Edwin George "Eddie" Leipheimer III

Edwin George Leipheimer III, lovingly known as Eddie, was born on February 22, 1938, in Butte, Montana to Ed and Dorothy Leipheimer. From his earliest days, Eddie’s life was filled with adventure, ambition, and an unwavering love for his family. In his youth, Eddie lived in a travel cabin behind his father’s Floral Park gas station on Harrison Avenue where he and his childhood friends explored the banks of Bell Creek. Later, his parents built their family home on North Lake Drive and Eddie completed his grade school education at Hawthorne, a tradition later carried out by three of his children. Eddie's entrepreneurial nature surfaced early on in life—he set up a used car lot in his high school’s parking lot unbeknownst to his not so pleased father (they were his cars). At 19, Eddie and his best friend Forrest Klies ventured to Philipsburg to work in the mines. Eddie also opened a used car dealership and gas station. To earn extra money, he worked for Vince and Maxine Fessler on their ranch. Whenever Eddie did something that was not up to Vince’s standards, Vince would say, “My daughter Myrna could do better.” We heard Vince said that a lot. Eddie finally met this Myrna and realized Vince was right. Not many months later the young couple got engaged in a phone booth in Browning, Montana and married soon after, beginning of a lifelong adventure. In 1959, upon moving to Butte to open an International Truck Dealership with his father, Eddie and Myrna welcomed their first son Edwin IV. He was soon followed by Mark, Stacy, and Jill filling the family home on Green Lane. Eddie’s passion for sales extended beyond cars and trucks to horses, boats, Ski-doos, an independent insurance company, a mobile home village, a burro and yes – even a monkey! LEIPHEIMER means family. Myrna was by his side working tirelessly on every endeavor. He and E.G. spent 29 years as partners at Discovery Buick GMC in Anaconda. Mark spent 29 years and Stacy 28 years with Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, and Yamaha in Butte. In 1989, Eddie with help from son Mark, achieved the near impossible - merging all four franchises under one roof - an unprecedent move in the automotive industry. Jill worked in the family business until she moved to Washington state in 2000. A leader in the automotive world, Eddie served as President of the Montana Auto Dealers Association, served 50 years on the board, and was awarded Time Life Magazine's Quality Dealer of the Year in 2006. He served on the Board of the St. Timothy’s Chapel, and a longtime member of the Burrika Patrol and the Bagdad Shrine Temple. As the kids took over family business operations, Eddie and Myrna did not slow down as most do – they sped up! They pursued their dream of exploring the Washington State Inland Passage on their boat, aptly named “Important Business”. Named so when someone would call, we would say he was out on Important Business. We are pretty sure he knew the name of every passage, channel and cove between here and Alaska. Despite his love for the sea, his true happy place was the cabin at Georgetown Lake, built by his grandfather in 1929. Boating, snowmobiling, 4 wheeling and church on Sundays at St. Timothy’s was how the family rolled. Eddie and Myrna later enjoyed winters in Mesa, Arizona, with cherished "Snowbird" friends. After Myrna’s passing in 2023, Eddie continued to make new memories with road trips and Tuesday dinners with his granddaughters. Eddie was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Myrna, his parents Ed and Dorothy, and his brother Bill. He is survived his children and their spouses: E.G. (Christine) Leipheimer of Lost Creek; Mark (Kris) Leipheimer; Stacy Leipheimer; and Jill (Tom) Leonard of East Wenatchee, WA. Grandchildren Sarah Leipheimer of Anaconda; Jennifer (Chris) Ozanne; Annie (Blake) Parini of Laurel; Tara Leipheimer of Denver, CO; Tessa (Jason) Bullock; Gretchen Messick McCants of Boise, ID; Rachel Messick; Zach Leipheimer of Bozeman; Rhiannon Leonard of Philadelphia, PA; and Ethan Leonard of East Wenatchee, WA. Great-grandchildren Linkon and Kindrek Ozanne; Luka Parini; Jett and Jax Bullock; and Aaliyah, Aria, and Austyn McCants. Eddie is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law, Bob and Yvonne Leipheimer, their sons Rob and Levi, David and Gretchen Leipheimer and their sons Rex and John as well as aunts Margie Kautzman and Virginia Woodside. Eddie’s love for his family, entrepreneurial spirit, and passion for adventure will forever be remembered. His legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched. Memorials may be sent to the Shriners Children’s Hospital Transportation Fund, St. Timothy’s Chapel or a charity of the donor’s choice. Visitation will be Wednesday, February 12th from 5until 8 PM in Wayrynen-Richards Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted Thursday morning, February 13th at 11 o’clock in the First Presbyterian church with Pastor Karolee Larson officiating. A reception will follow at the Copper King Hotel. a Second memorial services will be conducted Saturday, June 28th at 11 am in St. Timothy's Chapel, near Georgetown Lake. Always remember – A Leipheimer Deal is a good deal better and Don’t bring much money because you won’t need it!

Tributes

Edwin George "Eddie" Leipheimer III

February 22, 1938 - January 31, 2025