Posted: 02/22/06

Gary Lloyd Blewett, 67, of Bozeman, formerly of Helena, passed away Feb. 12, 2006. Gary was born July 6, 1938, in Helena to Henry Lloyd and Jeannette Elizabeth (Stodden) Blewett.

Gary was raised in Helena and graduated from Helena High School. He attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of arts degree in English, and then received his master’s degree from the University of Illinois.

In his younger years Gary worked as an English teacher in Mahomet, Ill., and Libby, Mont. In 1968 he moved back to Helena with his family. Gary was a team member of Urban Renewal/Model Cities for downtown Helena, and worked in many state agencies.

He was a bureau chief for Social Rehabilitative Services, administrator of workers compensation (State Fund), and administrator of the Liquor Division for the Montana Department of Revenue. He later worked for TRW and Northrop Grumman. In his retirement years he worked as a technical writer.

Gary had the pleasure of marrying four wonderful ladies. In 1959 Gary married Marjorie (White) Blewett and had three children. They divorced in 1982. In 1983 Gary married Donna Wirth and made a life with Donna and her daughter, Amanda, in Helena. Gary was widowed in 1988 after Donna’s death. In 1992, Gary married Michelle Abley and was widowed in 1995. In 2004 Gary met Bettyann Cote. The couple was married on May 4, 2005, and made their home in Bozeman,.

Gary enjoyed reading books, poetry, listening to music, going for drives, astronomy, playing chess, and spending personal time with the people he loved. Gary made friends easily. He had been very involved in the Democratic Party and the Lewis and Clark County Library Board.

Gary was raised in the Methodist Church and later joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was conscientious about his callings of responsibilities in his faith and was admired for that.

Gary was preceded in death by his father, H. Lloyd Blewett; his brother Jeffrey Jay Blewett; his wife Donna Wirth; and his wife Michelle Abley.

Survivors include his mother, Jeannette Blewett of Park City, Utah; his wife Bettyann Cote of Bozeman; four children, Eric Blewett of Helena, Keith Blewett of Belgrade, Gretchen (Blewett) Ulrickson of Plentywood and Amanda Slevira of Helena; five grandchildren, Grady and William Blewett (Keith), Kara Cevera and Katherine Clark (Amanda), and one grandchild due in July (Eric). Gary is also survived by two sisters, Bonnie Donohue of Placid Lake and Arlene Loble of Wilsonville, Ore.; one brother, Mark Blewett of Escondido, Calif.; and two nieces, Becky (Donohue) Amici and Rachel Loble.

A memorial service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stake Center, located at 2915 Colter Drive in Bozeman. There will also be a memorial service Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Methodist Church, located at 505 Logan, in Helena, followed at 1 p.m. by the interment of Gary’s cremated remains at Sunset Memorial Gardens, located at 7100 N. Montana Avenue in Helena.

Memorials may be made in his name to the Bozeman or Helena Hospice programs.

Services are under the gentle care of Dahl Funeral and Cremation Service in Bozeman and Retz Funeral Home in Helena.