George Ronald "Ron" Crees

George Ronald “Ron” Crees, surrounded by his loving family, peacefully went home to the Lord on February 21, 2022. Ron was born to Silas and Norma Jean (Bentley) Crees on April 20, 1951, in Melbourne, Florida. In 1972, Ron married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Slater, in Fort Shaw, MT and spent the next fifty years keeping the spark and romance alive while they raised their four children together. Ron enlisted in the U.S. Air Force shortly after their marriage and was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls until 1978. Ron could fix anything and renovated many homes. He was flipping houses in Great Falls before it was even a thing. After discharge from the Air Force, Ron and his family lived in Shelby, MT and later moved to Conrad where Ron designed and built medical alarms and worked with Easter Seals for the installation. In 1988, Ron attended Billings Vo-Tech for HVAC training and subsequently worked at Sweetheart Bakery for the next 14 years. Ron and Jennifer relocated to Florida in 2004 and started a handyman business. With four hurricanes within six months, Ron and Jen kept very busy for the next three years. Ron then went to work at the Calvary Chapel of Melbourne as maintenance supervisor for the next seven years and declared it his favorite job. Ron and Jennifer returned to Montana in 2015 where he was employed as grounds maintenance at Montana Credit Union. He joyfully played Santa Claus for the credit union each year until retiring in 2018 and returning to Melbourne, Florida. Ron always loved adventure and fun. While pranking friends and family was not reserved for April Fool’s, he pulled off some of his biggest capers on the day dedicated to mischief. He spent his youth fearlessly seeking fun on train trestles, swimming wild rivers, and driving fast cars and motorcycles. His sense of adventure did not fade with age. Ron took up backpacking in his 40s. While in his 50s and 60s, he took up biking and kayaking on the ocean and Florida rivers, sharing the waters with manatees and alligators. He also skydived and spent five days on a solo kayak trip on the Missouri River from The Gates of the Mountains to just south of Great Falls at the age of 65. Ron got his first and only tattoo at age 70. This was a Father’s Day gift from his loving children. The tattoo read “Don’t wait til life isn’t hard to choose to be happy.” Ron tried to live these words every day of his life. Ron had a servant’s heart and when he saw a need, he wanted desperately to meet it. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, he led a reconstruction team in Biloxi, Mississippi helping rebuild damaged houses, allowing displaced families back into their homes. Ron also completed two mission trips to Haiti. The first trip he helped build two families’ homes. On the second trip to Haiti, he served with a medical team to provide care to residents of remote mountain villages. Ron was always helping others, be it family, friends, or strangers. He was tender hearted and never held back tears, laughter, or affection. He set such a wonderful example for his children that it was natural for them to band together with time and resources to get Ron and Jennifer home to Montana for the end of his journey. His last weeks were spent making sure his family knew how much he loved them and sharing Jesus’ love with everyone who visited. Ron was preceded in death by his mother, Norma Jean Bentley Bodkins; and his brother-in-law, Leon Simpson, whom he was anxious to be reunited with to continue their shenanigans. Ron is survived by his wife, Jennifer; son, Chuck (Dwi) Crees; daughters, Amy (Matt) Whittle, Michelle Crees, and Amanda Armstrong; 8 grandchildren; sisters, Rheba Jo Simpson and Marlo Weinstein; and brothers, Chip Crees and Bill Santarelli; his father, Silas Ray Crees; and many more beloved extended family members who will miss him dearly. There will be a celebration of life on Thursday, June 13, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at the New City Church in Great Falls, MT. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ron’s name to Echoz Pregnancy Center of Great Falls or Great Fall Family Promise.