Leonard Downing Stewart

Surrounded by the love of his family, Leonard Lester Stewart, 81, of Dillon MT, passed away from Alzheimer’s disease on July 20th. Leonard’s kind heart and love of life never dimmed for a moment. Even now, his unending spirit continues to live on in the hearts of the many persons who had the good fortune to have met and known Leonard. Leonard was born on August 5, 1939 in Caldwell ID to Lester Downing and Genevieve Young. He met and married Barbara Timm in Nampa ID in 1960, and their great life voyage began together. They left the farm fields of Idaho and moved to the beautiful Flathead Valley, where they spent over 25 years enjoying water skiing, boating, snow skiing, and the community of Bigfork. Flathead Lake is where Leonard discovered his passion for fishing. As his passion grew, he also discovered the wonder of deep sea fishing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. After many trips down the Baja he developed a love of Mexico, it’s people and culture. He sold his construction business and he and Barbara moved to Mexico. He bought and restored Chubasco, his well loved fishing boat. Leonard had focus and passion for everything he pursued, and won Cabo’s Bisbee fishing tournament twice before coming back to the U.S. Leonard’s heart always burned bright in search of new journeys and new experiences. This adventurous spirit lead him to California, Oregon and Idaho as a commercial fisherman, small business owner, and rancher. But southwest Montana always beckoned to Leonard, the home of his ancestors, and he and Barbara finally settled in Dillon in 1995 where they bought the Klondike. Leonard is survived by his loving wife, Barbara Stewart of 60 years; daughters Gloria Janus (Bill), Amy Vandenburg (Bart); grandchildren Ashley VanDenburg, Anne Payne (Ian Kwasowski), and Spencer VanDenburg. Services will be held at Brundage Funeral Home on Friday, July 24th at 10am, followed by final resting in Lima Cemetery. Please join us for a celebration of Leonard’s life. The family wishes to thank the hospice staff, healthcare professionals at Barrett Hospital, Pioneer Rehabilitation, and Veteran’s Administration who provided compassionate care for Leonard.