Charlie Lee James
ST. IGNATIUS — Charlie Lee James, 81, passed away at his home outside of St. Ignatius on Sept. 3, 2017. Born to Roy Franklin James Sr. and Opal Elnora Epperson on Nov. 21, 1935, in Hardin, Montana, he attended school and worked until he enlisted in the Army on his 17th birthday.
His military life encompassed 23 years of service: the 5th infantry division in Germany where he was the youngest staff sergeant in the division. His next enlistment was with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In 1959 he married Katie Rey Engles and they moved to New Jersey so he could attend a military school. Next, he was transferred to Korea for 13 months. On his return, he spent a brief stint at Sacramento Signal Depot while awaiting acceptance to Special Warfare School. The family moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and he entered Special Warfare training in January of 1962 and earned his Green Beret. He served three missions in Viet Nam and upon his return was chosen as a recruiter for the Billings Montana Station. In 1972, he was promoted to state motivation and training nco in the regional office located in Helena. He retired as a highly decorated master sergeant in 1974.
He savored risk-taking, imagination and interaction with the public. His first attempt as an entrepreneur was taking on a partner. Together with his partner and his wife, the three of them created and published The Adit, a shopper, in 1975. Eventually Charlie and Katie bought out the partner and the Adit became a household name in Helena and seven surrounding counties. They sold the company in 1978 and purchased a ranch on Mission Creek near St Ignatius.
Charlie and Katie operated a cattle and hay operation and were extremely fond of their Black Angus mother herd. When the cattle market had a serious downturn in the ‘80s, Charlie decided to diversify by returning to publishing.
In the Adit he had created a popular and successful meet and greet column; so, he envisioned a publication devoted solely to helping others loving the western lifestyle to find the love of their lives through advertising. The ranch was renamed Sweetheart Ranch, the home of Sweetheart Magazine and Events. He became Cowboy Cupid with the blue cowboy hat. He and his wife Cupcake (Katie) closed the company down when Lise’ James, their daughter and partner, died in 2004.
Charlie was active in the creation of the Viet Nam Memorial in the Missoula rose garden. He was the veteran chosen to take the Angel Statue on a flatbed to the Crow and Cheyenne reservations prior to its installation in the rose garden. His name is among those on a plaque at the base of the statue.
Charlie enjoyed his coffee club friends and was a faithful attendee until his health failed. His unfailing optimism and love of laughter and his fellow humans cheered many a friend on a dark day. Always one to give a hand-up to someone who needed it, he quietly helped many in any way that he could. He was a lifetime member of several military organizations including “The Devil’s Brigade Chapter” of the Special Forces Association. One of his Special Forces brothers aptly described him, “He was an individual who made great sacrifices for our country, yet remained a very good human years later.”
He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters; two brothers; and his daughter. He is survived by his wife; son, Mark of Butte; son-in-law Rande Hall of Los Fresnos, Texas; his brothers: Jim (Connie) James of Hardin; Darrold (Darlene) Morrison of Forsyth; and Delmar (Concha) Morrison of Billings; his sisters: Dorothy Brown of Kennewick, Washington, and Doris (Herb) Hollenbeck of Hardin; granddaughter and great-granddaughter Kayla and Jessica Brueckmann of Polson and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins in Montana, Oregon and Washington. He cherished them all and enjoyed their company whenever they could visit.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of his life will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, at the St Ignatius Community Center. Lunch will be served and all friends are invited to share their favorite memories with us at that time. He always gave to those who had bad temporary situations; therefore, donations in his honor may be given to the storm survivors of the recent disasters, the fire survivors of the ongoing Montana fires or local entities: The Folk shop in St. Ignatius, Safe Harbor in Ronan, the food pantries in St. Ignatius and Ronan or the Lake County Animal Shelter.
