Stanley G. Beaudette

Stanley G. Beaudette

Stan passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 28, 2024. He and Sandi had just returned home from a beautiful family filled Christmas in Missoula, and Friday was a typical weekend routine of a burger and beer with friends downtown.

Stan was born on July 23, 1939, to parents Helen V. Beaudette and Pearse J. Cannon.  Stan’s parents were divorced before he was born so he was raised solely by his mother. He was her entire world, and she was his everything.  The two of them lived in east Anaconda, a/k/a/ Goosetown, residing in several homes over his early years.  He attended numerous schools around Anaconda, including Bryan, Lincoln (old building and new), and the new Anaconda High School.  As an only child, Stan was always out and about in the neighborhood with friends playing games and reading and exchanging comic books.  He gained many lifelong friends while growing up, including Bob Hurley, Dick Harris, Bud Monroe, and Charlie “Mac” McCarthy.  His mother later married Ralph Robb (a great husband and stepfather) while Stan was still in grade school. Stan was introduced to hunting and fishing by Ralph, and they eventually moved from town to Georgetown Lake during High School.

Stan started working while in grade school for a little money for he and his mother. His early jobs included recycling boxes and glass, working as a pin setter at the old Copper City on East Park and the Smeltermans Club located at 3rd and Main (now the Elks Club).  Stan also worked in high school as a member of the Air Force volunteer’s Ground Observer Corp. along with his mother from 1955 to 1957 as field observers with call sign George Baker 41 Blue.  He graduated from Anaconda High School in 1957.  After graduation, he worked briefly at the Pontiac Garage where he washed and moved cars.  He worked at the Dairy Fresh Creamery delivering milk to restaurants and grocery stores.  He then started working at the smelter for the Anaconda Company in December 1957, working in the reverbs for about a year before joining the Army in January 1959 during a strike. Helen cried as Stan boarded the train in Butte.  Stan attended basic training at Fort Ord in California before being transferred to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for MOS training where he was part of an anti-aircraft 75 battalion and computer (a trained number cruncher before electronic computers existed).  He was then deployed to Dachau, Germany where he was part of the 2nd battalion 37th field artillery crew manning a 155mm self-propelled howitzer gun. It was during this time that he decided he would attend college when he returned home, quickly realizing that working on the smelter and serving in the Army was not for him. He managed to save nearly all of his meager Army pay. He was honorably discharged on March 1, 1962, receiving his discharge orders when he got off the troop transport boat in New York City upon his return from Germany, a 7 day trip.  New York held a ticker tape parade that day for John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth in space aboard Friendship 7. Stan spent some time in New York and went to the top of the Empire State Building to enjoy the view and take a few pictures before boarding a train home.

Stan returned to Anaconda where he again worked at the smelter for a few months, providing temporary income as he prepared to attend college in the fall and put his saved Army pay to good use, he moved to Missoula in September to attend college at Montana State University (official name from 1913 – 1965).  He studied pharmacy, choosing this profession over geology and wildlife technology. Stan performed very well in college, far better than he did in high school, and received his diploma on June 12, 1967, graduating from the University of Montana (the school changed names while he was in college).  He liked to joke that he started at MSU and graduated from UM without ever leaving campus.  He met another lifelong friend, Ray Bilile, who was also in the school of pharmacy and later worked in his hometown of Ronan.   While in college, Stan and Ray rented a basement room in a house owned by Gram Hammond which was located just a few blocks from campus, an elderly woman Stan continued to keep in touch with for years after his graduation.  Stan never missed a Grizzly basketball game and told many stories about the good times he and his friends had in Missoula, especially the Heidelhaus.

While attending college, Stan met the love of his life, Sandra Mae Kallis. They met on December 18, 1965, and went on their first date the next day, which was babysitting Sandi’s niece for the evening.  Over the years, Sandi, who was raised on a farm and knew how to cook, introduced Stan to home cooked meals and vegetables.  Stan and Sandi were married on December 9, 1967, in a small ceremony in Missoula and spent the next 57 years together enjoying family and life’s adventures.  

After graduation, Stan returned to Anaconda where he accepted the job as a pharmacist at Osco Drug, which held its grand opening on July 17, 1967.  Stan worked his entire career as a pharmacist at Osco Drug until the day he retired on April 30, 2005. His job allowed him to meet many people from Anaconda.  He also enjoyed working with numerous other people who worked at Osco Drug, including fellow pharmacist and lifelong friend Marty Shuey, who later moved to Butte.  He enjoyed working with pharmacy tech Pam (Colwell) Jorgensen from 1988 until his retirement.  They worked well together and also played many practical jokes on each other over the years.  Pam and her husband Steve became lifelong friends.

Stan and Sandi began their marriage as exuberant newlyweds by taking adventurous trips in the great outdoors, including hiking to the top of Warren Peak, hunting in the Big Hole, and salmon fishing in Camas Creek, ID. Stan and Sandi welcomed their first son, Jason, on March 13, 1969. Stan was overwhelmed with joy, for the first time in his life he had a whole family.  This new addition put a hold on outdoor activities – for 10 weeks, when they resumed camping, hiking, and fishing with the little bundle.  Unfortunately this joy was short, Stan’s mother was suffering from cancer and passed away on November 19, 1969.  He was devastated by the loss of the only person that had been there for him throughout his life. This played a big role in Stan’s love of family and his future role as a grandparent. Jason proved to be an easy baby to raise so they had a second son, Jesse, on March 21, 1971, as Stan’s family grew once more.  As they later joked, this was God’s little message that two boys were enough. The family lived on Chestnut Street until the summer of 1978 when they moved to the west end of town, living on Haggin Street, which is still the family home.

