Dean W. Irwin

Dean Walter Irwin, 71, of Hamilton, passed away Friday, December 26, 2014 at his home of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was born November 16, 1943 in Torrington, Connecticut, the son of the late Jack M. and Eva E. (Pent) Irwin.
Dean was raised in Pennsylvania, where his love of dogs and hunting were evident from the time he was a young boy. From age 2 to 14, he lived at Kis-Lyn, an industrial school for boys, where his parents worked. He was the first child of an employee allowed to live at Kis-Lyn, and he loved exploring the 500+ acres of woods there near Drums, PA, and felt honored to have grown up there. As a teenager, his family moved back to where his family was from Curwensville, PA. Dean graduated from Curwensville High School in 1961.
In 1964, he headed out West on his Harley Davidson to pursue his dream of living in Montana, and complete a correspondence course for Erv Malnarich's Outfitters and Guide School. He spent that fall working in Indian Creek as a hunting guide. Also in 1964 he began working for the Forest Service on the trail crew at the Sula Ranger District. Over his 35-year career on the Bitterroot National Forest, Dean was a packer, tree planter, timber cruiser, firefighter, trail and road crew member, bulldozer operator, maintenance man, flew air patrol, and was a lookout at Sula Peak Lookout. In later years at work, he was nicknamed Gran-Paw (Dean's spelling) and the name stuck.
In 1965 his twins, Shawn and Shelley, were born. In 1966, Dean was badly burned in a prescribed burn up Laird Creek. His parents eventually moved out to Montana to be near him and help raise the twins. In 1971, Dean married Barbara Gilmore. In 1974, daughter Amy was born.
Dean hunted all kinds of animals year-round. Upon his retirement in 1999, he pursued hunting full-time! He became locally known as the "Snake Man," from his expertise in removing rattlesnakes. His hunting stories were endless and entertaining. He made friends easily and had a nickname for almost everyone he knew. He loved hunting, the mountains, and his friends and family. He always had a hunting dog, and often owned several dogs.
He was a member of the National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Montana Trappers Association, and Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. Dean was a great story-teller, with a unique sense of humor, and a larger-than-life personality. He was honest, straight-forward and spoke his mind. Not many people in this world find their passion and live it every day, but Dean did.
Dean was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Eva; and his older baby brother, Alfred.
Dean is survived by his wife Barbara of Hamilton; his son Shawn (DeLona) of Corvallis; daughter Shelley (Paul) of Darby; daughter Amy of Hamilton; grandchildren Jeffery, Josh (Shana), Drew and Brynn; and great-grandchild Bransen.
Honorary pallbearers are Ed Barrett, Gene Steinman, Dave Terry, Dan Dutton, Bob Dunbar, Ben Wohlers, Bill Neustrom and Michael Barrett.
Dean's family is so grateful for the multitude of friends who visited him and sent well wishes during his illness. If a man's wealth is measured by the number of friends he has, Dean was rich indeed. The family suggests that memorials be made to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or the Marcus Daly Hospice Endowment Fund.