John F. Gunterman was born January 21, 1948 in Calexico, California to Margaret Appleton Gunterman and Frederick James Gunterman. He grew up a cowboy on his father’s ranches.
After college at the University of California, Davis, and completing ROTC, John was commissioned into the U.S. Army. Then he and his college sweetheart, Denise S. Brenner, were married. They were blessed with three sons, John, James [deceased], and Brian.
During his twenty years of Army service he was stationed all over the world. After retirement from the Army, he moved the family to the Pacific Northwest. There he worked as a long-haul truck driver and pallet company manager.
Nineteen years later, because their sons had long since moved away and started their own families, John and Denise decided to pursue their retirement dream and moved to Montana. John was an outdoors enthusiast who enjoyed flying, sailing, camping, skiing, and fishing at every opportunity. John had a deep love for history and enjoyed traveling. He also loved spending time with his family. John loved being a husband, father, and especially being a grandfather. John and Denise never had any daughters but he adored his daughters-in-law as his own.
John’s health began to fail so the couple moved to Stevensville to be close to family. He went peacefully to be with the Lord on February 2, 2022 after a long illness. He is survived by Denise, his wife of 51 years; his son Brian, his wife, Melissa, and their sons, Drew and Max; and his son John, his wife, Jennifer, and their children, James and Malia.
A military funeral will be held at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery and later in the year, a celebration of life will be held in the family home for family and friends.