Stevensville – Richard Elmer Mack was born in Stockton, CA, on November 18, 1944 to Floyd and Lydian Mack. He died in his sleep from natural causes on June 30, 2017. He was the youngest child and had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Joann. He grew up in Stockton and graduated from Stagg High School. He married soon after high school and served in the Army in Germany. When he returned to Stockton he and his wife Sharon had a daughter in 1968, and a son in 1971.
Swimming and the Amblers Club were the catalyst for Richard and Amy to meet and to marry exactly two years from meeting each other. July 10th would be their 35th anniversary. They enjoyed Stockton very much but jumped at the chance to move to Stevensville, Montana to be near Amy’s family.
Richard was passionate about Amy, his children, the cabin in Arnold, camping, telling jokes, Elvis, playing golf, his “retirement” job at the hardware store, and all of his dogs (Sarah was his favorite!)
He was preceded in death by his parents and both siblings. He is survived by his wife Amy, daughter Kelly Hogan, son Scott Mack (Heidi), sister-in-law Ann Houghton (Bob), brother-in-law Rich Tasnady (Sherrie), brother-in-law Bob Burnett, four grandchildren, the Engdahl family, the Zeits family, cousin Betty, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Richard was proud to be a veteran. We are proud of how he handled his chronic pain, numerous surgeries, and the many ailments that affected his body. Through it all he never lost his great sense of humor. He was definitely a one-in-a-million guy. All of our lives are enriched by knowing “Elmer’’ or “Stitch” as he was known in Little League baseball.
Per Richard’s wishes, cremation took place and he did not want a service. In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Humane Society or Missoula Aging Council. Cheers, Elmer. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.whitesittfuneralhome.com.