Robert McFarland

Robert Wayne “Bob” Mc-Farland, 86, died Feb. 11, 2024, at home.

Born in Wolf Point on June 9, 1936, to Merrill and Mary Anne McFarland, he and his younger brother, Ray, were raised on construction sites. He joined the Navy during the Korean War.

While serving aboard the U.S.S. Nicholas, he married Heather Smyth. The young couple started a family and Daniel, Kathy and David were born.

During the construction of Yellowtail Dam, his brother, Ray, was killed in a car accident in 1963.

He moved a lot of dirt, rock and steel as an unparalleled heavy equipment operator for Local 400.

Big mulies, whitetails and browns of Montana can rest easier knowing that he is no longer trailing them.

He and Heather built a home in Lockwood. They were married 27 years and were survived by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was also survived by one of Ray's daughters, Diana Johnson. For the last score of years, he had resided in Custer by himself and embraced the community. In January of this year, despite being nearly blind and on oxygen, he caught browns and rainbows through the ice of Willow Creek Reservoir.

Though he had overcome many hardships including his affinity for beer, he was in a war of attrition with mesothelioma.