James Franklin Sargent (October 19, 1927 - April 18, 2025) lived life with an abundance of creativity and joy. His glass was not only half full; it was overflowing. It seems impossible that the world can keep spinning without his spirited, seemingly endless sense of play and curiosity and adventure.
Born in Big Timber, Montana, he grew up on the family ranch in Southcentral Montana with his parents, Frank and Gudruda Sargent, and five siblings: Bob, Bill, Gordon, Helen, and Donald. When Jim was a toddler, his dad wrote his parents in Illinois, “This one is a bit more mischievous.”
Jim walked a mile to Cherry Creek school for his first eight grades. He graduated from Sweetgrass High School in Big Timber in 1945, then earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Industry from Montana State College in 1950. In Bozeman, he made lifelong friends and became a devoted Bobcat fan. Go, Cats, Go!
Drafted not long after helping his father with the 1950 harvest, he served two years in the Army. A case of measles during basic training put him in quarantine and changed the trajectory of his service. Instead of deploying overseas, the Army reassigned him to the Veterinary Corps. That proved a great fit. His farm background and agricultural degree prepared him for his work as a meat and dairy inspector. Stationed in Madison, Wisconsin, he traveled to farms and production plants to inspect eggs, milk, poultry and dairy products to be shipped to soldiers overseas.
Jim returned home and began a three-decades-long career with the Extension Service in 1953, first, as a County Extension Agent in Chester then in Helena. His job allowed him to combine his love for animals, particularly cattle, with his love for people. Working with 4-H youth, their leaders, and area farmers and ranchers matched his personality. Building on these interests, he completed a master’s degree in communications from Michigan State University. His thesis focused on democratic and authoritarian styles of leadership.
In 1967, he became the State 4-H leader with the Montana Extension Service on the MSU campus in Bozeman. He also worked with the International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) program and helped lead a Kellogg-Extension Education Project (KEEP) to build the skills of community leaders in Montana. Through KEEP, he traveled to Japan and China. Jim enjoyed the people and variety of experiences. While he won state and national awards for his work, he was quick to say, “If you ever see a turtle on top of a fencepost, you know it didn’t get there by itself.” And, certainly, fundamental to that success was his marriage to Alice Taylor.
The two met when Alice taught at the one-room school he had attended as a child. He declared that marrying her “was the best decision he ever made.” She became his “definition of partner extraordinaire.” The two settled in Helena and raised four children: Jan, Linda, Sharon, and Larry.
Jim loved being a dad and created multiple opportunities where joy could seep in and laughter took over. Friday game nights, trips to the ranch, and weekends with his sister’s family were the norm. He put his own unique twist on family reunions, holidays, and birthday parties. He built kid-sized furniture, helped with 4-H projects and demonstrations, and encouraged individual interests, stopping the car, for example, so Larry could draw something along the road, or helping his son construct a set for a production of “The Sound of Music.” Alice taped a sign on the refrigerator that captured it: “We have so much fun with Dad, I wish we’d known him sooner.”
Throughout their 69 years of marriage Jim and Alice shared their love for family and friends. They had a very active social life, frequently hosting dinners, card parties, study groups, church activities, work meetings, 4-H workshops, and kid events. To them Jim wove his crazy creativity into the mix. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the couple instructed guests to enjoy cake, then shatter their empty plates against an anniversary boulder. For his 80th birthday, Jim marched into the hall as King. They grew vegetables and flowers in their backyard that included a rock wall garden bed in the shape of the United States that Jim designed and built. At harvest time, they celebrated with a cherry pie neighborhood party. Frequently, Jim invited people for dinner, including many from around the world on an agricultural and cultural exchange. The couple immersed themselves in Methodist Church activities and volunteered on a mission trip to paint a school in Chile. They joined bridge clubs, completed Elderhostel adventures, and attended and hosted family reunions in the U.S. and England. Eventually the two created their own book club where Alice read book after book to Jim in the evenings.
When he retired, Jim vowed he would not become a couch potato. As if he could. Instead, he worked at MSU’s bookstore, delivered newspapers, and immersed himself in a variety of projects: teaching and taking classes at MSU; participating in garden and investment clubs; and creating videos for students and teaching teachers in the Montana Agriculture in the Classroom Program. He served on the Winter Fair Board, worked elections, helped with the 1990 census, judged high school speech and debate competitions, and became a historian on Lewis and Clark Elderhostel trips down the Missouri River. For years he completed the Food Bank Crop Walk and the Montana Governor’s Cup 5K. He regularly walked 100 miles each month.
Of all the projects he undertook, he most enjoyed researching, writing, and becoming an author. His first book, Too Poor to Move But Always Rich, told the story of his parents and family farming in Montana. A companion book on schooling followed along with books on Lewis and Clark. He printed countless booklets on family histories and stories, and recently, he completed a draft of autobiographical moments over the seventy years following his college graduation.
In all, Jim and Alice’s deep and abiding faith in God carried them through life’s joys and hardships, especially tough surrounding the loss of two children. And their song, “Que Sera, Sera” (Whatever Will Be, Will Be), popular when they wed in 1956, became a lifelong mantra, granting them a measure of peace.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Janice Arlene, son Larry James, and siblings Bob, Bill, Donald, and Helen.
Survivors include his wife Alice, daughter Sharon of Portland, daughter Linda (and Leonard Wood) of Bozeman, brother Gordon, and numerous nieces, nephews, and their extended families. He is also survived by many special friends, including the Rust, Dood, and Miller families.
The family sends gratitude to the multitude who enriched his life. Special thanks to the many compassionate caregivers who helped Jim along the way, particularly Dr. Luke Omohundro, his physician, for a quarter of a century. At his physical a couple years ago, Dr. Omohundro asked, “How do you maintain your positive attitude?” to which Jim responded, “It’s the best choice.”
In lieu of flowers, take a walk in Dad’s honor, laugh with others, and create joy in the moment. Donations may be made to the Montana 4-H Foundation, Montana State University, the Methodist Church, or the place of your choosing.
Services will be held on Thursday, May 1, at 1:00 P.M. at Bozeman United Methodist Church. To view the webcast, go to www.bozemanumc.org/live [bozemanumc.org] or www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]. A Graveside Service will be held later at Mountain View Cemetery in Big Timber, Montana.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
