Richard E. Osweiler

Richard Rich E. Osweiler, 55, of Great Falls, passed away Tuesday evening, September 24, at Peace Hospice of Great Falls of prostate cancer. Funeral mass will be held Saturday, September 28, 2013, at 10 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, followed by a reception. Immediate family will attend burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery. An accountant for many years for Blue Cross Blue Shield, later Noridian Administrative Services, Rich was a Great Falls native, born October 18, 1957. He was a proud Great Falls High alum, the bicentennial Class of 1976, and went on to earn his bachelors degree in business from Montana State University in 1981. He later earned his accounting degree from the University of Great Falls in 1997. Richs friendly, easy manner translated into a wide and always-growing circle of friends. To the amusement of his family, he could run into someone he knew anywhere he traveled in the state and beyond. His positive outlook, even deep into his fight with cancer, was his trademark. He had a big heart and lived the Montana virtues of love of family, generosity, kindness, loyalty, hard work and playing by the rules. He was always the first to offer his help, usually unasked, though he rarely asked for help himself. After meeting at the Belt rodeo, Rich and Barb Hanson married in 1985 and later had two sons, Tyler and Jake. He was so proud of his boys, whom he coached in baseball, basketball and footballsometimes simultaneouslythrough the years. He firmly believed he had been given the best sons a man could have, and his support for them in every endeavor was unwavering. Rich was playful and fun-loving, ever ready to celebrate occasions small and large. He enjoyed meeting up with his large and extended Osweiler family for beers, and occasional karaoke, at various city watering holes. Sitting back with his remote control to enjoy sports on TV with his sons was a favorite pastime. Football was a particular passion for Rich. He cheered for his MSU Bobcats and, in Richs gentlemanly way, rooted for the University of Montana Grizzlies to acknowledge his wifes alma mater. He also closely followed the Denver Broncos, who drafted his cousins son in 2011. But no team was closer to his heart than Notre Dame, which he was able to see play in South Bend, Ind., with his wife and close friends, Terry and Wanda Kangas, in 1999. He had another chance to see the Fighting Irish in 2008 on a trip to Seattle accompanied by Tyler, Jake, Terry Kangas and his son, Brady. He was a wonderful, kind man who will be deeply missed by his family and friends, near and far. Rich is survived by his wife, Barb; sons Tyler and Jake; parents Rich and Donna Osweiler; sisters Connie (Ron) Rust, Betty Jo (Mike) Monroe, and Dona Jean (John) Davison; brother Mike (Michele) Osweiler, all of Great Falls; sister-in-law Stephanie (Chuck) Sisk of Chicago; four nephews and three nieces. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Peace Hospice of Great Falls or the donors choice.