Kenneth "Huggy Bear" Hughes

Ken ‘Huggy Bear’ Hughes passed away peacefully in his sleep early March 25th, 2021. Ken was born Aug 21, 1949, in Red Lodge to George & Peggy Hughes. Ken was the youngest of 4, brothers - Laird, Don, & sister - Marge.

A memorial service will be 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 3 at the Cut Bank High School gym.

Ken grew up & spent most of his life in Cut Bank. He graduated from CBHS in 1968. He went on to spend 2 years at U of M - Missoula & then transferred to MSU where he graduated with a bachelor’s in film, television broadcasting.

At MSU, Ken met Betty Erdahl whom he eventually married. They had 2 daughters, Kendra & Kayla. Once they were settled as a family in Cut Bank, Ken was active with Little League baseball, Babe Ruth baseball & adult softball league. Ken & Betty were active in bowling leagues. Ken worked for years at Service Supply & then later opened his own business, Huggy Bear’s Consignments and Appraisals.

In addition to work, it’s no surprise that Huggy’s true passion was sports. Ken traveled for KSEN announcing area high school games live on the radio. Later Hugs, moved his announcing of games to the sidelines, announcing for CBHS sporting events. From the early 90s - 2019, there is no doubt Huggy’s voice was the voice you heard at the home games at CBHS.

Hugs also enjoyed the many years he spent coaching the Service Supply Girls’ Softball Team. His coaching guided the girls to many wins & treated all wins with trips to the Point Drive Inn for ice cream cones.

Ken will always be remembered as generous & a true friend willing to go the extra mile to help someone in need. He was an active member at St. Paul Lutheran church & could be found often helping with different events.

For many years, Huggy was also known for his morning ‘wake-up’ calls on air to KSEN discussing his tractors deals & what breakfast he happened to be cooking his daughters at the moment.

These last several years Huggy spent as a widower, he enjoyed using video calls to keep in touch with his daughters where he could watch his grand-pups grow and get treats.

Ken is survived by his sister, Marge (Dick) Tarr; his daughters, Kendra (Jason) Brown & Kayla (Patrick) Peace; special niece, Miki (Mark) Suta; several nephews and nieces; a very special friend, Linda Cady; and his cats, Socks & Shoes.

Preceded in death by his wife, Betty; his parents; his grandparents; his brothers; and two nephews.

Memorials can be sent to Memorials can be sent to St. Paul Lutheran Church, the Cut Bank Education Foundation and Alumni Association or the Parkview Center.

For folks who to prefer to attend online here is the zoom link, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82102368712?pwd=V1lGdHdrczh6MWZmQVhKdTg3ZWVxZz09

For in-person attendance, we welcome wearing face coverings to decrease chances of covid spread. However, we also acknowledge many people are now vaccinated including many in our family. Please use your discretion on face coverings choices. We hope this will allow all a chance to celebrate Huggy Bear’s life safely.