John Viets, age 66, passed away peacefully at his Clancy home on April 2, 2023 after a courageous 3 year battle with kidney cancer.

John was born in December 1956 in Richmond, CA, the second son of Gerald and Anne Viets.  John had three brothers, and said they had a good, all-American childhood.  He spent many days riding bikes with his friends until dark.

John was a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather.  He loved his family very much and they could always count on him.  He met his wife Jenny at a poolside BBQ and they have been side by side ever since.  Married for over 40 years, they were blessed with three children, Chris (Brittany), Tim (Kate) & Anna (Nick).  By far, John's very favorite thing was being a Grandpa to four amazing grandsons Jake, Sam, Max, and Harrison.

John was extremely intelligent, graduating college with a 4.0 GPA.  He was a hard-working man and could build or fix anything.  He used his skills to help maintain Helena's historic City/County building, retiring in 2018 after 20 years of service.

John was passionate about working in his yard and creating a beautiful home.  He enjoyed hanging out down by the creek, where he cooked the best BBQ burgers and fries.

John loved fishing.  He had his favorite spots, but his annual "fishabouts" were legendary, stopping at every fishing access site he found as he rambled on the backroads of Montana.  He also enjoyed relaxing in front of a warm fire, with a dog in his lap and his classic rock albums playing.

Christmas was John's favorite holiday. He enjoyed Christmas tree cutting with Jenny and then setting up a train around the tree. Using his own recipes, John would bake and decorate beautiful Christmas cookies to share with family and friends.

In 2007, John discovered he enjoyed traveling and he went to some amazing places –snorkeling in Jamaica, exploring Mayan ruins in Mexico, cruising the Panama Canal, bobbing around in an inner tube in the ocean at St. Pete's Beach, Florida.

John asked that we not be sad, he was grateful for the great life he had. John was preceded in death by his father Gerald Viets, and his father-in-law Don Skidmore.  Thank you to Dr. Justin Thomas & staff at the Bozeman Cancer Center, and the kind people of Compassus.  Honoring John's request, cremation has taken place and there will be no service.