Gary Jerome Moon

Gary Jerome Moon, 76, of Florence, passed away of natural causes at Community Medical Center on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. He was loved by many and will be sorely missed.
Gary was born on June 15, 1943, in Conrad, Montana, to Bertrand and Doris Moon. Growing up on a farm in Choteau, he was surrounded by extended family and enjoyed regular family gatherings. At an early age he learned the important lessons of hard work and integrity. Although he didn’t always love school, he found it more enjoyable than milking cows at 4 AM and devoted himself to his schooling in order to avoid farm life and to be eligible to play sports. During high school, he participated football, basketball, baseball and track; lettering in football, basketball and track. However, Legion baseball was his true love and he often shared stories of his time playing ball. One of his most fond memories was hitting the final home run ever hit at the legion field in Choteau. The homerun ball is now on display at the American Legion Post 6 Museum in Choteau, something for which he was extremely proud. Although he was extended an invitation to try out for the LA Dodgers professional baseball team, he instead chose to serve his country and enlisted with the US Army after graduating in 1961. He was primarily stationed in Europe during his four years of service and created strong bonds with his service brothers, several of whom he continued to have close relationships with until he passed.
Upon discharge from the service, he returned state side and used the money he saved during his service days and paid cash for a 1964 Ford with a 450 engine. He and three of his military brothers drove back to Montana making multiple stops, including at the Indianapolis 500. This trip was a treasured memory for him. Once back in Choteau, he worked for the Forest Service before meeting his soon-to-be wife. Shortly after they met, he moved to Missoula and briefly attended UM and worked construction until he was hired as a switchman-brakeman for the Northern Pacific Rail Road (later to be purchased by Burlington Northern). He worked for the railroad until he was injured and retired in the mid-1980s.
On June 26, 1965, he married Jetta (Krum) Moon. They had two children, Tracy and Mendy. During the majority of their marriage, the family lived on a small farm just outside Missoula. The farm, as he affectionately called it, was a place with many happy memories, particularly working on and restoring cars. His favorite car, a 1951 Ford Crown Victoria, was the same year and model he drove in high school and was his pride and joy. In addition to restoring cars, he was an avid softball player, both fast pitch and slow pitch. He and a group of friends designed and built the men’s fast pitch softball field off Spurgin Road in Missoula that is still used today. He was also actively involved as a member of the Northern Pacific Hospital Board (while working at the railroad). While on the board, they campaigned and raised funds to build the Clark Fork Riverside senior living community. In recent years, he lived in Lolo and Florence and was often found helping others in need with home repairs, etc. In addition, he was extremely proud of his children and grandchildren and enjoyed watching his grandchildren play sports. He was also known as quite a jokester and could bring a smile to most anyone with one of his many jokes. While he was never able to truly love being in the “city” he was content and enjoyed his time living in Florence.
Survivors include his son Tracy Moon and his family (wife Alaina and children Jaden, Tiana, and Tekiah), Kalispell; his daughter, Mendy (Moon) Bucy and her family (husband Adam and children Sam and Zach), Missoula; his brother Melvin Moon, Missoula; his sister Marlys (Moon) Mattfeldt, Helena; his sister Ellen (Jardine) Black, Helena; and his brother Jim Jardine, Anaconda. He is also survived by numerous extended family members.
A graveside service will be held on December 6, 2019, at 2:00 PM at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. A celebration of his life will be held immediately following the service at Garden City Funeral Home in Missoula. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to: American Legion Post 6, PO Box 151, Choteau, MT 59422.