Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time, and never forget those people who have a place within your heart.<\/p>\n
John Joseph Blotkamp, 50 vibrant years of age, left this earth on September 18, 2011.<\/p>\n
The heart that deeply touched so many lives stopped beating physically but his love for family, fianc\u00e9e, friends, co-workers, and faithful companion Jazzy will continue to live on in those hearts he touched.<\/p>\n
John was born October 9, 1960 in Great Falls, Montana to Thomas J. and Joleen I. Blotkamp. He was the youngest of seven children and the favorite. His love for family had no limits, and John expressed that love whenever he had the chance.<\/p>\n
Fresh out of college and a graduate of Montana State University, Bozeman, John attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1985. A jack of all trades, John rode horses, branded cows, bucked bales, built timber frame homes, including his own home in Unionville which became his pride and joy. He worked as a hard rock miner, and even had an office job working for \u201cthe man.\u201d Finally, his hard work paid off and his dreams of remaining close to family and the beautiful Montana mountains came true when he began and personalized his own Real Estate appraisal business, Blotkamp Appraisals. A man of integrity in both his work and personal life, his business associates considered John not only a business partner but also a trusted and true friend.<\/p>\n
In the fall of 2003, John and Jan met on a blind date set in motion by Farrell and Nancy Rose and their daughter Melanie. What followed was a journey of mountain hikes (sometimes longer than expected), ski trips (down slopes steeper than expected), bike rides and kayak trips that led to a true and lasting love of soul mates. They shared a love of the outdoors, their dogs, and spending time with family and friends. John was a man of integrity, humor, and talent in wood working, cooking up the ultimate pizza sauce or pot of spaghetti with all the things growing in his garden. His favorite place was a chair by the creek next to his house listening to the sounds of the bubbling creek and the chickadees. He had a knack for knowing who sang every song in the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s and singing bits and pieces of them often. He will be forever loved by his fianc\u00e9e and his dog Jazzy who miss him beyond all words.<\/p>\n
John was an avid outdoorsman. His passion for downhill skiing was evident when he would routinely predict his own snow storms in hopes of a powder day. An active hiker, avid fly-fisherman, motivated mountain biker, and extraordinary woodworking craftsman, he had a remarkable ability to live and love being alive.<\/p>\n
John exhibited exceptional qualities that were obvious, yet hard to define. He was patient, unpretentious, appreciative, considerate, practical, mechanically gifted, unusually intuitive yet intellectual in many ways. He was philosophical but well grounded; he knew his root vegetables and grew exceptional raspberries, and was more than willing to share his secret huckleberry picking spots.<\/p>\n
John is survived by his fianc\u00e9e Jan Martineau and also his brothers and sisters: Bruce
\n(Sandra) Blotkamp (Missoula), Patty (Gary) Anderson (KY), Tuck (Anne) Blotkamp (Helena),
\nJan (Tom) McGree (Helena), Susan (Rob) Spitznagel (CA), and Betty (Mark) Murray (Helena).
\nJohn was more than just an uncle, he was a friend, mentor, role model, and father figure to his
\ntreasured nieces and nephews: Tommy (Tessa) McGree, Allison McGree, Michelle McGree,
\nKipper Blotkamp, Drew Blotkamp, Ariel (Lee) Blotkamp-Rademaker, Kody Goettel, Brianne
\nSpitznagel, Katie Spitznagel, Tyler Spitznagel, Scott (Jennifer) Anderson, Shani (Danny)
\nRamirez, Brett (Mary) Anderson, Nathan Anderson, Chad (Rhonda) Blotkamp, Heather
\nBlotkamp, Tonya (Dan) Neuman, Tiffany (Al) Wellman, Chris Murray, Ryan (Pam) Murray,
\nScott Murray, and Katie (Jon) Mygland.<\/p>\n
Welcoming John with open arms in heaven are parents Thomas J. and Joleen I. Blotkamp, nephew Sean P. McGree, and numerous aunts and uncles.<\/p>\n
Our world lost a truly unique man on Sunday, September 18, 2011.<\/p>\n
Come celebrate a life well lived and the legacy that remains on Friday, September 23rd, at 2:00 PM at Retz Funeral Home Chapel with a reception to follow at Eagle\u2019s Lodge, 801 N. Fee St. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lewis and Clark Humane Society, PO Box 4455, Helena, MT 59604-4455 or a charity of your choice. To offer a condolence or share a memory of John, please visit: www.retzfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1265965.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","family_email":"","family_first_name":"","family_last_name":"","event_title5":"","event_date5":"","start_time5":"","end_time5":"","location5":"","address5":"","city5":"","state5":"","zipcode5":"","event_title6":"","event_date":"","start_time6":"","end_time6":"","location6":"","address6":"","city6":"","state6":"","zipcode6":"","event_title7":"","event_date7":"","start_time7":"","end_time7":"","location7":"","address7":"","city7":"","state7":"","zipcode7":"","event_title8":"","event_date8":"","start_time8":"","end_time8":"","location8":"","address8":"","city8":"","state8":"","zipcode8":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/23375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}