John Cameron Dustin

John Cameron Dustin, 61, passed away on Friday, Sept. 6, 2013 at his home in Seeley Lake after an eight month battle with cancer.

John was born Nov. 8, 1951 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Thomas E. and Jane H. Dustin. Raised in a rural environment near Huntertown, Indiana in a home his parents built, John grew to have a deep appreciation for the natural world and the care of it. Camping, backpacking, canoeing were all cherished pastimes of John and his family.

During his high school years these activities led John to pursue a volunteer position, for two summers with the Student Conservation Association, a nonprofit organization established to support the National Forest Service. Upon graduating from Carroll High School, John was accepted into the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay where he completed two years of college. After his time at UW he moved to Washington state to join the National Park Service as a back country ranger in the Olympic National Park. In 1978 he moved to Eugene, Ore., where he met his future wife.

John and Betty were married in Huntertown, Ind., in the home where John grew up on Dec. 29, 1979. The couple lived in Eugene for 25 years where John worked for Heli-Jet Corporation before starting his own automotive repair facility which he owned and operated for 20-plus years.

In 2000 the couple moved to Whitefish where John entered into an automotive consulting business. He later was employed by two different car dealerships as well as working for Midway Rental and Knife River Kalispell and Missoula. John spent almost two years working for Knife River Williston Division and found that work to be challenging and rewarding and greatly enjoyed the friends that became family while he was working away from home.

John loved to create and explore. He could fix anything, make just about anything and his down time was usually spent doing something out in his shop both in Whitefish and Seeley Lake. He loved old engines, old tractors and restored his father’s 1942 Ford Jeep which was out and running whenever weather permitted. He was famous for his 13 cent bets where football was concerned.

John treasured his family, his friends and his faithful dog Katie. John had an infectious laugh and always had a positive attitude. He was a member of the Whitefish Church of the Nazarene but most recently attended the Faith Chapel in Seeley Lake.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Dustin of Seeley Lake; Cameron Dustin and his wife, Erin, and grandbaby, Steven of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Perry Dustin and his wife, Sadie and grandchildren, Hunter, Jimmy and Charlotte of Missoula; Emilienne (Dustin) Moll her and husband Colin of Kenmore, Wash.; sister, Mary Gustafson and her husband Peter of Leesburg, Va., and their sons John of Ohio and Dustin of Japan.

A memorial was held on Oct. 5 in Whitefish.