Vaughn 'Bill' William Vincent

Vaughn “Bill” William Vincent was born

May 22, 1934 to Bill and Hazel Vincent of Thompson Falls. He passed

away Jan. 15, 2011 in Libby surrounded by family and friends.

Bill was raised in a timber family in

Thompson Falls and Belknap. During his junior year of high school

his family moved to Yreka, Calif., where he started a long career

of heavy equipment operation. He married Julia Kendall of Oakland,

Ore., in 1953 while working on the Highway 99 project.

They moved back to Montana in 1958.

After years of working for Bache Brothers in Libby, and a short

stint as a ranch foreman of Bloss Ranch in Planada, Calif., Bill

and Julie started Vincent Logging and operated that road building,

development and logging company for more than 30 years.

Bill was passionate about both his work

and play and he loved to compete in both. His mastery of the art of

heavy-equipment operation is legendary. He also excelled at western

Montana O-Mok-Sees and served as an early president of the Libby

Saddle Club. He bred and raced thoroughbred and quarter horses, was

a licensed pilot, loved to hunt, fish, ride his ATVs, play

competitive pool and shoot trap.

He passed away after suffering a fatal

heart attack while shooting trap at the Libby Shooting Gun Range –

with his boots on, gunpowder on his hands and enjoying family and

friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his

parents; wife of 42 years, Julie; second wife, Loretta; and one

sister, Echo (Vincent) Johnson.

Bill is survived by his four boys, Will

and Susie; Bruce and Patti Jo; and Scott and Hassey – all of Libby;

and Steve and Sheryle of Trout Creek; 14 grandchildren; 13

great-grandchildren; sister, Patti Coe of Plains; sister, Robin

Kendall and partner Fred of Libby; a ton of other family members

and his beloved partner, Claudia Stephens.

As Bill stood at a family wedding this

summer, surrounded by nearly 100 family (many of them under 3 feet

tall) and a couple hundred friends, he said he was awed at “what

two silly kids from the 1950s had built by falling in love.” Here,

here, to a good life well lived.

Services will be Friday, Jan. 21 at 2

p.m., at the Libby Christian Church with the Rev. Phil Alspaw

presiding. A reception will follow with details to be announced at

the service.

The family asks that donations be made

to Libby Volunteer Ambulance and the St. John’s Lutheran Hospital

Foundation.

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(Information submitted by family).