I was surprised to see the comments from others who had the same or similar memories of those I wrote about. Not only friends, but brothers, sisters, cousins, neighbors, and one Mom responded to the story, and I was pleased to note that so many appreciated what I had written.
Now, more than 10 years have passed, and others are gone – some died young, while others lived full lives. Although we are sad that they are gone, we honor them by relating our memories. Recent news of the deaths of two old Bozeman friends prompted me to revisit the original article, and I decided to add part two to the story.
My brother David Manch (Class of ’78) was 10 years old when we moved from Bozeman in 1969. As far as I remember, he only attended one school during the Bozeman years – Whittier Elementary School. My family moved several times in the 1970s and David graduated from high school in 1978, in Delhi, New York.
David worked for years as a newspaper and radio reporter. He tried his hand at acting in Hollywood, and soon after developed debilitating back pain and was unable to work. His first wife, Kathy, had been killed in 1989 in a car accident, and then Beth, his 2nd wife, died in 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription medicines. David’s back pain worsened, and then he was diagnosed with leukemia.
He lost his fight in August 2008 at age 49.
We had moved to Bozeman from Pittsburgh, PA in the summer of 1963. That fall, I was in 3rd grade at Longfellow School in Bozeman, and I managed to get into trouble on the very first day of class. My mother had told me that the way to make new friends was to be friendly and initiate conversation with other kids, and I did so during a break from class early on that first day of school. I don’t remember what we were supposed to be doing, but we were not at our desks. I was also unaware that it was against the rules to talk. I was standing next to someone; I looked over, smiled, said hello and introduced myself. The other student looked at me in surprise, and confused by the look, I turned and went back to my desk.
Minutes later, the teacher (whose name I cannot recall) asked the student monitor if he had anything to report. Chuck Weeks (Class of ’73), a boy who wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses like I did, told the teacher that, “this one over here,” he said pointing at me, “was talking when he wasn’t supposed to.” I could tell by the look on his face that he reported this news reluctantly. I understood just by that look that he knew I was the new kid, and obviously did not know the rules. He probably thought he had made an enemy by telling on me, but I understood he was doing his job, and we went on to become friends. Rezoning in Bozeman caused me to switch schools the next year, and I lost track of my first Bozeman friend.
Chuck lost his battle with cancer in 2019 at age 65.
My brother Scott Manch (Class of ’77) was born in 1958 when our Dad was in graduate school at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, New York. In Bozeman, Scott attended Irving School and Whittier Elementary.
As I wrote in Finding Common Ground , Scott and I did not get along well as teenagers. We had different tastes in music, different outlooks on what our roles were, different senses of how we should live our lives, and differences of opinion on just about everything.
After high school, Scott attended college in Delhi, New York, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree. He moved back to Rhode Island (where my family had lived for a year or two) where he became a carpenter – an exceptionally talented one. He lived there for decades, raised his daughter Cassie, and retired from carpentry in the early 2000s when he was diagnosed with cancer of the mouth (the result of decades of smoking and chewing tobacco.) He eventually had surgery, with most of one side of his jaw removed. He was told at the time that he might have 5 years left, but he beat the odds and lived considerably longer than that.
Recently, Scott’s health again deteriorated, and he spent his last few weeks in the hospital, suffering from pancreatic cancer among other medical conditions.
Scott was 65 when he died in February 2024.
I met Kathy Jutila and Marty Lambert (both Class of ’73) in 7th grade at Bozeman Junior High School, where along with another student, we were the four-member violin section of the school orchestra. Kathy was funny and goofy (in a good way) and we played in the orchestra together until my family moved away in 1969. I remember her as friendly, upbeat, and always smiling. I am reasonably certain that pretty much everyone liked Kathy because she was such a likable person. Although the four of us violinists competed to see who the best was (Marty was always the best of the group), we enjoyed playing together and took pride in our contributions to the orchestra. Kathy went on to medical school where she became a skilled and highly respected M.D. in New Mexico (where she earned her advanced degree) and back in Montana.
Kathy died in May 2024. She was 69.
As mentioned, Marty Lambert was the best of the violinists in our school orchestra. He was a competitive guy, but he did it in such a way that we knew he was always supportive of our efforts. Marty knew he was far better on the instrument than I was, but he never spoke about it or even hinted at it. Marty was unfailingly supportive of me and the others; I can’t speak for Kathy or the other violinists, but I knew that Marty was always on my side and rooting for me to work hard to improve.
Marty went on to earn a JD, was a prosecutor and the Gallatin County, Montana attorney, a position he held for 26 years. He was well-respected and well-liked by friends, many who had known him for decades. He continued to play violin as an adult – 30 years with the Bozeman Symphony orchestra. Marty contributed to the community of Bozeman in many ways, as indicated in his beautifully written obituary.
Marty died in July 2024 after contracting a post-surgery infection. He was 69.
To all old friends, brothers, sisters, and other family members who left us to soon – much love and respect. RIP to all.
Larry Manch (Class of ’73)
----------
Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. He has written 24 books; available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com. He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.
Follow @LTM_Author
Thank you for pulling the lens of memories over these souls. Least we forget.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you.
DeleteThank you Larry for your thoughtful words!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Delete