Albert "Junior" Jannusch

Albert Carl Jannusch Jr. (Junior to most), 99, passed away Saturday, May 15th, 2021 at Glacier Care Center in Cut Bank with family at his side.

Junior came into the world on November 26, 1921 in Choteau.  His parents were Albert “Burt” Carl Jannusch Sr. and Beulah Mae Jannusch (Johns) who both moved to Montana during the homestead era of the early 1900’s, Burt from Wisconsin and Beulah from Missouri.  They eventually settled in the Pendroy/Porter Bench region of Teton County and engaged in farming.

Albert Jr. was the 3rd of 3 children born to their union. His siblings included his brother, Raymond, and sister, Floreine (Brown).   A great sadness came to the family when their mother died when he was 9 months old.   He was lovingly cared for by his surviving family, family friends and Johns’ family relatives for the period of time before his father married Helen Connole in 1923.  Her family had homesteaded on the Porter Bench in 1909.  She was a good mother to Albert and loved him as her own.

Junior attended the Porter Bench School for his eight years of education and had many fond memories of teachers and classmates.  Farming was a tough business in those days, and he helped his father during the lean years.  In 1939 the family moved to Dupuyer.  They lived in town and purchased 560 acres of farm/ranchland to the south and east.

Albert met the love of his life, Nettie Lois Lane, in 1937 and they were united in marriage on November 28, 1939.   They had 6 children and were married 74 years before her passing.  They worked and lived on the family farm/ranch and in Dupuyer for most of their married lives, pursuing agriculture and then as proprietors of a main street service station and bulk fuel business for 27 years.

Junior was energetic and gregarious, lean and enthusiastic, with flaming red, curly hair in his youth and bright blue eyes.  Family meant everything to him, and he was happiest when everyone gathered or when he could help with a project.  Many a grandchild stopped by his shop to get a tune-up on their bicycle.  He loved to work on things with motors and gears and spent many hours patiently puttering on what seemed to his family to be hopeless tasks.  Other hobbies included hunting, travel, motorcycling, snowmobiling, reading and storytelling, music and dancing with Nettie.  He rode his bicycle several miles every day that the weather permitted, until he was nearly 90 years old!  Junior was an active and generous community member and a faithful member of his church.  He was a very good man who only wanted the best for everyone.  He lived life so well and will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his son, William “Bill” (Judy) Jannusch; daughter, Leanne (John) Hayne; son, Neil (Cheryl) Jannusch; daughter, Lisa (Doug) Sheble; grandchildren, Rebecca, Darcy, Scott, Todd, Carrie, Andria, Joleen, Megan, Erica, Joshua, Cole, Kyle, Aaron, Samantha, Courtney and Anthony; 19 great grandchildren; and 8 great-great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings; son, Allen Jannusch in 1958; daughter, Marilyn Howard in 2013; and wife, Nettie in 2014.

A service will be held Saturday, May 22, at 10:00 am at Holy Cross Mission Catholic Church in Dupuyer, with burial in the family plot in Hillside Cemetery in Conrad.  A luncheon will follow the service at the Dupuyer Community Hall.