Michael Bree, 73

Michael Bree, 73, peacefully slipped away from us at Spirit Mountain Hospice House in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, with his family by his side, after a long and courageous battle with mesothelioma.

Michael George Bree was born Dec. 6, 1947, the oldest child of Elmer George and Jane Edith (Smith) Bree, in Trenton, N.J. He grew up on an acreage in Hamilton Square on the outskirts of Trenton, hunting and fishing in the woods and streams nearby and working with his family on their Christmas tree farm. Mike was also a Boy Scout, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and achieving the Order of the Arrow at age 13.

After high school graduation, while just 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served the first few months at Fort Dix, N.J., and then was reassigned to Okinawa where he served the remainder of his three-year enlistment. He was honorably discharged in July 1968.

He was accepted to attend William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa, so was soon on his way to the Midwest. It wasn’t long before he met the girl who would become his wife, Karen Sue Beenblossom. They started dating, were engaged at Christmas and married the next summer, on Aug. 16, 1969. After another year at William Penn, Mike transferred to Northeast Missouri State College (now Truman State University), where he studied law enforcement for a year.

It was during this year that his eldest son, Michael, was born. In June, the family moved back to New Jersey where Mike worked for the East Windsor Township Police Department, serving as a police officer for eight years. By this time, younger son Matt had joined the family and they all were ready for a change of pace. Iowa beckoned, and Mike worked for the West Burlington Police Department before joining the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office as a special investigator.

A trip to Libby to visit a friend prompted an interview with the sheriff of Lincoln County. Mike was hired to work undercover for a few months. After he “surfaced,” he donned a uniform then quickly rose through the ranks. He was first promoted to sergeant and then to lieutenant. He retired from his law enforcement career in 1987, but continued to stay busy, managing the American Legion Baseball team, coaching both of his sons, Michael and Matt.

In 1989, the family again moved, this time to Cody, Wyo., where Mike started a new career with the U.S. Forest Service at the Shoshone National Forest. There he administered special use permits, managed the Crandall/Sunlight area of the Clarks Fork Ranger District and ended his career as Initial Attack Dispatcher at the Cody Interagency Dispatch Center, retiring in 2009. He continued to work part-time for a few years, first for Buffalo Bill State Park, then Park County and finally Sherwin-Williams.

Mike had many hobbies throughout his life: hunting, fishing, shooting, woodworking, genealogy, oil painting and playing guitar. He was a member of American Legion, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Union Veterans, General Society of the War of 1812, and is a past member of the Kootenai Kiwanis Club of Libby.

Mike influenced and enriched many lives and made lifelong friends at each step along the way. He was devoted to his family and loved spending time with his grandchildren. In recent years, he was especially close to his grandson, Gabe. They would spend hours building in the workshop, fixing things, oil painting together and fishing.

Mike is survived by his wife, Karen; son, Matthew (Anissa); Matt’s and Anissa’s daughter and son, Skylah and Gabriel; Michael’s daughters, Emery and Ella; Skylah’s fiancé, Andrew Watts; sisters-in-law, Carolyn Lees and Carla (Eric) Schweizer; brother, Paul (Carol) Bree; sister, Sally Bree; several nieces and nephews; and many lifelong friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Ken and Viola Beenblossom; and son, Michael G. Bree II.

The Bree family would like to thank the staff at Spirit Mountain Hospice House for the gentle care they provided for Mike and the emotional support for our family throughout the past weeks.

An online guestbook is available at www.BallardFH.com

Funeral arrangements are being made through Ballard Funeral Home. Services will be held at the Cody United Methodist Church on Oct. 27, at 11 a.m., with visitation prior to the service from 10 to 11 a.m. Burial with military honors will be at Riverside-Graham Cemetery, where Mike will be laid to rest next to his son. A luncheon will follow at the church.