Obituaries
John Roderick Boulds, 75, of Poplar died May 17, 2026, in Poplar.
He was born in Polson on Jan. 15, 1951, to Raymond and Jeanne Boulds. He was the first-born son and the third of 11 children. He grew up in Poplar and attended Poplar High School, where he played football and wrestled, graduating in 1969. He spent the next two years working construction and odd jobs in the community before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1971. He later transferred to the U.S. Navy, where he served honorably during the Vietnam era from 1971 to 1975 aboard the USS Independence (CV-62) as an AX3 aviation antisubmarine warfare technician. He received the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Good Conduct Medal. His Atlantic Fleet service took him through the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, visiting Italy, Turkey, Greece and ports along the U.S. East Coast. During those years, he became an avid photographer and documented the many places he visited during his travels.
Following his military service, he briefly attended Montana State University in Bozeman before moving to Big Sky, where he worked as a chef. He spoke proudly of his cooking and skiing days in Big Sky. After a life-altering automobile accident,he returned home to Poplar, where he worked at the family drugstore until its closing in 2007.
In his later years, he took up running and competed in road races, placing first or in the top bracket for his age
John Boulds
