Duane Anton Denton was born in Bozeman, MT to Gail B. and Ina Rose Christie Denton on October 1,1942. They brought him home from Bozeman Deaconess Hospital to his first home, a ranch at Olson Creek in Bridger Canyon.
In 1945 the family moved to the home where he and his older sister, Eva, would grow up. It was a small log cabin at the corner of Jackson Creek and Bridger Canyon Road. He attended his first day of school in September 1948 at Upper Bridger School. He was very involved in 4-H, FFA, wrestling, and football his senior year of high school. He graduated high school in 1960.
He attended Montana State College in the fall of 1960. He pledged Sigma Chi Fraternity, Beta Rho chapter in 1961. At MSC he was very involved in Sigma Chi.
One of his fraternity brothers stated, "Dewey told me many times, ‘If it were not for Sigma Chi, Beta Rho, I wouldn't have graduated from MSU.’"
Duane was a wrestler on the MSC squad from 1961-1965. They won the Big Sky Championship three consecutive years—1964, 1965, and 1966. The wrestling team was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 on the 50th anniversary year of the accomplishment. The championship banners hang in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
He graduated from MSC on June 6, 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Technology.
Duane started Concrete Specialties in the early 1970s. He was the owner and president until he sold the company in the early 2000s. His bright red barricades were hard to miss!
Duane was a devoted dad to two daughters, Darcy and Diedra. He was involved with their Girl Scouts, synchronized swimming, and of course camping, fishing, and waterskiing.
Duane loved to build and explore. He built a cabin outside of Basin, MT. This was a true labor of love which included the falling of the trees and assembling the frame of the home. He enjoyed doing this with his family, which included his parents, daughter, and grandchildren. He loved the small details such as the antler cabinet pulls he made by hand.
He loved being outdoors. He enjoyed stock car racing, trap shooting, fishing, camping, star gazing, prairie dog hunting, geology, wildlife, and metal detecting. He traveled abroad to see such wonders as the Galapagos Islands, Israel, Machu Picchu, Greece, South Africa, Baja Mexico, and the desert southwest.
Duane loved to spend time with his daughter Diedra on dinosaur dig trips to Wyoming and Southern Montana. He loved the Arizona desert and exploring on his razor with his best dog Sheba. He had business cards made for him that said, "Retired concrete guy from Bozeman, MT and 2nd generation Quartzsite rockhound."
Duane was preceded in death by his parents Gail B. and Ina Rose Denton; and his nephew Rusty Foster. He is survived by his daughters Darcy (Matt) Mitchell of Vancouver, WA and Diedra Isobe of Bozeman, MT; grandsons Jacob Mitchell of Colorado Springs, CO, Alex (Laura) Mitchell of Portland, OR, and Felix Isobe of Honolulu, HI; and great-grandchildren Skye and Bronson Mitchell of Portland, OR. He is also survived by his sister Eva Veltkamp of Bozeman, MT; and several nieces and cousins.
A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, April 18, at 2:00 P.M. at the Dokken-Nelson Sunset Chapel. A webcast link is in Dewey’s obituary at dokkennelson.com.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
