Curtis John Backlin, 85, passed away on June 29, 2022. He was born August 16, 1936, in Minneapolis, MN to Clarence and Helen (Dyrland) Backlin.
Curt’s family moved to Bozeman when he was about ten years old. He attended Irving Elementary and then Gallatin High School, graduating in 1955.
On September 30, 1956, Curt married the love of his life, Roberta “Bert” Pruitt. They had three children, Dan, Laura, and Linda. They were both 4H club leaders when the kids were young.
In 1958, the couple began farming in the Springhill area. In 1971, he sold the farm and moved to Belgrade. That year he got his real estate license and opened his own real estate office.
In 1979, Curt and Bert bought an orchard in Oregon which they ran until returning to Belgrade in 1982. In addition to continuing his work selling real estate, Curt and Dan started C & D Construction. After Linda’s graduation in 1985, he and Bert bought an RV and began heading south for the winters. They enjoyed many winters with friends in Yuma, Arizona.
Curt was active in the community as a member of the Belgrade School Board, Belgrade City Council, and as interim mayor. He was a 50-year member of the Masons and a Shriner. Curt loved fishing, golfing, and a good game of cribbage.
Curt was preceded in death by Bert on May 20, 2014, and by his brother Lyle.
Survivors include his son, Dan (Michele) Backlin of Townsend, MT; daughters, Laura (Steve) Weitzel of Portland, OR and Linda (Dale) Hayden of Belgrade, MT; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 9 at Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. To view the service live, please visit: https://youtu.be/IB1YHX7pguw [youtu.be] Private family graveside services will take place at Sunset Hills Cemetery.
Donations in Curt’s name may be made to his favorite organizations, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or Shriners Children’s Hospital (shrinerschildrens.org).
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
