Jack Dotson

1932 - 2026

Jack Dotson

January 21, 1932 - January 9, 2026

Jack Eugene Dotson, 93, passed away at his home in Butte, Mont., on January 9, 2026, just shy of his 94th birthday.

Jack was born in Richland County, Mont., on January 21, 1932, to Raymond Dotson Sr. and Blanche (Quilling) Dotson. The fourth of 13 children, he grew up farming and ranching across eastern Montana between Lambert, Sidney, Fort Peck, and Miles City, where he was at home on horseback, moving livestock across the prairie. Too young to enlist during WWII, he sold candy, newspapers, and cigarettes to the troop trains passing through town.

Jack's opportunity to serve his country came when he enlisted in the United States Navy during the Korean War.

After returning home, he met and married Minnie Jean Christensen at Pella Lutheran Church in Sidney on June 4, 1954. In 1955, they moved to Butte, with a return to Sidney later that year. In 1961, they moved back to Butte, where they would remain. Over their 61-year marriage, they were blessed with four daughters.

Though Jack did not finish high school before enlisting in the Navy, he took great pride in returning to school later in life to earn his general equivalency diploma. Jack worked many jobs to support his family over the years, including farming and ranching, construction, underground mining, and surface mining, where he would finish his career as a drill foreman in the Berkley Pit for the Anaconda Company, following an injury.

Throughout his life, Jack enjoyed fishing, bird hunting, breaking and riding horses, playing cribbage (or any card game), spending time with family, and working in his garden. He had a green thumb and could grow anything. His door was always open, with a pot of coffee on the stove and Minnie baking something in the oven. Jack was very involved in the Lutheran Church, even teaching Sunday school, as well as with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post. But his greatest passion was spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Crnich, Nancy (Tim) Rowe, Cindy (Mark) McNabb, and Jacqueline (Scott) Campbell; his seven grandchildren, David (Stefany) Crnich, Melissa (Adam) House, Jeff (Tia) McNabb, Jeremy (Teresa) McNabb, Jordan McNabb, Zachary (Shreane) Campbell, and Krista Campbell; seven great-grandchildren, Cameron, Bayleigh, Kaydance, Keegan, Breonna, Zoey, Ally, and two foster great-grandchildren, as well as his sisters, Delores Levno and Minnie (David) Kruger. Jack was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Minnie; son-in-law, John Crnich; brothers, Raymond Jr., Dale, Barney, Milton, George, Larry, and Lorry, and his sisters, Mary, Mildred, and Doris.

A Memorial Service and Military Honors will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Gold Hill Lutheran Church, 934 Placer St., in Butte. Visitation will begin at noon. A reception will follow at the fellowship hall. Jack's remains will be interred at Mountain View Cemetery in Butte at a later date.

Memorials in honor of Jack are suggested to Camp Mak-A-Dream, PO Box 1450, Missoula, MT 59806, Veterans of Foreign Wars – "VFW Post 1448", 525 Garden Ave Butte, MT 59701, or Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516.

Rest easy now and enjoy a cup of coffee in Heaven. Minnie's been waiting.

Please visit axelsonfuneralhome.com to offer condolences to the family or to share a memory of Jack.

Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services

2009 Harrison Ave.

Butte, MT 59701

4064944264