Douglas Stiffarm

Douglas L. Stiffarm

Clarkston, Wash. —Douglas L. Stiffarm, 64, of Clarkston, passed away May 4, 2013, in Clarkston, Wash.

He was born Sept. 10, 1948, to Thomas Stiffarm and Vina Maloney Stiffarm in Fort Belknap. He graduated from Harlem High School in Harlem in 1966. He then attended Eastern Montana College and majored in wildlife management.

Douglas married Sandra O'Bryan in 1966 in Havre.

He began his career in Seattle at Boeing, and later worked at Bethlehem Steel as a personnel officer. In 1970, he began working for the state of Washington as a wildlife officer in Walla Walla and then in Clarkston. He retired after 341/2 years with the Department of Wildlife.

He was a lifelong member of the Catholic Church. In high school, Doug excelled at football, basketball and track. He set a school record in track and was chosen for the Montana East-West Shrine football game. In later years, he enjoyed watching his sons play sports and cultivating his all-organic garden.

Douglas is survived by his wife, Sandy Stiffarm of Clarkston; sons Leon Stiffarm and wife Cari of Columbia Falls and Kyle Stiffarm and wife Ana of San Diego; daughter Denise Stiffarm and husband Marc Taylor of Seattle; grandson Gage O'Bryan Stiffarm of Columbia Falls; mother-in-law Mary O'Bryan of Harlem; brothers Bill Stiffarm, Gerald Stiffarm and Preston Stiffarm, all of Fort Belknap; sister Delores Little Owl of Missoula; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Vina Stiffarm; father-in-law Gerald O'Bryan; brothers and sisters Cynthia Kirkaldie, Thomas Stiffarm Jr., Glorraine Cichosz, Joseph Stiffarm and Marge Ironmaker.

Rosary services are 7 p.m today at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Harlem. A funeral Mass is 11 a.m. Saturday at the church, with burial to follow in Pony Hill Cemetery in Harlem. A gathering at the church will follow the burial.

Online condolences may be posted at www.greatfallstribune.com/obituaries