Eugene Lee Pitts
DIXON – Eugene (Gene) Lee Pitts, 90, a longtime resident of Dixon and a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, passed away on Friday, Feb. 18, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Ronan.
Gene, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, was the older of two children born to Geneva Houle and Virgil Lee Pitts in Valley Creek, Montana. Gene attended elementary schools in Valley Creek, Ursuline’s School in St. Ignatius, Lonepine, and Hot Springs where he rode to school on horseback. When he was eleven, his dad bought a dairy in Hot Springs where Gene quickly developed a strong work ethic. Seven days a week, he would wake up at 4:30 a.m., milk 30 head of Guernsey cows, and then deliver the glass bottled milk to families of Hot Springs via horse-drawn wagon. He then would run the 1.5 miles to school. After a day of school, he would run the 1.5 miles back home and return to the milk barn to do the evening milking. This busy schedule instilled an amazing work ethic, as well as a good “running start.” Running became a passion of his, and he grew to be a very successful athlete at both the high school and collegiate levels. His senior year he competed at the state track meet, where he won the mile and the 880, and placed second in the 440, personally scoring 14 of the 14.2 team points. His record for the mile remains unbroken in Hot Springs.
After graduating from Hot Springs in 1939, Gene took the initiative to send his race clippings to the University of Wisconsin, the college national title-holder in track and field and a Big 10 school. He was awarded a track scholarship there, and his freshman year he was the U of W number-one 880 runner, winning the famous Turkey Cross Country race, breaking the previous record by 23 seconds. U of W recognized him with a silver trophy as the freshman athlete of the year. U of W Badger head coach Tom Jones said, “Gene Pitts was known as a quiet man, slight build and stature but he always got his work done using his endurance, race intelligence, and speed.” One of Gene’s favorite memories was when he was a member of the four-mile relay team that won the Drake Relays during his sophomore ear. However, his collegiate running career was cut short when he enlisted to serve his country in World War II.
He joined the relatively new United States Forest Service “Smokejumpers” at the Nine Mile base. He was always proud he was one of the first smoke jumpers out of the Nine Mile. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy flight program, began his officer training at the Missoula County Airport and concurrently attended the University of Montana. Lieutenant Gene Pitts shipped out for combat in the South Pacific, flying the Gull Wing F4U Corsair and the Hellcat. He progressed to becoming the squadron leader in the “Guadal Canal.” After two years, he was shot down in combat, and then was recruited to senior test pilot, under the personal direction of Admiral Halsey until the fall of 1945.
After the war, Gene returned to Hot Springs, and started logging. He then went to Camas Prairie where he built cabins and founded a sawmill that employed 28 local people. Always in love with his community, he began coaching the Hot Springs Savages (now the Savage-Heat) basketball team. Under his direction, the team went on to win the 1946 divisional title and won second in the state tournament.
Shortly after returning to Hot Springs, Gene went into the local mercantile in his officer uniform where he spied a beautiful auburn-haired lady named Faye Oehrling. He declared that he would marry her, and two years later they were wed on July 5th, 1947. They operated the Pitts Lumber Sawmill together until the mill burned down in the early ‘60s. The Pitts family had now expanded to include five children, Lettie, Garry, Terry, KoLynn, and Larry. Together they turned their few cows into a registered Polled Hereford Cattle Ranch of 300 head near their home in Dixon. While working on the ranch, Gene became the director of the CS&KT Community Action Program for a couple years in the early ‘70s. A few years later, he became the postmaster for the United States Postal Office until he retired in 1990. Retirement didn’t last long however, and he became a utility board member for Mission Valley Power for the next 17 years before retiring again at age 85.
Gene was very involved with all activities that his children were involved with. He was a 4-H leader for over twenty years. He was one of the founding members of the Dixon Fire Department which still serves the community and he served on the Dixon School board. He loved his community, and would brighten every conversation with his quick wit and twinkling eye.
Preceded in death by: Son: Larry Pitts, Brother: Donald Pitts, Mother: Geneva Houle, Father: Virgil Lee Pitts and Step Mother: Serena Pitts, and Sister: Donna Mae Veitch, and numerous other relatives who have been pioneers in the valley.
Survived by: Faye Pitts, wife of 63 years, Children: Lettie (John) Neuman, Garry (Christine) Pitts, Terry (Crystal) Pitts, KoLynn (Paul) Sinclair, Ginger Pitts. Grandchildren: Gregory Neuman, Stephen Pitts, Zachary Pitts, Zanen Pitts, Don Powell, Samantha Pitts, Whitney Pitts, Taylor Pitts. Great-grandchildren: Jett Pitts and Talis Pitts. Sister Nina Mae (Bud) Heitmiller of California.
Rosary will be Friday night at 7 p.m. at the St. Ignatius Longhouse, the funeral service will be Saturday, 11 a.m. at the Dixon Gymnasium with a reception following at the Dixon Senior Center. There will be a 3 p.m. burial at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Missoula Montana.
