Donald Arthur Bartsch

Don was born on March 4, 1919, in Great Falls, MT, to Marion Duncan Reiquam and Arthur Reiquam. He was adopted by Albert Bartsch in 1924, following his parents#8217; divorce and his mother#8217;s remarriage. He spent happy childhood years on the Bartsch homestead east of Brady, caring for the animals, helping with the wheat farm and attending the Rock Coulee School. Don attended Great Falls High School, graduating in 1936. In his senior year he fell in love with Jeanne Schmidt who later became his wife. He attended the University of Montana where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and editor of the Kaimen. He graduated from the School of Journalism in 1940. He worked for the Record Herald in Helena as a reporter, and in 1941 married his dear, Jeannie Schmidt. They lived in Helena until the outbreak of WWII when he enlisted in the Seabees. He served in Sierra Leone, Africa, and Hawaii. His son, Jeff, was born while he was in Africa. In 1944 Don accepted Naval commission. While in the Navy he was trained in the Russian language and subsequently worked in communications and intelligence until 1945. After the war, Dan and Jeanne returned to Helena where he once again joined the staff of the Record Herald. Their daughter, Susan, was born in 1947. In 1953 the family moved to Great Falls where Don worked on the Great Falls Tribune as page one editor, editorial writer, Montana Parade editor, city editor and associate editor. He loved writing and said about his life as an editor: #8220;I liked it when you had a good story coming in at 15 minutes before deadline, and everybody said you couldn#8217;t do anything and I whacked out a place and got it in.#8221; The family treasures the many letters and poems he wrote to them over the years. In Great Falls Don was active in the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, serving as Sunday School teacher, lay reader, usher, vestryman and Senior Warden. He was a member of Sons of the Pioneers. He volunteered in a literacy program where he could once again put his Russian to use and for Big Brothers and Sisters. He especially loved puttering around the family #8220;homestead#8221; out along the Missouri, spending time with his family, gardening, reading and acing everyone else on crossword puzzles. Don and Jeanne moved to Bozeman in 2003 and have resided at Highgate Sr. Living since 2007. Don is survived by his wife, Jeanne, son Jeff (Kathy), daughter Susan Backer (Marvin), grandson Dan (Deena), great grandsons Mac and Emmit, nieces, nephews and cousins, and his exchange student daughter, Maria Angelica Fonseca of Brazil. Private family services will be held. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.dahlcares.com.