Edward Johns Grady passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026. Ed was born in Helena, Montana on August 23, 1933. He was the third child born to Frances and Edward Grady.

Ed grew up in Helena. In his youth, he helped his parents and family with Grady’s Market Meats and Groceries on the corner of 5th and Rodney St. The Grocery store was on 8th Ave and Davis. The family later moved to Canyon Creek after his father purchased the home ranch.

Ed graduated from Helena High School in 1952. After high school he attended Montana State University in the fall of 1952 to the spring of 1953. In the fall of 1953, he was drafted into the Army to basic training in Fort Ord, California and then onto the Big Guns in Seattle Washington serving two years.

Ed met Eileen Rodocay on January 6th, 1951, at the Helena Civic Center. They were introduced by a good friend, Dick Thompson. Ed and Eileen married on September 17th, 1955. Ed and Eileen celebrated 70 years of marriage on September 17th, 2025. In March of 1956, Ed and Eileen moved to Canyon Creek to work the family ranch with his parents and brother Partrick Grady. They had three children, Richard, Linda and Brian. Ed and Eileen spent their life working on the family ranch in Canyon Creek.

The ranch and the bunkhouse became a place of bonding for many friends who came for hunting, branding, cattle drives and fish frys. Many memories were made with a lot of friends but especially with Romie, Gene, Big George, Dean and Don Baugh. Ed’s ashes will be spread with these special friends in the bathtub gulch designated on the family ranch where they can roam together and play havoc with those who come to the area.

Ed enjoyed many adventures in his life, community service and working to make improvements on the ranch, wanting to make things better for everyone. He implemented many natural resource practices including grazing systems, timber management, and irrigation systems on the family ranch.

Ed was elected to the House of Representatives in 1984 and served seven terms in the Montana Legislature through 1997. Ed served on various legislative committees on transportation, natural resources, and Fish, Wildlife and Parks. In 1991 he was appointed to serve on an environmental quality council working on solid waste management, ground water quality, forest management, rural development, and log scaling. He served on this committee until 1993.

Ed and Eileen spent over 50 years sharing the ranch to provide hunters with the opportunity to harvest elk and mule deer. The ranch is part of the block management program with Fish, Wildlife and parks to those continue recreational values.

On April 1, 1998, Ed and Eileen voluntarily entered a Deed of Conservation Easement, with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to protect, in perpetuity, the conservation values of the family ranch for native plants, wildlife habitat, natural and scenic open space and recreation values.

Ed was very involved in and enjoyed serving on the Lincoln Telephone Company Board from 1987-2025, serving the communities of Canyon Creek and Lincoln. Ed was elected and served twenty years on the Canyon Creek Elementary – Trinity School District Board for the communities of Canyon Creek, Silver City, Marysville and Birdseye. Ed was a strong supporter of the Canyon Creek Stock 4-H Club, the Lewis and Clark County 4-H livestock Sale and the Canyon Creek Rural Fire District.

When not ranching, Ed and Eileen enjoyed their time on the golf course and spending time with family and friends. Ed had many adventures with his Rickman cousins and hunting trips with his brothers-in-law at their hunting camp off Flesher Pass. Many stories can be shared about their adventures, especially in the Bob Marshal Wilderness.

Ed is preceded in death by his parents Edward and Francis, sister Shirley Mae Reinig and brother Patrick Grady.

Ed is survived by his wife Eileen, children Richard (Lisa), Linda Grady (Dave), Brian Grady (Lorri) and eight grandchildren Tasa (Joe) Beatty, Jeremy (Kayty) Grady, Katie (Bobby) Grady-Selby, Sara Sylte, Kala Sylte (Tommy), Ty Grady, Chase Grady (Kaitlyn), and Sydney Grady (Alec Fleming). Seven great grandchildren Brayden and Aubry Beatty, Ava and Aila Grady, Tucker and Tanner Selby and Tate Fleming. Ed is survived by his sister Donna Linton of Spokane, Washington, sister-in-law Patricia Grady, many nieces, nephews and cousins, especially Ron and John Rickman.

A very special thank you to Eric Dowell at Safeway for adopting grandpa as your own and being the best supporter of grandpa’s beloved shopping adventures. You always brought a smile to his face and made his hardest days easier.

The family would like to send a special thank you to all the amazing nurses and staff at the Cooney Rehabilitation Center and Nursing home whose compassion and care was unwavering. Ed was one of their favorites and many staff enjoyed having a grandpa in their lives.

A celebration of life will be held this summer on July 2nd at the Moose Lodge at 4 pm.

Memorial contributions are welcome to your favorite charity or an act of service