Richard Curtis Lindsay, 83

Richard Curtis Lindsay died of natural causes at his home in Kalispell on Jan. 15, 2017.

Dick was born on April 21, 1933, in Polson to Curtis and Mabel Lindsay (Hendrick). Dick spent much of his early childhood on the Hendrick family farm located just east of Pablo at the foot of the Mission Mountains. It was here that he developed a lifelong love of animals and mountains.

During the Depression Curtis, Mabel and Dick moved frequently, Curtis enlisted in the Navy during World War II and the small family moved to Cincinnati where Curtis suffered a severe head injury, which initially left him in a coma for months and ultimately led to partial paralysis of his legs. Nonetheless, Curtis went on to become a game warden for many years to Kalispell and Georgetown Lake.

Eventually the young family settled in Missoula and Dick graduated from Missoula County High School in 1951 where he earned varsity letters in football, basketball and track while being a marginal student by his account.

Dick subsequently attended the University of Montana where he was a two-sport varsity athlete in football and track. Multiple concussions prematurely ended his collegiate football career after his sophomore year but he continued to excel in track. He won several Intermountain and Skyline Conference titles running in the high hurdles.

Midway through his collegiate career, Dick served two years in the Air Force and subsequently returned to the University of Montana to finish his junior and senior years.

In 1956, Dick qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 120-yard high hurdles at the Coliseum in Los Angeles after placing third in a preliminary race in which the world record was set in Bakersfield, California. Dick narrowly missed making the Olympic Track Team that year and the Americans went on to sweep gold, silver and bronze in the 120-yard highs in the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia.

Dick still holds the University of Montana record for the 120-yard high hurdles as the event was changed to the slightly longer 110-meter high hurdles sometime in the ’70s or ’80s.

He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957 but having recently met his bride-to-be and given his concussion history he took a different path. Dick graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and thereafter took a job as a U.S. Treasury agent.

Richard married Carol Sorvig to 1958. At the time, Carol was teaching history at Flathead High School and the two had met initially on a blind date set up by their mutual friend Huz Jensen. Dick and Carol eventually moved to Kalispell and welcomed Diane in 1959, Bret in 1960 and Kurt in 1969. Both Carol and Dick loved the Flathead and Dick turned down multiple promotions during his career to keep his family in Kalispell.

As a young family man, Dick enjoyed coaching his son’s baseball teams and helping his daughter with her early and quite extraordinary track interest. He loved Glacier Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness where he guided for many years on his vacations in the fall. He especially enjoyed his many horse trips into the Bob Marshall with family and friends. He never missed a football, basketball, tennis, baseball or track event that his children participated in. He was an amazing father.

In middle age, Dick served Bethlehem Lutheran Church as trustee, deacon and president of the congregation and developed treasured friendships with Pastors Peder Waldum and Joe Haugestuen. He also served for many years as a scuba diver for the Flathead County Search and Rescue Service.

Perhaps his favorite avocation was that of fly fishing the Flathead River and he went on to catch, tag and release over two thousand of his treasured Westslope Cutthroat and could be seen fishing the river in winter, spring, summer and fall. As a grandfather, he enjoyed and encouraged the athletic exploits of his grandchildren.

Dick suffered the losses of his daughter Diane in the fall of 2015, and of his wife, Carol in the winter of 2015. He never truly recovered from these losses and “traversed beyond this world” at his home in Kalispell on Jan. 15, 2017.

He was preceded in departure by his parents, Mabel and Curtis, his wife Carol and daughter Diane.

He is survived by his son Bret with wife Chris and children Noah and Skye; his son Kurt with wife Justine and children Keira and Hanna; his grandchild Bryan Sanders with wife Jessie; his grandchild Liberty Kiefer with husband Meko and children Sasha, Zoey and Arya.

Memorials may be given to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or CASA for Kids.