Stan and family enjoyed many of the outdoor activities Anaconda had to offer, including hunting, camping, hiking, skiing, teaching the boys to ride motorcycles, and eventually riding 4-wheelers.  They owned a small motorhome, a Honda 90, and an old boat which was great for fishing and was just good enough for pulling a kid on water skis.  August was the best month of the year because most of the month was spent on vacation camping, fishing, and hiking – a week at Minor Lake in the Big Hole, a week at Clark Canyon outside Dillon, and a week at Canyon Ferry outside Helena. Sitting around the camp fire in the evenings was a favorite part of the day.

Stan and Sandi were avid sports fans of the community. They would attend high school basketball games for 50 years, regular fixtures in the stands in their typical seats. They were also season ticket holders for the UM Griz football team, cheering the team intently and following them to the championship game in Chatanooga.

Stan and Sandi enjoyed hunting together until the boys came of age, when she stepped aside but had set the goal for marksmanship.  Jason hunted for a few years from age 12 when he got his first elk in the bitter cold, and returned to hunting a few years ago to the best hunting team of guide (Dad) and partner (Jesse).  Stan and Jesse enjoyed hunting together from 1979 (when Stan allowed Jesse to tag along while bow hunting) until December 1, 2024, their last day of hunting together.  It was a great 46 year run filled with adventure and memories.  Stan was a very successful hunter, harvesting goats, moose, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, and many, many elk, taking his last elk, a bull, in 2017 at the age of 78 while hunting with Jason.  One  year when he got a calf, Pam joked with him that he baited the elk with milk.  Many great memories were developed over the years while hunting and/or at hunting camp, back in the day when the tent was put up in early September and taken down in late November and never had to be moved (the good old days).  Stan, and then Jesse, always hunted with Rich Nicholson, another lifelong friend.

After retirement, Stan and Sandi enjoyed camping whenever they wanted, fishing when and where they wanted (including Canada and Alaska), and riding 4-wheelers anytime with friends, including Rich Nicholson, Mary Lou Verlanic, and Char Galle.  Their 4-wheeler explorations took them on just about every dirt road in western Montana. They were also able to travel the world together vising such places and Hawaii, Tahiti, the Bahamas, the Panama Canal, France, Austria, and Germany in time for Oktoberfest.

On October 8, 2005, Stan welcomed a daughter-in-law when Jesse married Erin Summers. Stan, a quiet guy, surprised Erin when he asked about grandchildren during a camping trip in September of 2005.  On November 5, 2007, Stan welcomed, at long last, his first grandchild, a granddaughter named Brooklynn.  Thus began a new adventure in his life, with “Dad” disappearing and “Opa” taking his place.  He welcomed a second granddaughter on August 21, 2009, when Irelyn was born.  Irelyn started life in Seattle and spent 7 weeks at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  During that time, Opa and Oma stepped up and took care of Brooklynn at her home in Missoula. Stan and Sandi were then regulars in Missoula where they volunteered to baby sit numerous times, attended Griz football games, and enjoyed all holidays and birthdays.  Opa referred to the girls as Opa’s Angles.

Stan always said he wanted to live long enough so his grandkids would remember him.  He achieved his goal by spending a lot of time with Brooklynn and Irelyn.  He would hold them for hours when they were little as they napped on his lap.  He even held a sleeping Brooklynn for the entire second quarter of her first Griz football game.  He attended many soccer, basketball, and softball games, as well as gymnastics meets.  The girls enjoyed many days in Anaconda when Jesse would come over to go hunting.  In the evenings, Opa would play with the girls until someone got worn out, it was a toss up if it was him or the girls first to bed. In June of 2024, Irelyn was on a school trip to New York City and her group visited the top of the Empire State Building. She took several photos and texted them to Opa because she knew he had been there long ago.  He was a great Opa, in part because he forgot how to use the word “no” and enjoyed eating ice cream as much as the girls. 

Stan is survived by his “wiff” Sandi (this was his affectionate name for her, “hubband” was her affectionate name for him) of 57 years, his two sons Jason (Shanon Kummerfeld) of Missoula, Jesse (Erin) of Missoula, granddaughters, Brooklynn and Irelyn of Missoula, cousin Scott Beaudette of Seattle, in-laws Ron Hamilton of Florence and Dave & Shirley Helterline of Plains, and numerous nieces and nephews.  He is also survived by many special friends, and lifelong friends, including Bud and Joanne Monroe of Kennewick, Washington, Jeff and Bobbi Frank of Anaconda, Rich Nicholson of Anaconda, Jim and Toni Devich of Anaconda, and Mac and Betty McCarthy of Helena.  Stan never wanted a funeral because they were sad occasions, so at his wishes, no funeral will be held.  His body will be cremated, with his ashes returned to the earth in the great outdoors around his beloved Anaconda, which he considered the best place to live. Stan was born, raised, lived his entire life, and passed in Anaconda, and now he’ll reside there in eternity.  The family will be planning a special gathering in 2025 when friends and relatives can get together to celebrate, drink a cold smoke, and share stories of his adventurous life.

In lieu of flowers sent to the family, a donation in Stan’s name can be made to the Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Sportsman Club, or a charity of your choice.