Stephen Ignatius Halpin

– Steve Halpin, 57, of Huson, passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2014, while sailing with friends in Port Townsend, Washington. He suffered a heart attack which brought a peaceful end to his four-year battle with cancer. His last wish was to launch his sailboat there at Port Townsend where he had started building the boat a year earlier.

There are so many people to thank for making Steve's final trip possible. The Hospice of Missoula folks set up his medical support so he could travel with everything he needed and made contact with the hospice in Port Townsend for backup. Thanks go to Howard Rice, the mastermind behind the weekend that arranged for Steve to be surrounded by his boat building and sailing friends who all knew and accepted his tenuous condition. Howard made sure there was always an experienced sailor, an EMT and plenty of strength within arm's reach of Steve. Thanks to the sailing group who surrounded him with courage and compassion and escorted Steve through his final days.

He was born on Feb. 20, 1957, in Dallas, Pennsylvania, to James and Isabelle Halpin. They soon moved to Waynesville, Virginia, where he grew up. He attended both parochial and public schools. He loved sports and participated in track, football and baseball. After high school, he entered the patternmakers apprentice program at the shipyards in Newport News, Virginia. He enjoyed doing the precise work with his hands but he also wanted to go to college. He joined the Army to help fund his college education and spent his tour in Germany. When he was discharged, he returned to the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia and worked as a cabinet maker while he took classes at the community college. He got a scholarship to the University of Virginia and graduated with a degree in engineering in 1991.

On June 1, 1991, he married Elizabeth (Beth) Kennedy and they soon moved to Montana. He designed and built (with lots of help) their house in Huson. He made musical instruments, primarily violins and dulcimers, and played old-time fiddle music. He drove long haul truck for local and national companies. He then formed his own trucking business which he ran until health issues forced him to close the company.

He was a quiet and spiritual man. Besides his connection with the St. Francis Xavier parish in Missoula, he was also a Benedictine oblate with Blue Cloud Abbey (now closed) in the Dakotas. He often spent the night at that abbey or others on his trucking runs to Chicago and the Twin Cities. He practiced yoga in Missoula and also on the road. The Missoula yoga community embraced him during his cancer battle and welcomed him into the class no matter how much or little he could do that day.

A loving and devoted husband, he and his wife enjoyed reading out loud to each other. He liked crossword and Sudoku puzzles, and was a skilled knitter. They went hunting, camping, fishing and boating together and, in more recent years, the guinea pig usually came along too. He volunteered in the St. Pat's chemo room after his first round with cancer. More recently, even during chemo treatments and these last more frail months, he volunteered with the Family Promise program. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Poverello Center.

Survivors include his wife Beth Kennedy of Huson; his mother Isabelle Halpin of New Jersey; and four brothers, James Halpin of Pennsyvlania, Bill Halpin of Virginia, Tom Halpin of Virginia and Mike Halpin of Virginia.

Visitation will be Monday, 5-8 p.m. at Garden City Funeral Home with Mass on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church with Father Rich Perry officiating. A reception will follow in the church hall.
Read Stephen Halpin's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.