Nap time. He simply cleared a spot off on the ground, in the sunshine and went to sleep. Though I could have joined him, I chose to stand guard in case any crazed elk decided to charge. An hour our two later he got up, we had lunch and continued hunting for the rest of the day. As the sun set, we climbed down that steep trail to the camper, to do the exact same thing the following day. To me this shows Bob’s work ethic, work hard, play hard, but in the end their is always time to be spent with family and friends, or a nap.
In my mind, he has not passed away, but is just napping in the sunshine on that ridge……
Darlene Abeyta says
I remember when Mr. Champion rang our doorbell to tell us he had to fix our downspout. A tire got loose atop Stabern street , rolled down, crossed Broadway and smashed into the galvanized downspout. It flattened it. What a nice man. My condolences to all the family. Prayers for comfort at this time of sorrow. God bless.
Bill & Helen Dunbar says
Bob and Ruth were our very good friends for many many years. Our families grew up together. A great friend, engineer, fishing and hunting partner, card player and guitar playing singer of OLD songs. Being a railroad aficionado one isn’t surprised that his repertoire included “The Rock Island Line”. He is missed and our love and sympathy to Cathy, Jacque,Tom and the family.