It is with much sadness we announce that Rick Elhart of Glendive, Montana passed away on February 12th, 2026. On January 7th, he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. He was able to spend most of his final month at home, but in his last few days, he was under the care of the wonderful physicians and staff at the Glendive Medical Center.<\/p>\n
Rick worked hard throughout his lifetime. In grade school, he began by selling seed packets and greeting cards door-to-door in his Grand Junction, Colorado neighborhood. He also helped to keep the floor tidy at a local barber shop as well as pumped gas and serviced vehicles at the local Texaco station. In his late teens, he worked on road construction crews and painted houses. He earned good money from these and was able to buy his first beloved champion yellow Labrador retriever \u201cFrosty,\u201d a snazzy Camero, and his first motorcycle. Rick had a love of cars – he and his brother Steve were known as \u201cthe Camero Brothers\u201d in High School! He also established his very own painting business: \u201cElhart\u2019s Custom Painting\u201d which is how he paid for his college education. After college, he continued to be successful in his painting business and became very well known for his high integrity and quality workmanship.<\/p>\n
Rick loved being outdoors and was an active Boy Scout. Growing up, he enjoyed hunting, fishing and exploring \u2013 especially with his younger brother. Rick brought up his family with these same pastimes, and together they enjoyed many boating and camping trips, hiking, cutting firewood, making memories at the Oregon coast and sitting by the crackle of a Montana campfire under the stars. Throughout the years of adventures, at least one Labrador was always with the family. Rick had a dear love for his dogs!<\/p>\n
At age 23, he met his wife Susan at a wine & cheese party put on by their local church. They were married inside that same church the following year. A few years later, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Rick opened an employment agency and worked for Safeco and United Grocers Insurance Companies. They then began their new family: \u00a0first with their yellow Labrador retriever \u201cWillie\u201d and then with daughters Kate & Penny.<\/p>\n
Rick\u2019s career as an AAL\/Thrivent Financial planner is where he really shined. All his life experiences, successes and failures taught him how to handle life\u2019s many challenges. This came through in his financial coaching for his clients. In fact, he considered his job more of a ministry and this was evident in how he advised his clients. His guidance will be a gift that keeps on giving for many generations to come. Rick lived generously, gave to God and helped his family and community in whatever capacity he was able.<\/p>\n
Rick was knowledgeable about nearly everything. He could fix cars, do remodeling, make furniture, cut giant trees for firewood and repair just about anything. Rick was also very involved in church and community organizations. These included: Optimist Club, Kiwanis, church council president as well as other church boards, heading up fundraisers, presenting seminars and participating in men\u2019s Bible study groups. His leadership was very much appreciated, and he knew how to run meetings effectively and efficiently so that people could get back home to their families.<\/p>\n
Rick is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan; daughter Kate (Jerem) Joyce of Glendive, Montana, and daughter Penny (Nick) Leslie of Austin, Texas; grandchildren: Jadis, Audrey, Kian and Chloe; siblings: Linda (Jim) Bosley of White City, Oregon, and Steve (Sunnie) Elhart of Waldport, Oregon; numerous nieces and nephews; and lastly Rick\u2019s best furry pal, Chester, who misses him dearly.<\/p>\n
Silha Funeral Home in Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements. There are two memorial services planned to honor and celebrate Rick\u2019s life. The first service will be held at Zion Lutheran Church in Glendive, MT on Thursday, March 19th at 11 am with a luncheon to follow in the downstairs fellowship room. The second service will be on Friday, June 12th at 10am at Our Redeemer\u2019s Lutheran Church in Helena, MT. Lunch will also be served after the service along with the opportunity to share some \u201cRick\u201d stories that you all may have. We are looking forward to seeing both family & friends as we celebrate and honor Rick\u2019s life together.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rick-Elhart-Obituary-Photo.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","service_status":"public","event_title1":"Memorial Service","event_date1":"2026-03-19","start_time1":"11:00 a.m.","end_time1":"","location1":"Zion Lutheran Church","address1":"401 Riverview Avenue","city1":"Glendive","state1":"Montana","zipcode1":"59330","event_title2":"Funeral Reception","event_date2":"2026-03-19","start_time2":"Immediatley following the memorial service","end_time2":"","location2":"Fellowship Hall of the church","address2":"","city2":"","state2":"","zipcode2":"","event_title3":"Celebration of His Life","event_date3":"2026-06-12","start_time3":"10:00 a.m.","end_time3":"","location3":"Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church","address3":"3580 N. Benton Avenue","city3":"Helena","state3":"Montana","zipcode3":"59602","event_title4":"Reception","event_date4":"2026-06-12","start_time4":"Immediatley following the Celebration of His Life","end_time4":"","location4":"Social Center of the Church","address4":"","city4":"","state4":"","zipcode4":"","event_title5":"Burial","event_date5":"","start_time5":"Summer of 2026","end_time5":"","location5":"Dawson County Cemetery","address5":"","city5":"Glendive","state5":"Montana","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\/32719","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=32719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}