Tom Harwood

 Richard Thomas “Tom” Harwood, Age 77, of Shelby, Montana, passed away on November 7, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.

 Tom was born August 1, 1947 in Conrad, MT, the son of Richard “Dick” and Genevieve “Gen” Tenney Harwood. After adding siblings, the family moved to Devon and Tom graduated from Shelby in 1965. 

Tom joined the Army in 1966 and received awards for Sharpshooter (rifle), Mortar & Pistol Expert, and Airborne Jump Wings. Tom served for 2 years in Vietnam and became part of the 1st Calvary Division. He received four Air Medals while serving as a door gunner crew chief. Each medal represented 25 or more flights for a specific time. He also earned the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Tom remained on Inactive Reserve Status with the US Army Reserve until honorably discharged in 1972. He then joined the Army National Guard and served until 1981. Tom proudly served in the US Military, Reserves, and National Guard for a total of 14 years and 11 months. For the remainder of his life, he loved helping as part of the Color Guard for Memorial Day services and honored Veterans Day. 

Tom attended the University of Montana, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. During college, Tom met and married Linda Brelje in November 1971. Tom and Linda moved to the Galata Farm, and he worked as a farmer/rancher in Galata & Devon with his family. 

 Tom was passionate about donating blood and ended with a total of 88 pints given. Tom was a member of The American Legion for 51 years. He volunteered with the Toole County Search & Rescue for decades (he served so long that even the organization didn’t know the service length) and became certified for scuba diving with them. He was also a Mason and a member of the NRA.

Tom was an insatiable reader of many genre’s, but notably Sci-Fi. He loved technology and music. He was known for being passionate about politics and enjoyed talking (and talking) with people. He always had a ready laugh and smile. Tom was a philosopher and a poet, even if he didn’t share these often, and wanted to be a writer. Tom had a wide variety of interest including leatherwork and rock collecting. Tom loved passing his knowledge on to kids and did presentations at the Galata School. 

Remaining to cherish Tom’s memory are spouse, Linda Harwood; children, Christine Harwood of Great Falls, Tara Harwood of Denver, CO and Colleen (Mike) Wohnoutka of Littleton, CO; grandchild, Natasha Wohnoutka; brother, John (Carol) Harwood, and sister Janis (Leonard) Lundby and a long list of nieces and nephews and their children. 

 Memorial donations in Tom’s memory may be directed to one of his favorite charities, including the Montana Veteran’s Memorial Flag & Park, Shriner’s Children’s Hospital or personal choice.