Clair A. Michels

Clair Michels, family patriarch and last surviving member of 1909 Sheridan County Montana pioneer family died recently at Fort Collins, Colorado at age 105. Clair was born August 13, 1917, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, 16 miles west of Reserve, Montana to parents James & Anna (Fugle) Michels at the family homestead on Wolf Creek, arriving prior to arrival of the midwife, Mrs. Benson, from Outlook. He attended rural schools through the 8th grade and graduated from Plentywood High School in 1935 and later attended Northern Montana College at Havre. He then taught one term at a one room country school known as Lower Paradise Valley #1 near Harlem, MT prior to serving 42 months in the U.S. Army Air Corp during WWII. He was married to Lois Kent in 1939, a union which lasted 53 years, until her death in 1992. Following his military service Clair acted for the next two years as a farm manager for his brother, Lloyd, during which time he also served one term in the 1947 session of the Montana Legislature as Representative from Sheridan County. Seeking to resume his education, he took advantage of the “GI Bill” and enrolled at Montana State College from which he graduated in 1950 with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Education. Following graduation, he taught agriculture & supervised Future Farmer activities at Whitehall High School for two years prior to becoming the Beaverhead County Extension Agent and 4-H supervisor at Dillon for the next three years. At that time, he was recruited by the American Hereford Journal and traveled the Rocky Mountain States and the Canadian province of Alberta as Field Agent for the Hereford Journal, living and operating out of Sheridan, Wyoming. In 1958 Clair and Lois moved to Bismarck, ND where their daughter, Mary Ann was born. He became the Executive Vice President of the ND Stockmen’s Association. He served the beef cattle and livestock industry faithfully for the next 25 years in many State and National capacities including brand inspection, law enforcement, beef promotion, public relations, legislation and administration. Upon retirement he was honored with commendation from many sources including 1982 Agriculturist of the Year by the Saddle & Sirloin Club at NDSU; named in 1982 to Northern International Livestock Exposition Hall of Fame at Billings, MT; honored by the National Cattlemen’s Association, Denver: and Lifetime Honorary Membership in appreciation from the N.D. Stockmen’s Association. Upon retirement among Clair’s many interests were travel with Lois; silversmithing and turquoise jewelry-making; volunteer service in community projects; and preservation of antique farm machinery and family history. In 2010, Clair relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado to live with daughter Mary Ann & son- in-law Peter Stackhouse. What a sweet 12 years for the family, to have Clair so close and be a part of the daily fabric of their lives. He remained interested in the many facets of life until the very end. Family history and staying in touch through hundreds of letters written every year kept him focused on the meaning of life. A peanut brittle wizard, he made his last batches at Christmas in 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents; by his wife, Lois; by sisters, Leah Aasheim and Elsie Medders; by brothers, Vernon, Joseph, Lloyd, Roy, Andy, Fred, Jack, Mark and Jim. He is survived by his daughter, Mary Ann and son-in-law, Peter Stackhouse; grandchildren Maxfield (Dorothy) and Teresa Stackhouse (Erin), great-granddaughters Elliot Clair and Jade; 10 nephews; 10 nieces and numerous grand nieces and nephews; and several cousins located throughout the US & Canada. A memorial celebration will be on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 10AM at First United Methodist Church, 1005 Stover Street; Fort Collins. The service will also be live streamed so you can join us from afar at https://vimeo.com/event/1687830/15800dbfc2. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Larimer County Food Bank; 1301 Blue Spruce Drive; Ft Collins, CO 80524. We ask that Memorials be made to First United Methodist Church or the Larimer County Food Bank.

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Clair A. Michels

August 13, 1917 - December 8, 2022