Zane Richard Frisbie, Age 78, of White Sulphur Springs

Zane was born at home in Hubbard County, MN to Richard and Evelyn Downer Frisbie.  He was the fourth of nine children.  He grew up on the family farm, poor, resourceful and always full of fun.  Zane had many tussles, tricks and tough times with his siblings but always came out of them all smelling like a rose.  His sister Dixie stated, “He was 100% prankster”.

He came to MT in 1957 to do some pulp logging with his dad and brothers.  On an April night in 1960 while attending a dance at the Deep Creek Pavilion between White Sulphur and Townsend he met Linda Gail Graveley.  They were engaged in July and were married August 27^th.  During time in Townsend, Helena, East Helena and White Sulphur, Zane and Linda had their family of five children, Zita (Douglas Caltrider), Zane Richard, Jr. (Beth Voyles), Linda Gail (Larry Wilcott), Jeanne Evelyn (Rick Gilman), and Paul Alan (Kim Frisbie). He greatly enjoyed his rowdy, boisterous family and especially his grandkids.

Though his reading and writing were very limited, Zane always held jobs where he worked very hard to support his family.  He spent most of his adult life as a sawyer for logging contractors.  He came to MT with many members of his family and started logging for pulp contractors, one of them being his Uncle Cecil Odland.  After pulp logging for several years and spending time in log camps, Zane then moved to lumber logging that helped supply the local mills with prime timber.  On a good day Zane could saw 100 trees.  Putting a tree in between 2 more without hanging it up was an absolute art and he could do it.  There were times when a “widder-maker” would hang up, not be seen and come out of the sky as the tree fell.  Even with his helmet on, he would come home sometimes with huge cuts or scratches on his head.  He would show his kids the small, silver “clicker” counter he kept on his belt to keep track of cut trees.  One of the favorite smells in the house was that of sawdust and chainsaw gas, it meant Dad was home. 

Dad loved being in the woods, it was his favorite, most relaxed, accepting place for him to be.  When he wasn’t working in the woods he was hunting, ice fishing or just driving in the hills.  He knew all the mountain roads better than anyone.  Cruising on Smoky Mountain, listening to old country western music was a relaxing activity for him.  He also spent many days ice fishing with his kids and grandkids.  Dad spent many hours drawing up plans for his ice houses. The year he took 3rd place home from the ice derby was a crowning achievement.  

Dad also loved animals.  Favorites from his childhood were Charlie, the dog, whom he wheeled around in a wheelbarrow and Wimpy, the horse, whom he would tease mercilessly and whom always got back at him with a good nip.  As Dad aged he fell in love with a little black and white shepherd lab cross named Sadie.  She was his best friend, a beautiful, unassuming mutt who never left his side as he worked and camped in the woods.  Sadie talked to Dad regularly and she can still be heard talking in the back yard.  Dad insisted, of course, that she was the best tracker, best bear and lion killer in the world.  His granddaughter, Carli said, “Maybe bumblebee killer, not lions!”

After he quit logging, he still went to the woods and gathered firewood to sell.  He had many happy customers.  He also was part of the Shuttle Crew for 10 years under the direction of Charlie Rogerson.  The front seat, as co-navigator, was his many times and from there he would keep up on all the local stories.  It also gave him endless opportunities to fight with his brother Paul and Bill Deal.  He also had time to impress Jane Townsend with all his stories.  These two endeavors kept him in pocket change to buy gas for cruising the hills, either in his pickup or four-wheeler and change for buying new gadgets or toys he couldn’t live without in his adventures. 

Dad also helped out a lot with the care of his grandchildren.  He was always available to watch the grandkids or pick them up from school.  Some of the kids had special names like Puddin’, George and Squeezle.  Carli, his youngest grandchild spent much time with him while her parents worked.  She said her Grandpa was stubborn and liked to fight.  He also loved riding his four-wheeler and walking up the road to the dump.  They would work together to find lost treasures and on returning home her Grandpa would promptly feed her pickles and cheese, lots of pickles.  Grandpa always shared lots of pickles, bad jokes and fingers to pull while camping on the living room floor.  He was very, very proud of his grandchildren.

In May of 2011, Dad came home from a morning of shuttling with a sore throat.  The sore throat turned to severe pain and after spending some time in the hospital he was diagnosed with mylodeplastic syndrome.  The doctors treated him with chemotherapy to give him more time with his family.  He had many days thanks to the people at St. Pete’s in Helena.  He died of acute leukemia.

Zane is survived by his wife, Linda, two sisters, Joanne Johnson and Dixie Shore, his five children, numerous nieces and nephews, seventeen grandchildren and his other black and white dog Sput, who is really a cat.

 A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 23, 2013 at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, White Sulphur Springs, MT. A reception will follow the Mass at the White Sulphur Springs Senior Center.  Burial will take place at a later date at Mayn Cemetery in White Sulphur Springs. Honorary pallbearers for the service are Charlie Rogerson, Clinton Davis, Bill Deal, Jane Townsend and his seventeen grandchildren.  Memorials in Zane’s name are suggested to St. Peter’s Cancer Treatment Center c/o St. Peter’s Hospital, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601. 

Service Schedule

Funeral Mass

11:00 a.m.

Saturday February 23, 2013

St. Bartholomew Catholic Church

White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645

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Reception

Following the Memorial Service

Saturday February 23, 2013

White Sulphur Springs Senior Center

White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645

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Burial

At a Later Date

Mayn Cemetery

White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645

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