Eugene (Gene) Lawrence Yahvah, a longtime Libby resident, passed away peacefully on his 97th birthday at his home on the Kootenai River with his family by his side.

He was born May 23rd, 1926, to Lawrence Turner Yahvah and Hazel Ocea Scott Yahvah, the second of their three children. He grew up in Denver and attended East Denver High School, where he played basketball and football but especially excelled in track.

At age 17, Gene persuaded his mother to sign the papers to allow him to join the Navy, and he left high school to fight in World War II.  He completed basic training at Farragut, Idaho, on Lake Pend Oreille and was assigned to the U.S.S. Clarendon, a Pacific Fleet tactical transport ship which could carry up to 1,000 soldiers to the battlefield. Gene manned a port machine gun on one of the ship’s landing barges. 

Key missions of his ship included delivering a contingent of 859 soldiers with the 10th Army to the Battle of Okinawa on April 26th, 1945.  Arriving in the harbor at sunset, the Clarendon’s crew used their landing barges to transport all the men to shore by midnight. While there, they defended against four Japanese air raids, taking down two enemy planes. The Clarendon also supported operations at Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered in September 1945.

Gene’s faith in God began in his youth, guiding him throughout his life, and he did his best to live in the image of Jesus. He was kind, compassionate, and giving to all. His fellowship with other Christians supported him during his time on the ship.

When WWII was over, Gene returned to Colorado, where he attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, majoring in Forest Management and returning to track, concentrating on sprinting events. Gene considered himself very lucky to meet his wife, Bernice, who was also attending CSU.  They married September 12th, 1948, finished college together, and were married for 65 years until she passed from Parkinson’s in 2014.

The couple moved to Rexford, Montana, in 1950, where Gene began his career with J. Neils Lumber Company (later sold to St. Regis Paper Company and then Champion International). Gene was the supervisor of logging, road construction, and forestry, and the couple lived in the company’s logging camp. Their three children, Margaret, Stan, and Bonnie were born while they lived in Rexford.

Gene transferred to Libby in 1961, where he served as an area forester managing forests, reaching a total area of about 100,000 acres. He was a forester all the way through his bones and straight to his heart. He carefully managed his assigned forests, and loggers he worked with claimed he considered the trees his babies and had many of them named. His trademark look was the roll of flagging often unfurrowing out of his shirt pocket. Gene always said he was fortunate to have stayed in Lincoln County his entire career to be part of the cycle of the forest.

Contributions during his forestry career include managing the Douglas Fir Tree Improvement plantation and serving terms as chair of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) the Montana Tree Farm Program, fifth grade woods tours, and joint forestry tours with Canada.

He retired in 1988 after 38 years with the company but continued as a forestry consultant and remained active in forestry organizations, including the SAF, which he had joined in 1951. He also continued to manage his 80-acre Tree Farm in Heron, Montana, which he owned since 1977 and discovered while passing out Gideon Bibles at the school there.

Tributes include being named a SAF Fellow in 1989, Outstanding Tree Farmer in 1996, and Kootenai Knute for Nordicfest in 1997. He was honored as a Montana Forestry Pioneer in 2016.

Gene got the travel bug when he was four. The family took a trip in 1930 driving from Denver to Winnipeg, Canada, in an open-sided 1923 Model T Ford, about 2,300 miles round trip on rough roads with a top speed of about 35 mph. 

Ever since, he has liked to “go places” both near and far, from a hike in the Cabinet Mountains to a trek on the Great Wall in China, always taking his family along on his adventures whenever possible. He remained healthy and vital throughout his life, even skiing at Turner Mountain through age 87.
 

Having a knack for striking up conversations with nearly anyone he encountered, his kids and grandkids became used to meeting strangers who already knew everything about them. He once rode a city bus in Santa Monica with his daughter Margaret and talked with the local passengers as if they were all on tour together.

 An incurable shutterbug, he was rarely without his camera taking pictures to detail all aspects of his life and travels. In retirement, he and Bernice started Blue Ribbon Photography. During his later years he found joy in taking pictures of the beautiful views from his living room window.

Gene was truly a member of the Greatest Generation and is dearly missed. Thankfully, his example will continue to inspire.

Gene is preceded in death by his wife, Bernice; brother, Ken; and sister, Ruth. He is survived by his children, Margaret Harmon, Stan Yahvah (Linda), and Bonnie Simpson (Eric) all of Libby; his grandchildren Richard Harmon (Anabel) of Sacramento, CA; Jon Harmon (Mabel) of Los Angeles, CA; Adrian Yahvah of Hong Kong; April Hutson (Shawn) of Jacksonville, FL; and Rachel Theler (Ryan) of Buena Vista, CO; as well as seven great-grandchildren, Samuel, Joshua, Isaac, Annie, Mia, Alexa, and Wenonah.

A celebration of life will be held Thursday, June 8th at 10:30 am at the Libby Christian Church.  Graveside services will follow at the Libby Cemetery followed by a reception at the church.

 Memorials may be made to the Montana Tree Farm Program, or the Libby Food Pantry.

Arrangements are under the care of the Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby.  Online memorials and condolences may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.