R. Stephen BROWNING

1940 - 2018

BROWNING, R. Stephen (Steve) 1940 - 2018 Steve Browning was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 13, 1940. He received degrees in Chemistry and Law from Indiana University and a degree in City Planning from Harvard University. In 1970 he and his wife, Judy, moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked as a staff attorney for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and later as Chief of Staff for Montana U.S. Senator Max Baucus. In 1982 he started a law firm in Helena, Montana, which later became known as Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry, and Hoven. The two-man firm grew to include nineteen partners with offices in Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, and Great Falls, Montana. Apart from his family and friends, Steve's passions were sports (especially golf and basketball) and public service. Steve served on various Montana governmental boards, including the Montana State Board of Science & Technology, the Montana Historical Society, the Montana Power Authority, and the Governor's Task Force on Endowed Philanthropy. He found great personal satisfaction in working with the nonprofit sector, especially in the areas of charitable development and the fostering and expansion of permanent endowments. He helped to develop the Montana Community Foundation, the Helena Area Community Foundation, the Myrna Loy Center, and the American Indian Institute. He was instrumental in the passage of the Montana Endowment Tax Credit and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Trust. His belief that a community is judged largely by its support for the arts prompted him to join with like-minded Montanans to turn the vacant century-old Lewis & Clark County Jail in Helena, MT into the Myrna Loy Center for the Arts. He died in Tucson on May 15, 2018, after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis. Family survivors include his wife, Judy (Whiteleather); sister, Sue Morehead of Weiser, Idaho; sister-in-law, Jill Littlejohn (Jim) of Tucson, Arizona and brother-in-law, John Whiteleather (Judy) of Columbia City, Indiana. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Special thanks to Casa del la Luz Hospice and Bayada Home Health Care for making the end of Steve's life brighter. A Celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Please consider donating memorial gifts to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Salvation Army of Tucson, Tucson Community Food Bank, or Southern Arizona legal Fund. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Avalon Chapel.