I am raising this fundraiser for my mom after the sudden tragic loss of her husband of 50 years while they were on vacation in Glacier National Park. On July 11, 2026, I received the kind of phone call no one ever forgets. It was my mom calling from the mountain, her voice shaking in the wind, saying that something terrible had happened and that my dad would not survive. Just days earlier, he had been so excited to return to Glacier National Park with mom, his sister and brother-in-law and revisit places that had meant so much to us from our family visit when my kids were younger. While riding in a hardtop Jeep on Going-to-the-Sun Road, a falling rock came through the roof and struck my dad as my mom sat beside him and witnessed the entire heartbreaking moment, holding him through the horror of it all. He suffered a catastrophic brain injury and was flown from the mountain by helicopter to the hospital. After days in the ICU and unimaginable end-of-life decisions, he passed away on July 16, 2026, as mom and I held his hand and my brother, aunt and uncle were nearby him. The accident was covered in major news outlets locally in Montana, with some national attention as well, and while that has been difficult to process during such deep grief, we are now choosing to share our story publicly too in hopes of helping my mom through this devastating loss.

My dad was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and someone who loved adventure, the outdoors, and his family deeply. He taught us all to cherish moments and when you are in nature and looking at something beautiful, to look twice and cherish the moment. During those painful days in the ICU, we had planned for organ donation, but he passed the day before the surgery was to take place. In the end, his eyes and tissues were able to be donated, and my mom later received a letter from World Vision sharing that his donation saved the vision of two people. That brought a small measure of comfort in the middle of so much heartbreak. My mom is now home, and the RV has been brought back as well, but the costs have been overwhelming. Donations will help with expenses we have already had to carry, including the cost of getting the RV home, upcoming medical bills, funeral expenses, and the many unexpected financial burdens that followed this tragedy. We also hope, if possible, to honor his life with a memorial in his name. We had to make the difficult decision to cremate him because bringing him home was too costly from Montana.

Our family is deeply grateful to everyone who prayed, to the rescuers, and to the ICU staff at Logan Hospital who cared for my dad. If you feel led to help, any donation or share would mean so much and would help my mom feel supported during the hardest time of her life. Thank you for reading, for caring, and for valuing what we have experienced. We will miss him deeply, and your support means so much. The photo of my mom and dad together, was taken moments before the accident happened. He was happy. Thank you all for caring.