Jim Pearston

Jim Pearston, 60, passed away on May 21. He spent his last week on Earth surrounded by the people he loved most.  Born in 1952, he spent most of his childhood living in various places along the eastern seaboard. He would tell stories of fishing with his uncle, dropping things off his bed so the cockroaches would scatter and of the mischief he and his friends would get into. He met Nancy around 1968 in NJ. They eventually hitchhiked, with their daughter, to California to meet up with his family around 1974.  They helped his mother move to Polson in 1975 and Jim fell in love with Montana. They relocated to Polson in 1976, eventually settling into the home they resided in for almost 30 years, on 6th Avenue West.  (He and Nancy divorced in 2008.) He took up fishing and hunting almost immediately after moving to Polson; enjoying the early morning peacefulness and beauty Montana offers. He relished sharing those gifts with his family, present with each of us for our first catch and first kill.  A hard worker, he traveled a great deal to support his family. He worked on various highway, dam and construction jobs all over the Pacific Northwest. Despite never having finished the 8th grade, he was gifted at visualizing projects and utilizing the mathematics necessary to figure out how to bring them to fruition. He was a highly skilled, and sought after, driller and blaster.  These same skills aided him when he took on the task of expanding the family home.  It is difficult to sum up who my dad was to us in the constraints of an obituary.  Actually…it’s difficult period. I have typed and erased and walked away to wipe my tears repeatedly while trying to write this out; hoping to find a way that would clearly reflect how important he was to us.  The void his passing has left in our lives is tremendous and deep.  We love him. His life is carried on through his children Jessica (Matt) Watrous, James (Alysa) Pearston and Benjamin Pearston; his strong will lives on through his grandchildren Izabeau, Gabriel, Aidan, Howie, Amelia and Maxximus each of whom brought unique and abundant joy to his life. “Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass too and fro through the mouths of men.” – Quintus Ennius. Please come share a story about our dad with us on July 20, 11 a.m. at the eastern pavilion at Boettcher Park.