December 23rd, 2015

Daniel "Jim" Lemieux
​On the morning of December 17, 2015, Jim passed away peacefully from complications after a stroke he had on October 22. He was 72 years old.
Jim was born in Seattle, Wash. on February 14, 1943. He was the only child of Dan and Irma Lemieux. Jim and his parents moved to Deer Lodge when he was a small boy, to be closer to their family. He grew up in Deer Lodge and graduated from Powell County High School, where he enjoyed being on the swim team and in the school choir. Jim had a work ethic second to none, and held many jobs during his younger years, from delivering the Silver State Post newspaper, to working at Johnson’s Gas Station, and Wallin Ford. 
Jim met Pam Krause at the Tastee Freeze in Anaconda in the summer of 1961. He gave her a ride in his shiny, black 1957 Chevy and so began their 50+ year relationship. They dated for four years, then married on July 23, 1966, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Deer Lodge. Jim and Pam moved to Helena later that year. They were blessed with two daughters, Lisa and Lori, and together the four of them had many adventures. Jim impressed his love of the outdoors on his daughters and they have abundant memories of snowmobiling, camping, ATV’ing, boating at the Gates of the Mountains, horseback riding, and spending countless weekends at the family cabin at Rock Creek Lake as well as their Seeley Lake cabin. 
Jim was an amazingly talented handy man and could build or fix just about anything. He re-built several cars and trucks, and built houses, garages, and shops. After working at Capital Ford for many years as a parts man, he branched out and bought his own auto parts store. He ran Parts Supply for almost 20 years, then sold it and went to work for Johnson Controls. He did plumbing, electrical, and boiler work, among other things. From there he moved on to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), where he did much of the same work. He retired from BCBS in 2006.
In 2009, Jim and Pam sold their house in Helena and moved to Deer Lodge. With the help of family and friends, he built another huge shop. He loved helping out on the McQueary Ranch and spent time ATV’ing, fishing, and hunting in the same places he did as a teenager. He enjoyed time spent with the Deer Lodge Elks Club and the Deer Lodge Volunteer Fire Department. 
In January 2015 Jim and Pam sold their house in Deer Lodge and moved back to Helena to be closer to their girls and families. He loved watching their sporting events, taking them fishing at Tizer Lakes, going camping, and just spending family time together. His three granddaughters, grandson, and great-grandson were the light of his life. 
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Dan and Irma. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Pam, daughter Lisa (Taz) Zubiate, daughter Lori (Gabe) Witham, granddaughter Kinsey Super, granddaughter Bailee (Jake) Ward, granddaughter Abbie Witham, grandson Gabe Witham, and great-grandson Ryan Hughes. He is also survived by his very special pets, Bubba and Kitty. 
Jim’s family would like to thank Hospice of St. Peter’s and the staff at the Rosetta House for the wonderful care they provided Jim in his final days. The family would also like to thank everyone who called, visited, hugged, and cried with us. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of St. Peter’s, The Rosetta House, West Valley Fire Department, and the Deer Lodge Elks Club. The family will hold a service after the holidays, sometime in January. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Jim.

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