Lewis Blaskovich

1926 - 2020

Lewis Blaskovich

June 2, 1926-Decembe 19, 2020

We are all gifted in life with one talent or asset at which we excel. Dad was an artist, sometimes in black and white, other times in color. Our beloved father, grandfather, and friend, Lewis Howard Blaskovich, passed in the early morning hours of December 19, 2020 from Covid. We, his children, want to draw a picture of him for you with our history and our memories.

Mabel and Lewis Blaskovich were blessed with their first child, a son on June 2, 1926. He was the eldest of 4 children.They named him Lewis Blaskovich Jr. Dad later became known to family and friends as Junie. He lived his whole life in Butte,"a local kid," who was raised on the flats.

Lou, Lewis, Louie, or Junie, was an artist early on, he drew comics but his passion for cowboys and the wild west took over. Eventually, his love for the outdoors gave new meaning to his canvas, wildlife. Many vacations were spent following the artist circuit with Ace Powell showcasing their talents. Dad also dabbled in portraits.

The Navy adopted Dad at age of 17 and took him from Butte during World War II. His ability to repair just about anything was honed in the engine room of the U.S.S. LST938, a landing ship that hauled soldiers and tanks. The boat took him throughout the South Pacific, Okinawa, Philippines, and Iwo Jima. The pencil, pens and acrylics would have to wait until he arrived back in Butte after his tour of duty.

Dad married Evelyn Geremia and they would have celebrated 73 years together this June 22. Geri and Lou lived on Second Street, Matt Street in Meaderville, and then 9th Street in the McGlone Heights. They started a family and didn't stop until 8 children later. With the expanding family came the need for expanding space.

We aren't sure where he learned about the fine artistry of dynamite. The whole family and neighborhood benefited from this newly acquired skill. Using dynamite, mattresses, buckets, and conveyor belts, he along with his eldest son, Rick, blasted out our basement. Yes, the house shook some but in the long run, no one lost life or limbs. He did it later in the morning with respect for the neighbors, and us kids had one hell of a play area.

Just like his artwork, his career changed over time. Some careers were more exciting than others. Truck driver for F&S, Milkman for Butte Community Dairy, landscaper in the summer with Curly Spolar putting in many of Butte's lawns. It was as a gas station attendant for Community Gas on Front Street where his 15 minutes of fame came twice in his life. Robbed and shot at two different times, Dad and his pistol became famous when during the second robbery he shot and wounded one of the robbers. Blood was found but they never did find the wounded robber. We all spent a great deal of worried nights praying he would come home from his graveyard shift. Dad eventually finished his careers working for Butte Silver Bow at the treatment plant.

For years Dad and Mom would spend their weekends square dancing with the Silver Belles and Beaus, wearing matching outfits that Mom made. Every wedding, one could find them cutting the rug. Some of us kids learned how to dance the old fashioned way by teetering on Dad's shoes.

Mom was the school teacher and made sure we all graduated from high school, but it was Dad that taught us many skills. We all learned how to fish at his favorite spots Skinner Meadows and Berry Creek. We camped out under the stars, in a tent, rented travel trailers, and eventually he and Mom purchased a 5th wheeler. We hiked, and hiked and hiked some more. If you didn't like to eat fish, sauerkraut and spareribs, pear pie or poveticia you went hungry. We learned how to groom a lawn, repair a car, gut a fish, solder, and hunt.

It was after us kids started to grow up and could learn to swear that Dad's brush strokes changed. The unwanted became the "Dirty Louse". It didn't matter whether you were the kid that "hooked" his truck in the winter, the overheated Suburban in the desert on one of our many vacations, or a spilled glass of water. They were all dirty louses.

In between all of the births, careers, and keeping the truck running, he painted and painted, honing his talent of pen and ink and acrylic drawings, sometimes in his studio in the basement, and other times up at the lake.He and Mom would spend a great deal of time at their cabin at Georgetown Lake.

Many weekends were spent with the kids and grandkids spending the nights laying all over the floor as there never was enough beds. Dad adored his grandkids, and built them a tree house, complete with a fireman pole and an army climbing net.

Dad spent his remaining days after the death of our Mom February 2,2020 at the Springs Assisted Living. We were blessed when he moved to his last home. The staff adopted Dad as one of their own. Their kindness, compassion, tenderness, and humor kept Dad going through some extremely tough times. For this we can't even begin to express our gratitude. Thank you seems so trivial in comparison for what they did for him and for us.

Dad, Grandpa, Lew's picture hasn't ended. It is still being created by his survivors Rick and Sue Blaskovich, Laurel, Shelly and Terry Wold, Butte, Meri and Marty Hovan, Las Vegas, Cathie and Dave Sheldon, Silver Star, Phil and Kathy Blaskovich, Butte, Christine and E.G. Leipheimer, Anaconda, and Frances and Paul O'Neill, Missoula, 21 grandkids, and 20 great-grandkids, his younger brother, Jim and Linda Blaskovich in Great Falls and sister Gayle Vires of Bothell, WA. Dad was preceded in death by his loving wife Geri, parents, Mabel and Lewis Blaskovich Sr. and sister, Betty Garwood.

A memorial mass will be held at a later date.In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Butte Food Bank, Butte Rescue Mission, St Jude's Hospital or Samaritan's Purse, as this was something our Dad would request, the care of others.

We are all currently thinking about Dad transporting to heaven at warp speed griping about how he never wants to do that again. He gets to heaven and runs into Mom in the parking lot because that's as far as she got before she ran into someone she knew. He says once more,"Come on Ger, let's go." Like Shelly said, can you imagine the Christmas they will have? Merry Christmas Dad and Mom.