It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Michael “Mike” John Lightbody, age 67. Mike passed away as a result of lung failure.

Born in Helena on September 20, 1958, to Robert and Patricia (Guilbault) Lightbody, Mike joined his older sister, Lynn, and brother, Jay.

Mike attended Bishop Gilmore, Broadwater, and C.R. Anderson schools before graduating from Capital High School in 1977. Growing up on Leslie Street on Helena’s lower west side, his childhood was filled with neighborhood baseball games on the vacant lot behind the family home and stickball in the backyard. Like his grandfather, father, and brother, Mike loved baseball. American Legion baseball was truly a family affair in the Lightbody household. Mike played for both the Reps and Senators baseball teams, followed by many years of men’s softball.

After high school, Mike worked for Mountain Bell. He enjoyed the job, but cherished most the people he met and connections he made along the way. When Mountain Bell began making location changes, Mike decided to join his father in the silk-screening business. Together, they ran Lights Custom Screen Printing from their backyard shop for many years, producing custom T-shirts for school teams, clubs, American Legion teams, tournaments, trap-shooting meets, and local bars and restaurants.

Bird hunting was another of Mike’s favorite pastimes. It began when he tagged along with his dad and brother before he was old enough to hunt. After earning his license, his respect and passion for the sport grew into a lifelong devotion.

After years of spending fall weekends hunting in Dutton, Montana, Mike and his brother purchased an old grain barn in the middle of town. It was minimal and rustic, to say the least, but Mike couldn’t have been happier. They would be up at the break of dawn, ready for the day’s hunt. His nephews joined him on many of these trips, creating memories they deeply cherished together every fall.

If he wasn’t hunting, you could find Mike at the Helena Trap Club shooting the Wednesday night league with his dad and brother-in-law, Mark. They were charter members of Squad 31 which still exists today.

His love of hunting was likely the source of his obsession with camo. To Mike, camo was a true color choice—it never went out of style, and there was a pattern for every season.

When the birds went south, Mike was out drilling holes at Canyon Ferry for ice fishing or casting lines from shore. Many days were spent trying to catch the big one.

Mike never lived a day of his life without a lab or two by his side. He loved his dogs, and they adored him. As Mike’s health began to fail over the last six years, it was often the devotion and companionship of his dogs that kept him going. Many landowners in the valley knew Mike well and graciously allowed him access to their land so his dogs could run and swim. Even when Mike was only able to sit and watch, there was nowhere else he would rather be.

Mike was blessed with some great friends. Though he could easily be a homebody, they always managed to coax him out. With the help of many friends and family, he turned his former office into a man cave, another favorite spot of his, where they could watch a game and enjoy a beer together. Their last gathering was just a couple of weeks ago, sharing a final meal from Chinese Kitchen at Mike’s home. These friends brought immense joy to Mike’s life, especially throughout his illness.

Mike is preceded in death by his father and mother, as well as his nephews, Matthew Lightbody and Andrew Lightbody.

He is survived by his sister, Lynn (Mark) Keller; his brother, Jay (Teresa) Lightbody; his niece, Jaymie (Billy) Casey; his nephew, Jeff (Meaghan) Keller; and many great-nieces and nephews and his lab, Loki.

At Mike’s request, there will be “no sad funeral, only beers with my buddies.”

Please join us in celebrating Mike on Sunday, October 4, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Lewis & Clark Brewing Company, where we’ll share a toast and have “beers with his buddies.”