Bryon Cole, 63

Bryon Cole, 63, of Cardwell, Montana passed away unexpectedly in early March 2023. He was born in Kane, Pennsylvania, one of thirteen children.

After various construction jobs in the south, he moved to Gillette, Wyoming, where he lived for five years. In early 2009, Bryon moved to Whitehall, Montana, and soon after to Cardwell, where he rented a house at Lucy's Corner and looked after the property in the owner's absence until his passing.

Bryon started his own maintenance, repair, and construction business through which he made many lifelong friends in the Cardwell-Whitehall area. He especially enjoyed working at the Whitehall Senior Center for the last couple of years. Bryon enjoyed helping other people around him. He was a frequent visitor to neighbors and the elderly in need of assistance of one kind or another.

Bryon was much more than a tenant to his landlord; he was a very dear friend. The two began construction on a larger house on the property in 2012. Bryon had extensive knowledge of framing, plumbing, electricity, and all things required to build a house. Over the years, the two would butt heads on many things but would walk away for a while, then return to what they had been doing with no hard feelings.

Bryon loved fly fishing for trout, and fond memories of him were made during fishing trips on the Jefferson River below LaHood Park. Bryon was perhaps the best fly fisherman some ever knew. When he caught more fish than his fishing partners, they were always pleased, but somewhat envious.

Another of Bryon's hobbies in which he excelled was building birdhouses and small decorative items as gifts to his family and friends. He was a very talented craftsman and artistic in his creations.

Bryon was a frequent visitor for dinner with friends and often provided dessert, which was always much appreciated. In addition to dessert, he always had a pocket full of cookies for the dogs whose homes he visited, as he loved dogs and always spoiled them when he could. Waffle, a canine friend, really took to Bryon and he managed, in two hours, to train her to sit and shake. Her owners had been trying for two months to do what Bryon did in two hours. Waffle always made a beeline to Bryon, he always greeted her with a cookie.

His many friends loved and cherished him and will miss him.