He passed away on Sept 17, 2020 at the age of 102 in a nursing home in Great Falls. He was the seventh of twelve children and the last surviving child of Herbert and Lillian Curtis.
On Sept 27, 1941 he married Phyllis Lois Reynolds in Havre, MT. They had 5 children.
In June 1961, he made his choice to serve God and he had a Sunday worship service in his home for many years. In addition to his family, he had 2 main loves, God and tractors.
He had a healthy sense of humor, but you had to beware of saying anything negative about his tractors.
Bad mouthing John Deere was acceptable.
In the early 1950s, Dave and his brother Jack pioneered the introduction of articulated 4-wheel drive farm tractors in the triangle area of Montana as Wagner tractor dealers. This expanded into Alberta, Saskatchewan, and several states. By the mid-70s, they started to build their own tractor named the Rite by Curtis.
In the late 70s, for about 9 months, they held the record for having built the largest 4-wheel drive articulated farm tractor in the world.
He continued selling farm equipment and tractors until he was in his 90s and even after being in a nursing home, he tried to talk Charlene into driving him to Alberta to sell a tractor.
He is survived by 4 daughters, Lynn (Gary) Good of Stockett, MT, Carol (Larry) Hagbom, Charlene Kitto and Renee Curtis of Great Falls; eight Grandchildren, Jeff Good, Chris Good, Ron Hagbom, Jennifer Ott, Kori Valentine, David Hagbom, Brandon Kitto, and Jodi Larson; sixteen great-grandchildren, Keaton, Lauren, Hannah, Dane, Grace, Abigail, Alexis, Sam, Levi, Hailey, Sophia, Lilly, Carter, Brooklyn, Milo, and Austin and one great great-granddaughter, Olivia.
He is also survived by a large extended family and many, many friends.
He was preceded in death by his only son, Doug, in June of 1961 and his beloved wife Phyllis in March 2013.
A Public Visitation will be held this Friday, September 25 from 6-8p.m. at Croxford Funeral Home. The Funeral Service will take place the following day, Saturday, September 26 in the same location at 11:00a.m., followed by a Graveside Service at Highland Cemetery. All are welcome to attend. Out of respect for others, please wear a mask if you are attending services.
Published by Croxford Funeral Home, Great Falls, MT on September 18, 2020
He passed away on Sept 17, 2020 at the age of 102 in a nursing home in Great Falls. He was the seventh of twelve children and the last surviving child of Herbert and Lillian Curtis.
On Sept 27, 1941 he married Phyllis Lois Reynolds in Havre, MT. They had 5 children.
In June 1961, he made his choice to serve God and he had a Sunday worship service in his home for many years. In addition to his family, he had 2 main loves, God and tractors.
He had a healthy sense of humor, but you had to beware of saying anything negative about his tractors.
Bad mouthing John Deere was acceptable.
In the early 1950s, Dave and his brother Jack pioneered the introduction of articulated 4-wheel drive farm tractors in the triangle area of Montana as Wagner tractor dealers. This expanded into Alberta, Saskatchewan, and several states. By the mid-70s, they started to build their own tractor named the Rite by Curtis.
In the late 70s, for about 9 months, they held the record for having built the largest 4-wheel drive articulated farm tractor in the world.
He continued selling farm equipment and tractors until he was in his 90s and even after being in a nursing home, he tried to talk Charlene into driving him to Alberta to sell a tractor.
He is survived by 4 daughters, Lynn (Gary) Good of Stockett, MT, Carol (Larry) Hagbom, Charlene Kitto and Renee Curtis of Great Falls; eight Grandchildren, Jeff Good, Chris Good, Ron Hagbom, Jennifer Ott, Kori Valentine, David Hagbom, Brandon Kitto, and Jodi Larson; sixteen great-grandchildren, Keaton, Lauren, Hannah, Dane, Grace, Abigail, Alexis, Sam, Levi, Hailey, Sophia, Lilly, Carter, Brooklyn, Milo, and Austin and one great great-granddaughter, Olivia.
He is also survived by a large extended family and many, many friends.
He was preceded in death by his only son, Doug, in June of 1961 and his beloved wife Phyllis in March 2013.
A Public Visitation will be held this Friday, September 25 from 6-8p.m. at Croxford Funeral Home. The Funeral Service will take place the following day, Saturday, September 26 in the same location at 11:00a.m., followed by a Graveside Service at Highland Cemetery. All are welcome to attend. Out of respect for others, please wear a mask if you are attending services.
Published by Croxford Funeral Home, Great Falls, MT on September 18, 2020
Family Members
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Clifford Clinton Curtis
1909–1949
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Blanche Lillian Curtis
1912–2003
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Ethel Nina Curtis Freburg
1914–1939
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Glen H Curtis
1916–1917
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Sgt Clayton Douglas Curtis
1920–1945
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John L Curtis
1923–1988
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Laura Sophia Curtis Jacobs
1925–2012
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Dr. Alan Burnell "Big Al" Curtis
1927–2008
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Richard Lee "Dick" Curtis
1929–1997
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