Bartel Andresen Jr.
Bartel Walter Andresen Jr. (Butch), 78, of Poplar, Mont., passed away at his home on Aug. 10, 2026, from natural causes.
Butch was the son of Bartel (Barney) Andresen, who homesteaded at Poplar in 1915, and Thelma (Herting). He was born on July 28, 1948, in Wolf Point, Mont. Butch will be remembered always for his deep love of family and his boundless generosity.
He loved sports, especially baseball and was an avid skier his entire life. He worked for several years as a professional ski instructor at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and at Snowbowl ski area near Missoula, Mont., and was an excellent mogul skier. He was proud to have taught his nieces, nephews, and friends to become expert skiers at Bridger Bowl, Showdown, and Bear Paw ski areas. He began skiing while attending Montana State University in 1966 and continued skiing every winter, including this past season. Holding a pass to Showdown Ski Area, where he spent the winter of 2026 doing what he loved most: skiing with his family.
Butch attended schools in Salem, Ore., and Poplar, graduating from Poplar High School in 1966. He then earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science from Montana State University in 1970, where he was also a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) Fraternity. He furthered his education in the graduate program at Texas A& M University, studying Feedlot Management.
Following his studies, he returned home to the family farm in Poplar. For the next 10 years, after spring-seeding with his father, he would hit the road to run a custom-harvesting crew cutting wheat from Oklahoma to Montana. He dedicated the rest of his life to farming in the Chelsea community. For several years, Butch hosted student interns from Brazilian agricultural colleges, teaching them American farming practices while helping them improve their English and mechanical skills. They quickly became part of his extended family-and, of course, he taught them how to ski (despite there being no ski resorts in Brazil!).
Butch had a great love for children. For many years, he supported the
