Christopher Linkenhoker

1952 - 2025

Chris Linkenhoker was born in Lawrence, Kansas on September 7th, 1952, the second of four siblings. He graduated high school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and attended Virginia Tech University, where he received B.S. and Master's degrees in Forestry and Silviculture. He hitch-hiked to Oregon sometime around 1976 and joined the U.S. Forest Service for a 14-year storied career that included many exciting challenges and impressive accomplishments.

Chris married Beth Ann Curtiss in 1983 on the shores of Wallowa Lake, Oregon. Their first child, Hannah Elsbeth, was born on April 1, 1987 at their home in Prineville, OR. Their son Benjamin Caleb was born two years later on February 13, 1989 in an infamous home delivery - as recorded in the local paper - wherein Chris delivered Ben moments after returning home from work and a mere 13 minutes after Beth went into labor. Hannah and Ben were the lights and loves of Chris' life until the day he died.

In 1991, Chris was transferred to the Bitterroot National Forest and spent a couple brief years there with the Forest Service before making a life pivot and opening the Bitterroot Beanery in 1993 at the IGA store in Hamilton, Montana.

The Bitterroot Beanery was the crown jewel of Chris' accomplishments. Serving (excellent, organic, perfected!) coffee allowed Chris' love for people and community to flourish. The Beanery continues to be a thriving part of the Hamilton community and is now owned by the Truc family.

Chris spent nearly 35 years in his beloved Montana. He loved to hike, bike, fish, canoe, kayak, camp and almost any other adventure that crossed his path. He passed that love onto his children and gave them the gift of being raised in the Rocky Mountains. He loved action movies, made a killer spaghetti sauce (almost every night for dinner...), and relished in telling life-or-death tales to anyone who would listen. He made great friends along the way, including those at Pioneer Care in Dillon, where he spent his final years.