Hugo James Tureck

Hugo James Tureck, 86, of Coffee Creek died peacefully, surrounded by family, October 18, 2024, at the Benefis Peace Hospice in Great Falls.

Hugo grew up in Bozeman with his parents Quentin and Mae and siblings Jerome and Rita. The Montana of the 1940s and 50s fed his curiosity for history, the environment, and politics where he devoured books and spent time outdoors. After graduating from Holy Rosary Catholic High School, he met and married Anastasia Naberezny in 1959 and had four children. They later divorced.

Hugo earned an undergraduate degree in sociology from Montana State University and later pursued a doctoral degree at Pennsylvania State University. He enjoyed a career as an academic, teaching sociology at Penn State, MSU, and the University of Montana where he thrived on the political, racial, and environmental activism of the 60s and 70s. His unique ability to foster curiosity about the world resonated with students and resulted in personal connections with those in his classes. While working at MSU he met Judy Myllymaki, whom he married in 1973.

Hugo began a second career as a rancher after nearly two decades in academia. He moved with his children to Judy’s family farm near Coffee Creek. He loved living on the prairie and sought to share it with cattle, crops, wildlife, and hunters. Vigorous seedlings in the furrows in spring, the blinking eyes of a newborn calf, the fragrance of cottonwoods after it rained all brought him joy, as did driving in circles on the tractor. In his words, “I consider myself a vagabond on the landscape, merely passing through.”

Hugo’s commitment to preserving Montana’s landscape and its ranching and agricultural heritage, combined with his academic background, gave him a unique perspective. This enabled him to serve his community in various roles, including as a member of the Montana Board of Outfitters, chair of the BLM Resource Advisory Council, and on the boards of the Montana Wilderness Association and the Montana Wildlife Federation. He was intimately involved in the creation of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in 2001 and also helped establish the support group, Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument.

Hugo is survived by the love of his life and wife of 51 years, Judy; brother, Jerome (Marlene) Tureck; sister, Rita Egan; children, Stacy Tureck (Mike Menahan), Cindy Tureck, Kathy Tureck, and Sean Tureck (Heidi); and his beloved grandchildren, Mara and Clare Menahan, Gabrielle and Genevieve Kay, and Eliza Tureck.

Donations in Hugo’s name can be made to the Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument or the Denton Ambulance Service care of Doug Winters, Coffee Creek, Montana 59424.

A celebration of Hugo’s life will take place at noon, June 14, 2025, at the Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton, Montana.

Here are a few links to Hugo Tureck's legacy and work.

https://medium.com/dispatches-real-stories-from-americas-national/hugo-turek-farmer-and-rancher-7bb1a78efd8c

https://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/turek_testimony_6.13.02.pdf

http://exchange.prx.org/pieces/86608

https://www.uppermissouri.com/resources-blog/protection-proclamation

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=32044&context=newsreleases