James Gleason

1956 - 2017

James Gleason

Missoula —Butte native James Fredrick Gleason, 60, passed away on February 10, 2017, in Missoula where he resided for the past 9 years. Jim was born in Butte on September 9, 1956, to William J. "Dogeye" and Colleen (Tierney) Gleason. He attended schools in Montana and Oregon and graduated from Butte High School in 1976.

In 1980, he moved to Portland, Oregon and attended Portland Community College and obtained an Associates degree in Electronic Technology. In 1984, he joined the Air National Guard as an avionics repairman and ending working fulltime at the Portland Air National Guard Base. In 1989 He married Janet Gudatis and they moved to Great Falls, Montana where he began working for the FAA as a communications navigation technician. In 1993, he and Janet divorced.

Jim eventually moved back to Butte and lived there until he transferred to Missoula until his retirement from the FAA in 2015. Jim also retired from the Air National Guard in 2011, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant and completing numerous deployments throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan

Jim had many friends and he enjoyed travelling and visiting his friends and family throughout the United States. He loved his hometown and everything about it, except the potholes. He loved to make people laugh and also had a strong penchant for playing pranks and was intent on ensuring luminous lighting standards were in compliance and natural gas lines to barbeques were properly permitted.

Jim is survived by his brother, Dan (Ruth), Colorado Springs, Colorado, his uncles, Barry (Mary Ann) Tierney, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Lee (Mary Louise) Tierney, Butte, Brian (Eileen) Tierney, Falls Church, Virgina, and aunts Rita (Paul) Pompermayer, Issaquah, Washington, and Lou (Albert) Molignoni, Rocker, his nephew Will (Cailyn) Gleason, nieces Meghan (Rhame) Adee, Catherine Gleason, and Bridget Gleason, a great-nephew, Colton Adee, and a great-niece, Juliet Adee, as well as many cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Colleen, grandparents James and Loretta (O'Rourke) Gleason, Henry (Pudge) and Loretta (Bell) Tierney, an uncle, Keith Tierney, and aunts Mary (Gleason) Scott and Dorothy (Gleason) Ozanne.

In accordance with his wishes, Jim was cremated. A service will be held in Butte later this Spring. He requested half his ashes be scattered over the Big Hole River, and the other half scattered over the lower part of Silver Bow Creek / upper Clark Fork River, "… but only after the river has been cleaned up."

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a humane society of choice or the American Red Cross. Arrangements are through Sunset Funeral Home of Missoula. Condolences for Jim's family may be left at www.sunsetfuneralhomecemetery.com