Gene Alex Schwantes, 71, passed away on Thursday, July 11th, with his family by his side after a 4.5 year battle with GIST cancer. Gene was born in Mayville, WI, on February 16, 1953, to Alex and Peggy Schwantes. The family moved to Neihart, MT in the early 1960s. Gene fell in love with Montana and has resided here ever since.
After graduating from Belt Valley High School, he joined the Army and proudly served his country. Unfortunately, in Vietnam, he was exposed to Agent Orange, the cause of his GIST cancer. Gene was honorably discharged from the Army and returned to Montana. He worked as a grain inspector at the Montana State Grain Laboratory for 35 years, retiring in 2011. Gene could fix just about anything and took pride in all of his projects.
Gene met the love of his life, Lori Wirtala, in the summer of 1974. They were married in Geyser on July 10, 1976, and spent 48 years plus one day together. They welcomed their two amazing daughters, Erin and Meghan, and enjoyed following their volleyball and basketball careers.
Gene was an avid outdoor enthusiast and especially loved hunting with his brothers, Rod and Ray, and being in the mountains He and Lori spent their summers golfing, traveling to watch their favorite sports teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, and Montana Grizzlies, or meeting friends for Packers and Grizzlies watch parties. In later years they were able to watch their grandchildren’s baseball, softball, football, and basketball games in Arizona and Montana.
Gene is survived by his wife, Lori; daughters, Erin (Jeremiah) Hicks and Meghan (Steve) Grady; grandchildren, Garrett and Miah Hicks, and Gannon and Grant Grady; brother, Rod (Kristy) Schwantes; sister-in-law, Lorena Schwantes; mother-in-law, Lois Wirtala; sisters-in-law Shelley (Joe) Kolar and Debbie (Mark) Visocan; brother-in-law, Allen (Lyndie) Wirtala; many nieces and nephews; and great-nieces and nephews.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the O'Connor Funeral Home website.
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