Richard James Domier, 86, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2026, at Mount Ascension Skilled Nursing Care in Helena, Montana, surrounded by his family.

Richard was born on the 19th day of the eighth month of 1939, in Buxton, North Dakota, to Dewey and Lillian Domier, one of eleven children raised on the family farm. Life on the farm meant hard work and daily chores for every sibling, but it also built a close-knit family and instilled in Richard the determination that would define his life. He left high school during his senior year to work in construction, following several of his older brothers into a job with Hoganson Construction, where he built grain elevators.

That work took him to central Montana, where one summer night in 1957 he met Beverly Jean Koutensky in Denton. They married on December 28, 1957, and went on to raise three sons: Joe, Rob, and Troy. Richard later worked for Charlie Cerovski Construction, where he helped build Lewis & Clark Grade School in Lewistown, before going out on his own as a self-employed contractor around 1965. He built homes and businesses throughout the Lewistown area for the next twenty-five years, far too many to list. In 1990, he began working for Joe in his construction business for 13 years, resulting in a total of 25 years working together as father and son. For several winters starting in 1990 through 1999, he also traveled to California to work with his youngest son, Troy. Richard and Beverly moved to Helena in 2003, where Richard continued working alongside his son Rob, a painting contractor, doing carpentry repairs on homes before the paint jobs could start. He never fully retired; he loved the work too much, and continued alongside Rob until he could no longer keep up, not long before undergoing major heart surgery at age 80.

Faith and community mattered deeply to Richard. He converted from Lutheran to Catholic to marry Beverly, and together they worked hard to send their three sons through St. Leo's School, showing up for their sports and music activities along the way. In the late 1960s, Richard served on the Lewistown City Council, where he helped bring the town its new swimming pool at Frank Day City Park; his name still hangs on a plaque there today. After facing struggles with alcoholism, Richard found Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 Steps Program, a turning point that reshaped his life and his family's. He was just three days from celebrating his 52nd AA sobriety birthday when he passed away, a milestone he counted among his proudest achievements alongside nearly 65 years of marriage to Beverly. Even in his final days, he fulfilled his AA commitment by counseling a current friend and AA member.

Richard was known for his work ethic above almost anything else. Anyone who knew him could see how much he loved it, second only to his family. He took his sons, and later his grandson Ryan, fishing whenever he could, led his sons through Scouting at Camp Napi near Glacier

Park, and made time for family camping trips and picnics at Warm Springs. He met life's disappointments, failed jobs, family struggles, and losses with quiet determination, always finishing the task at hand before dealing with what came next, and he never lost his sense of humor along the way. He had plenty of one-liners; for example, when he was done with a conversation, he would say “Say good night, Dick,” with a special look on his face that told us all what that meant. In his later years at Mount Ascension, he enjoyed the weekly music the most, bingo, and the occasional outing on the facility's transport van. The seven years he spent at the care facility also resulted in multiple friendships he cherished.

Richard is survived by his three sons, Joe Domier (Laurel Lint) (Santa Clara, California), Rob Domier (Helena, Montana), and Troy (Lisa) Domier (Firestone, Colorado); his grandchildren, Cheryl (Brian) Crook (Encinitas, California), Ryan (Marlo) Domier (Helena, Montana), Kelsey Elgie Domier (Colorado Springs, Colorado), Will (Kelsie) Domier (Firestone, Colorado), and Abby Domier (Denver, Colorado); his great-grandchildren, Skyler, Shane, Brendan, and Connor Crook (Encinitas, California); Rhonda Dilling (Helena, Montana), mother of Cheryl Crook and Ryan Domier, his siblings, Douglas (Karin) Domier (Houston, Texas), Shirley Ann Balsinger (Florida), and Diann Sande; and brother-in-law Ken Ford.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Beverly Domier; his parents, Dewey and Lillian Domier; his in-laws, Joe and Helen Koutensky; his siblings, Lyle, Lloyd, Wallace, Earland, Charlie, Marian Ford, and Georgia McClure; and beloved pets Toby (AKA Bowser), Fair Play, Gretchen, Ingrid, Sissy, and many others.

A Celebration of Life service will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name may be made to Helena Area Habitat for Humanity or Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Montana.

“Say good night Dick.”