It is with great sadness that the Negus family announces the passing of our beloved Dad, Grampie and former Superintendent of Bozeman Schools.
Milton was born to Harvey and Eloise (Smith) Negus in Glendive, Montana, on October 19,1930. As a particularly active child, he spent a good deal of time playing sports outside and engaging in games of pool or darts with friends in local establishments. In his teen years, with WWII leaving gaps in the workforce Milton took on a variety of odd jobs including being a bowling pin setter, paperboy, greenhouse laborer, weed control supervisor, irrigation pump foreman and city laborer. He also served for 8 years in the Montana National Guard. At 18, he began college and graduated with a degree in education from Eastern Montana College.
Throughout his life, Milton was an inquisitive, positive and energetic person. He brought his cheerful disposition and achievement-oriented approach into all that he did, including his first teaching job in Terry, Montana, where he taught science and math. It was here that another young teacher caught his eye. Ruth Carolyn Herstein was fresh out of Jamestown College in North Dakota where she had excelled in English literature, Shakespeare, grammar, French and music. Part of a group of fun-loving young teachers, the two courted, married and had their first two children Allison (Negus) Reynolds and Ann (Negus) Sullivan while living in Terry. A few years later, the family welcomed their newest daughter/sister Christine (Negus) Simonich.
Milton and family moved several times in Montana during his early career before settling into his 15-year tenure in Bozeman. After teaching and being a school principal in Terry and Hamilton, he completed his master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado and worked as superintendent in Terry and Wolf Point. While in Wolf Point, he was courted for a superintendency position in Bozeman.
At age 36, Milton began his superintendency in Bozeman which he approached with extreme dedication, enthusiasm and a quest to do the best job possible. He sought mentors at larger school systems across the country and worked tirelessly to support teachers and other staff in the district. He completed work weeks that often included multiple evening meetings and weekend time spent in his home office working out budgets, writing speeches and fielding calls from parents. On relished evenings at home, he enjoyed kicking his work shoes off for time with the family.
At home, Milton taught his kids independent thinking and the joys of having a quirky sense of humor. He also set an excellent example as a voracious reader and a lifelong learner. He found great solace in vacationing at the family cabin and taking family road trips. He also loved to hike, ski, explore ghost towns and other activities related to living in a mountain environment.
After 15 years in Bozeman, with their children grown and having completed his PhD at MSU, Ruth and Milton were ready to seek out new challenges and adventures beyond the boundaries of Montana. Milton sought positions at American schools overseas and was a finalist for the school superintendent position at the American school in Tehran, Iran. Ultimately, Milton removed his name from consideration for that position and instead accepted one in the beautiful beach town of Madison, Connecticut. Sadly, the person who did accept the superintendency in Tehran was one of the 52 people held captive during the Iran hostage crisis.
Ruth and Milton loved New England where they frequented historical sites, beach front activities, soaked in local history and especially enjoyed spending time with their daughter Allison, who lived in the area. Suffering from severe allergies and asthma in New England, Milton left that location after 5 years and took his final superintendency position in Roswell, New Mexico, where he eventually retired. Shortly after his retirement, Milt’s plans and dreams for retirement with Ruth were shattered when she passed away, and he moved to Sun City West, Arizona to start a new chapter.
As the years went by, Milt met and married Monabelle Haynes, and together they traveled, sought new learning experiences and spent summers at the Negus family cabin in Gallatin Canyon. Twenty-two years later, Milton became a widower once again and resided in Bozeman’s Aspen Point for the remainder of his years. There, he bonded with fellow residents, worked at his computer doing various administrative tasks, walked daily for exercise and met regularly with friends.
He passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on June 19, 2024. He will be dearly missed by his daughters Allison, Ann and Christine; his granddaughter and her husband, Madeline and Myles Armstrong; his step-granddaughter Megan Harlow and her husband Tyler Harlow; and his step grandchildren Jayce Simonich, Aaliyah Justice and Jericho Devine.
Per Milton’s request, the family asks that those wishing to celebrate Milton’s life donate to the Worthy Student Scholarship fund at the Bozeman Schools Foundation, PO Box 1803, Bozeman MT 59771.
Please send all communication to Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com