Ernest Dewey

Ernest R. Dewey, 67, of Missoula died Wednesday morning, Nov. 14, 2018, near Ovando while participating in one of his favorite activities, elk hunting.

Ernie was born Feb. 16, 1951, in Austin, Texas, to Ernest and Helen Dewey. He attended DeVilbiss High School in Toledo, Ohio and graduated from the University of Toledo with an associate’s, a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

While in high school, he met Kerry Thomsen and they married in 1971. Ernie and Kerry were married for 36 years until she passed away in 2008. While married, they raised two children, Seth and Megan.

Ernie was blessed a second time when he married Carolyn Caton in 2009. Ernie and Carolyn were married for nine years and enjoyed life to its fullest. They shared adventures with close friends and family while traveling in Europe, RV’ing across North America, and spending time together locally in the mountains and on golf courses.

Ernie retired in 2016 after 40 years as a financial advisor. Always placing ethical business practices and his clients’ best interests above everything else, Ernie took pride in helping his family of clients achieve financial security and establishing close personal relationships with them. He served his clients while working for multiple financial firms such as E.F. Hutton, A.G. Edwards, Smith Barney and Royal Bank of Canada in locations including Casper, Wyoming, Portland, Oregon, and Missoula, Montana.

Ernie had a deep and enthusiastic love of both nature and life’s simple pleasures. His favorite pastimes always included sharing and enjoying good food and conversation with friends and family. He especially loved cooking, learning about and enjoying wine, and traveling to exotic locations in pursuit of fine cuisine. Ernie’s love of nature and Montana often found him skiing, hiking, camping, golfing, fishing, and hunting. He especially loved spending time in his favorite outdoor places, including the cabin at Elbow Lake, the mountains and alpine lakes of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, and Yellowstone National Park. When not in the woods with loved ones, Ernie could often be found either trying to lower his handicap on the golf course, or travelling the country to keep up with his children and grandchildren.

Ernie is survived by his wife Carolyn of Missoula; his precious children Major Seth E. Dewey, U.S. Marine Corps, wife Marika, and their children Matthew and Ella of Oceanside, California; his daughter Megan C. Bledsoe and her husband Tomas of Battle Ground, Washington; his mother Helen Dewey of Missoula; his brothers Fred Dewey (Mary Ellen Ashton) of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jim Dewey (Melanie Gangle) of Camas, Washington; his nieces, Julia Dewey, M.D. of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, Laura Dewey of Anchorage, Alaska, and Maria Dewey of Camas, Washington; sister-in-law Christy Thomsen of Madison, Alabama; brother-in-law Kurt Thomsen (Debra) of Madison, Alabama; niece and nephew, Sarah Schaffer of Madison, Alabama, and Mark Mueller of Irvine, California. His loving family and many caring friends will greatly miss him, as will his faithful companion Bridger.

Ernie was preceded in death by his first wife and the mother of their children, Kerry; his father Ernest Wayne Dewey; Kerry’s parents Herman and Dorothy Thomsen; nephew Kevin Thomsen; and his many beloved pets-- Oscar, Ashes, Reggie, Lucy, Mickey, Brady, Latte, and Bretta.

Ernie was a longtime member of several local organizations, including Missoula Kiwanis, the Missoula Symphony, Ducks Unlimited, Five Valleys Land Trust, and the International Choral Festival. He was also a dedicated member of University Congregational Church in Missoula.

A Service in Celebration of the Life of Ernest R. Dewey will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at University Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 405 University Ave., Missoula.

In lieu of flowers, Ernie’s family requests that donations be made to University Congregational Church, Western Montana Humane Society or the charity of your choice.