Parker Passmore

Beloved uncle, Farmer, engineer and school bus contractor Parker Lee Passmore, 30, of Choteau died May 3, 2024, ending his life after years of struggling with mental turmoil. He tried so hard.

A joint funeral service for Parker and his father Gary Passmore, who died in 2020, will be at 2 p.m., Friday, May 17, at the Choteau Cemetery with a celebration of their lives to follow at the Choteau Pavilion.

Parker was an unexpected and precious gift to Gary and Sherrel Passmore of Choteau, born on April 22, 1994. He was a baby at his brother Andy's Little League games and a little boy tagging along with his oldest brother Matt on the teenager's dates, skiing and cruising around. Even when he came back from college taller than Matt, he was still "Shortie" to his brother.

Parker graduated from Choteau High School in 2013. He was in FFA and played football. He chose not to follow his brothers into wrestling but instead became a cheerleader. He never cared about impressing others and was willing to chart his own course.

Parker was an engineer, attending the Colorado School of Mines and Montana State University in Bozeman. He came back to Choteau to farm with his family.

Parker idolized his dad and was devastated by his loss in 2020. He then stepped up for his mom in important ways, including moving in with her, cooking for her, seeking out responsibilities and finding other ways to nurture her.

Parker was loved all his 10,968 days. His family and friends wish they had more time, more photos and another chance to tell him how much he meant to them all.

As for Parker, this is what he loved:

•Being Uncle P. He was tender hearted with his nieces and nephews, quieter than their dads, patient, calm and silly. He and Jake were particularly close, cut from the same cloth and both much like Gary.

•Cooking for his family and friends, who generally enjoyed his creations - made without a recipe or measuring. Parker cooked cuisine from around the world, was proud of his falafel and bánh mì. He went vegan for a while last winter, just to prove he could. He started a fire, cooking hot dogs on a snowmobile muffler (and yet somehow failed to fully thaw the dogs), and he had a passion for brisket.

•Snowmobiling, even though he was always getting stuck and swore he could just "pin and wiggle out of it" - an approach that did not work.

•His parents' golden retriever, Ranger, who could tell Parker needed him after losing his dad and who is brokenhearted now.

•Farming. He aimed to reach his dad's high standards and learned from his dad, his brothers and his dad's friends. He tried to make a go of farming on his own and on his last day was talking through his next options.

•Cheering on the Calgary Flames and the Montana State Bobcats (even when it meant traveling through a blizzard to South Dakota).

•Spontaneous adventures with friends such as going to the North Dakota border for an air drill and then bringing it back on a 35-mile-per-hour drive home with questionable tires. He went to Ireland, Italy and Greece, too, and recently Revelstoke, British Columbia.

•Howard's Pizza, especially topped with sausage and mushrooms.

•A good witty remark or dark joke to lighten the mood. One of his favorite quips pertained to the ladies: "If they don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." He gave people a hard time in a way that made them feel good.

•Visiting with people of all ages. He was bashful but could talk to anyone and figure out what they were interested in. He made friends quickly and loved his close-knit group of eight buddies who often gathered for dinner.

•Reading, learning and figuring things out.

•Helping others. He cared deeply about the people around him and tuned into their needs, making the extra effort. He would shut down in the middle of his own harvest to spend a day driving truck for another farmer.

Parker was preceded by his dad and his grandparents Don and Olive Passmore and Chester and Florene "Tiny" Thomas.

Parker is survived by his mom of Choteau; his brothers, Mathew Passmore of Choteau and Andrew (Kirsten) Passmore of Fairfield; and his nieces and nephews, Peyton and Jacob Passmore of Choteau and Aundra, Kolsten, Elin and Anders Passmore of Fairfield.

He leaves behind many beloved friends and extended family members.