Cancer claims life of former commissioner Dave Stipe

Former Lake County Commissioner Dave Stipe died Saturday, March 18, after a long struggle with a rare and incurable form of skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma.

Stipe had lived in just three houses in his life, all within a three-mile radius, including the one he built himself on 80 acres northwest of Charlo. He graduated from Charlo High and went to college, but came back to ranch with his father.

“My dad said if I finished college I couldn’t come home to the ranch so I quit college because I wanted to be a rancher,” he said in a 2021 interview, following his decision to step down from the commission.

Stipe’s daughter, Taylor, moved back to the family ranch in 2021, and Stipe spent the last 19 months helping her learn the intricacies of calving, haying and irrigation, while enjoying time with his grandson, Brandt.

According to his former colleague, County Commissioner Gale Decker, Stipe’s ranching know-how was helpful.

“Dave was a wealth of knowledge concerning the history of the county, especially the irrigation districts. He saved us hours of research by providing quick and accurate information,” he said.

Stipe also “had a soft heart for our employees and took it upon himself to know each one by department and name. If he had the means to help an employee in need, he never hesitated to reach out to them.”

He began his first stint as county commissioner in 1993 and served two six-year terms, ending in 2005. He was elected again in 2016 and stepped down 17 months before the end of his third term. Steve Stanley was appointed and then elected to replace him.

Stipe found the job fun and rewarding, an opportunity “to do a hundred little things for people.”

One of the accomplishments that meant the most to him was helping establish a transportation program for area seniors in the 1990s that offers free rides to and from medical appointments, shopping and social engagements. The program has flourished and recently added a transportation hub and meeting room in Ronan.

According to Taylor, who is currently in the midst of spring calving, the family plans to celebrate her father’s life with a gathering next summer on the ranch.

Her father had an unflagging will to live and kept working until the end. As he said in August 2021, “I always wake up in a good mood. I wake up and I want to get going.”