David James Rouse

David James “Jim” Rouse of Hamilton passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 6:47 p.m. It was a beautiful, balmy 67° day with clear, sunny skies and a slight breeze coming out of the northwest. He was surrounded by 3 generations of his family at the time of his passing.

Jim was born on November 25, 1938 to parents Eugene “Gene” & Francis “Frankie” (Day) Rouse. He was brought into the world in his grandparent’s farm house in Winona, Washington and spent his young life moving around the Palouse, northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. He graduated from Newport High School in 1957. A few years after graduating, he would go on to join the United States Army in March 1962. While in the service, he was stationed at Fort Lewis where he served as an Operating Engineer. He would serve until March 1964 when he was medically discharged after a heavy equipment accident while training at the Yakima Firing Range. Following his discharge from the service, Jim went to work at Washington Water Power where he started in the hydroelectric department. He later trained and became an Electric Meterman with the company. At his time of retirement in 2000, he had been with the company for 37 years.

In January 1970, Jim met his future wife, Helen Patricia “Pat” Bell on a blind date. If you ask either of them about it, neither one of them was actually interested in going on the date, they were simply appeasing their friends. However, there ended up being a connection, because on December 19, 1970, they married in Spokane, Washington. In the years that followed they had four children- Brian, Brenda, Kelly & David. Like everything else in life, Jim was all in on being a father. He spent countless hours volunteering with 4-H where he would chaperone camps, conferences and many other events. In his free time, he was an active member of Moose Lodge and the Moose Merrymakers, Eagles Lodge, IBEW Local 77 and the Washington Water Power Trailblazers. He was also a member of the volunteer fire department for 10 plus years where his fellow comrades affectionately referred to him as DJ. As an avid sports enthusiast (having ran track, boxed, and played football and basketball in school), Jim also enjoyed golfing with friends, bowling and playing on a local rec softball team. It was also a guarantee that if the Seattle Mariners were playing, he would be tuned in to listen on the AM radio.

As each generation of his family grew, Jim found immense joy in his title of Papa and O.M. (Old Man) to his adoring grandkids and great-grandkids. This could especially be seen in his retirement years when he devoted himself to babysitting them, watching their sporting events and supporting them at all of their other various activities. Oftentimes with a newspaper in hand and a camera around his neck. Never one for wanting to forget a moment or overlook a learning opportunity, you could find him stopping at every roadside historical sign (even if it meant adding 3 hours to a 2 hour trip), keeping his own private weather almanac, sports statistics and vehicle mileage records.

Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pat; his son, Brian (Katy); daughters Brenda (Brian) and Kelly (Matthew); daughter-in-law Sara; bonus son, Scott (Susie); as well as 13 grandkids and 4 great-grandkids; and his brother, Virgil. He is preceded in death by his dad, Gene; his grandfather, Frank; his mom, Frankie; his nephew, Bruce; his sister, Jackie; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Marvin & Agnes; and his son, Dave.

Interment will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Missoula at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will follow that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton.

In celebration of Jim’s spirit and life, we ask that you take the time to share a stack of blueberry pancakes, peanuts or RedVine licorice with those you love. Better yet, buy a tub of RedVines, eat half of it and then feign innocence when asked who ate all the licorice- that’s what Jim did!