H.W. "Skip" Stratton

Homer Wagner "Skip" Stratton was born at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula to Roscoe and Fannie Fink Stratton on March 17, 1922, making him the younger brother of Roz and older brother of Marge. He attended grade school at Lowell Elementary and graduated from Missoula County High School in 1940 and tried to enlist in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. He was told he needed two years of college so worked a year at White Pine Sash to accrue enough money for college and started his freshman year at UM with a major in Forestry. War was declared in December 1941 and he immediately signed up for the Aviation Cadet program requesting to be called up as soon as possible. After completing that program at Johnson Flying Service at old Hale Field he was informed he wouldn't be called up until the fall of '42.

So that summer he joined one of the first Hot Shot crews with the U.S. Forest Service and was called into the Service October 1942. He left for San Antonio, TX and qualified for pilot training and started primary flight training and graduated from this as a pilot in 1943 and was assigned to Kelly Field in Texas for Test Pilot training.

After flying personnel and freight all over the country he received orders to be stationed in Japan, but then the war ended. By this time he had met and married his war bride, Virginia Reese, and they were now expecting their first child, David, who would be followed in 20 months by sister Julie.

He and family returned to Missoula where he resumed his schooling graduating with a master's degree in forestry. During the summers he started smokejumping out of the Missoula Smokejumper Base. And in the summer of 1949 was the leader of the crew that retrieved the bodies from the Mann Gulch Fire. The highlight of his smokejumping career came when he and three other squad leaders were chosen to fly in a Ford Trimotor to Washington, D.C. and complete a demonstration jump onto the Ellipse near the lawn of the Washington Memorial. During his career with the Forest Service he had many duty stations beginning as a Forester in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, moving up to Assistant Ranger at Kingston District and was given a going away song of "Skip to My Loo, Ranger' thus being dubbed "Skip" and promoted to Ranger at Canyon Ranger District and then Kelly Creek District in Idaho before advancing to the Bitterroot National Forest in Hamilton. While there he was Fire Boss (now known as Incident Commander) on some of the largest forest fires in the Region as well as California.

The next promotion took the family to Missoula and the Regional Office. During those years he became Assistant Chief of the Division of Fire Control and finally retired in 1973.

After the death of Virginia in 1979 he met his soul mate Jessica Jones and when he married her in 1980 added adult children Douglas and Jan to his family. This was the start of his adventures at "the cabin" on Pierce Lake where Jess owned a wonderful log cabin and their years of summer adventures and winter snow shoeing to the cabin began.

After nearly 20 years of wedded bliss, his darling Jess passed away after open heart surgery and left dad sad and lonely.

After experiencing a few falls, he moved to The Springs of Missoula where he created new friendships and had breakfast each morning at his table with "the girls" as well as enjoying poker and Wii bowling. On Sunday, Oct. 26, he experienced yet another fall. With the prospect looming ahead of months of healing followed by hours of PT, dad said to his loving caregiver Cathy, "I'm done; I can't do this again. Thank you for what you've done; I love you," and in the presence of Cathy and loving family, just minutes before Halloween, he began his last journey.

Our family gives thanks to Dr. Michael Caldwell and Nurse Melissa; Partners in Home Health Hospice; and caregiver extraordinaire and loving friend Cathy for the love and compassion shown dad. "It's been a Helluva party, Woodrow."

Dad was preceded in death by his parents; grandson David Stratton, Jr.; wife Virginia and love of his life Jess; and sister Roz.

He is survived by the four children, David (Ruth) and their two sons, Tony (Lorena) with two daughters and Bob (Jennifer) and two daughters; Julie (Buck) Smith and their two daughters Mandy (Jeff) McMaster and their daughter and two sons and Jamie McCorkle and her son and daughter; Jan Sipprell and Doug Jones and his two daughters Abigail and Victoria. There are also loved nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Garden City Funeral Home with a reception following to celebrate his final jump. Cremation has taken place and spreading of the ashes will be at a later time.

In lieu of flowers we recommend you give to the National Smokejumpers Association http://smokejumpers.com or Friends of Montana PBS; PO Box 10715; Bozeman, MT 59719-0715; the Humane Society of Western Montana, PO Box 1059, Missoula, MT 59806; or a charity of one's choice.
Read H.W. Stratton's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.