Rowland Thomas "R.T." Adkins Jr
Rowland Thomas "R.T." Adkins Jr., 83, of Kalispell, passed away on Sept. 9, 2015.
He was the fifth of seven children born to Rowland and Rosa Adkins on Sept. 6,1932, in Livingston. He was born in the back of a rumble seat Model A Ford. He liked to joke that he's been cold ever since.
He is survived by his loving wife, Elaine Toole Adkins, of Bigfork; daughters, Vickie Adkins of DeForest, Wisconsin, and Shawn Adkins-Smith of Kalispell; son, Trevert Adkins of Whitefish; stepdaughters, Cherie Hansen, Bonnie Boon and Carrine Toole, all of Bigfork; sister, Marge Bothman, of Denice, Florida; brother, Barry Adkins, of Payson, Arizona; 13 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
He was preceded in death by sisters, Madeline Woods and Verna Adkins; and brothers, Neil Adkins and James Adkins.
R.T. was raised on a ranch in Livingston and graduated from Park County High. He served from 1952 to 1954 in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was under a nuclear bomb test in Nevada named "Upshot Knothole." After being honorably discharged, he worked on a ranch in Thompson River.
R.T. moved to Kalispell in 1955, married Jean Sager and started driving logging trucks. In 1964 he purchased his own truck and remained a logger, owned Adkins Trucking and A&A Transport before retiring in 2005. In 1994 R.T. married Elaine Toole and they made their home in Kalispell.
R.T. was a lifetime member of Knights of Columbus and served on the board of the Montana Logging Association, board of the Montana Motor Carriers and was a longtime member and director of the Log Truckers Association. He was also a member of the Montana Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, Antique Aircraft Association and National Association of Atomic Veterans. He was honored with Lumberman of the Year in 2013 by the Northwest Montana Hoo-Hoo 187.
R.T. loved being outdoors in the mountains, horseback riding, white water rafting, camping, hunting, fishing and hiking. Flying was a passion; his first plane was a Piper Super Cub, but he especially enjoyed flying his 1956 Cessna 180 in the mountains and was a certified mountain search pilot. He enjoyed giving back and helping to maintain Schafer Meadows airstrip. He also helped coach and pull chute gates for the local rodeo club.
He will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor and practical jokes, love for his family, his many hours of volunteer service, strong integrity, kind heart and how his whole face would light up when he smiled.
A memorial service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Church at Creston-Lutheran, 5447 Montana Highway 35, Kalispell, with a luncheon to follow. A private committal service with dispersion of the cremated remains will take place at a later date.
Memorials in his name for improvements at Meadow Creek Landing Strip can be sent to the Montana Pilots Association (MPA), c/o Scott Newpower, P.O. Box 1582, Seeley Lake, MT 59868
To leave condolences online, visit jgfuneralhome.com.