David Lee Cole – animal lover and intentionally unsuccessful bowhunter, off-road motorcyclist, flip phone devotee, loving brother and uncle, and unfiltered curmudgeon – passed away peacefully May 23, 2023. Dave loved the mountains and all things outdoors. He (and his many varieties of incredible homemade cheesecake) will be missed.
Born in Grand Junction, Colorado on October 1, 1950, to Richard and Audrey Cole, Dave was the second of seven children. Dave’s father was a Veterans Administration physician and internist. After moving from Colorado to Fort Harrison near Helena, Montana, the family moved to Bozeman in 1959 where Dave’s father established his medical practice. Dave grew up on what was then the edge of Bozeman, first on South Church Avenue below Peets Hill and then in a distinctive, turquoise-colored house on South Willson Avenue. Nearby creeks and fields offered abundant fishing and plenty of space to explore.
Dave graduated from Bozeman Senior High and then Montana State University with a degree in civil engineering. He spent his adult working life getting paid to be outside. Dave was a ski instructor at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort. He started at Big Sky shortly after it opened in 1973 and worked every winter for roughly a decade. Dave was also a civil engineer for the Department of the Interior in Yellowstone National Park, often based in Mammoth, Wyoming. He worked in Yellowstone until his retirement. Dave always kept a home in Bozeman and devoted considerable time volunteering with local archery clubs, maintaining motorcycle trails, and serving as president of Friends of Pipestone, an organization devoted to improving the Whitetail-Pipestone Recreation Area near Whitehall, Montana. Dave excelled in competitive long distance enduro motorcycle races throughout the western United States.
Dave’s happy places were the Gallatin Canyon and Paradise Valley, often taking off for a motorcycle ride from the Penttila cabin up Porcupine Creek or volunteering to exercise search-and-rescue dogs Kep and Rye north of Gardiner. On occasion Dave would assist by playing the role of a lost hiker, hiding in God-forsaken parts of the forest to see if the dogs could find him using only their sense of smell. In 2020 search-and-rescue dogs were part of the real-life effort to locate Dave in the wilderness northeast of Yellowstone National Park, where Dave’s Lewy body dementia had taken him.
When Dave was not exploring the woods (intentionally or otherwise), he spent time cleaning his truck, buying and tinkering with more than 100 off-road motorcycles he owned over the years, fiddling with his bow and shooting in 3D archery contests, fine-tuning his pool-playing prowess, muttering snarky comments, buying generous gifts for others, or riding around on stick horses with his young nieces. Fully-leaded Pepsi – never diet or Coke – was his drink of choice.
Dave was predeceased by his parents, sister-in-law Joy, and nephew Simon. He is survived by his siblings Rick (Sunny), Jim, Stephen (Adrienne), Jerry (Shawn), Theresa, and Bill (Anne) and former wife (Bobbie). Nephews and nieces include Dennis, Dustin, Jason, Mac, Spencer, Monte, Brad, Kristen, and Katherine. Dave’s family will be forever indebted to the incredible staff at The Springs at Bozeman and Stillwater Hospice who cared for Dave in his later years.
A celebration of Dave’s life is planned for later this summer. Contact any family member or email bcole@colefirm.com for further details. In lieu of flowers (which Dave would hate), contributions may be made in Dave’s memory to Friends of Pipestone, c/o Ramona Ehnes, P.O. Box 602, Great Falls, MT 59403, Friends of Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSSAR), P.O. Box 11882, Bozeman, MT 59719, or a charity of your choice. Friends are encouraged to share memories of Dave on the Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service website at www.dokkennelson.com.
