Brett William Ellison, 46

Brett William Ellison passed away at 46 years old, on December 4th, 2023. Brett was born on September 20, 1977, and grew up in Gallatin Gateway, where as a boy he loved exploring the outdoors, fishing, hunting, and playing sports. It was hard to pull him away from a fishing stream. He was a true Montana boy his whole life.

When he was a sophomore in high school, he got his first taste of ranch life working on his aunt and uncle's ranch in White Sulphur Springs. He graduated from Bozeman High and then started his ranching career. He worked on the Flying D, Red Rock, and Diamond O ranches. He loved shed horn hunting and working with bison.

In 2000, Brett married Stacy VanDyke and they had four beautiful daughters who were the light of his life. His main love was his family. He was a very capable outdoorsman and shared his love for the outdoors with his daughters. If it involved a remote mountain lake, a fishing pole, and a rough ATV road, he was in his element. Brett always carried special seasonings and butter to fry his fish over a campfire. He loved golfing and bowling with his family and enjoyed watching his girls play sports and would often watch their band performances. He valued art and was a talented artist.

Brett and his family moved to Whitehall where he began his career in the oil industry, working in Alaska. Over the years, he worked his way up to operator, was proud of his work, and cherished his coworkers. Brett kept in touch with his friends and enjoyed going on adventures with them.

In 2022, Brett met Jennifer Wolcott. Their connection was immediate, and they knew that God destined them to be together. Their shared love for adventures kept them on the move exploring and doing new things. They got engaged in 2023 and moved in together in Anaconda with Jen's daughter Maddy. They were excitedly planning their wedding.

Brett was a believer and follower of Christ. He was outgoing and made friends with anyone he talked to. He had a calm demeanor and was a loving father, son, brother, husband, partner, uncle, and friend. He was beloved and will leave a huge impact on the lives of those he was close to.

Brett is survived by his daughters Ashlynn, Marissa, Kari & Lainey Ellison; his fiancée Jennifer Wolcott; mother Joanna Ellison (Mark Story); father Rick Ellison (Connie Mangas); sister Erica (Dustin) Strayer; Stacy Ellison, bonus kids Grace, Morgan & Madeleine Wolcott; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, cousins and extended family and friends.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 16th at the Yoked, 411 E. Jefferson Street, White Sulphur Springs, MT, at 11 AM. A graveside service will be held at the Mayn Cemetery, 4108 US-12, White Sulphur Springs, MT, immediately following the celebration of life. The graveside service will be followed by a reception at the White Sulphur Springs Senior Center, 101 1st Avenue SE, White Sulphur Springs, MT.

Please visit longfellowfinneganriddle.com to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Brett. Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Brett and his family.