Jack L. Dustin

Jack L. Dustin DMD, 71, passed away peacefully on March 21, 2018 with his family at his side. He was the son of Army Major L.L. (Jack) and Elfrieda Dustin. As a child, Jack lived in several places prior to his Dad’s retirement from the military. At 14 months of age he lived in Seoul, Korea, as well as Army bases in Georgia and California before his family relocated back to Montana. Jack lived in Great Falls most of his life where he attended local schools. As a youngster he was fond of time spent with his Mans grandparents, walking to Gibson Park from the Westside, riding on the engine of the Great Northern where his Grandpa was the Engineer. Always a music lover, Jack took piano lessons, was active in Boy Scouts and was one merit badge short of becoming an Eagle Scout. Jack spent hours meticulously building models, and was unwittingly honing his skills for his life’s profession. He tinkered on cars with his friends as a teenager and his prized possessions were his driver’s license and his first car, a spiffy maroon ’53 Ford. As a junior, Jack had a hiatus in St. Louis attending school while living with his brother Bob. In the fall of his senior year he met Carol and they started dating in March before he graduated from Great Falls High School in 1965. As freshmen Jack and Carol both attended the University of Montana. Jack transferred in his sophomore year to the College of Great Falls, after he and Carol married and son Michael was born. Jack became a very diligent student, studying a pre-med curriculum, working in the chemistry lab and ultimately graduating with honors in 1969. With Carol, their small son Michael and his B.S. degree, Jack moved to Portland, where he spent a year in research in Ophthalmology at the University of Oregon Medical School. He became a resident of Oregon, applied and was accepted as a first year student and entered the University of Oregon Dental School in the fall of 1970. Jack and Carol’s daughter Claire was born in 1972 during his sophomore year. As a junior, Jack was fortunate to take a special anesthesiology rotation at the UO Medical School, as well as being selected to provide dental care to inmates at the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem the following summer. The experience was invaluable at this juncture in his dental education. Jack also worked in the pharmacology lab the last 2 years of dental school.Although school was like having a 12-14 hour a day job, Jack maintained the same position in the class the entire 4 years and graduated with honors in 1974. Following graduation, Jack passed the Oregon and Montana state boards. He received his commission as an officer and completed a Dental Internship in the U.S. Navy-San Diego from 1974-76. It provided great experience in multiple special clinics before he entered private practice. As a family, they all enjoyed the two-year sunshine break in Cardiff-by-the-Sea overlooking the Pacific. Jack returned to Great Falls with his family and established a private practice in general dentistry in August 1976. He became a partner in the Medical Dental Clinic group with Doctors Al Ross, Lee Swan and Joe Murphy. He was very involved in the local dental society, as well as maintaining membership in the Montana and American Dental Associations. He graciously offered annual screenings for the students at Montana School for the Deaf and Blind; served on the Montana Dental Association Peer Review Committee; was on staff at Benefis; provided screenings and dental care for Deaconess Skilled Nursing Center patients for several years and retired from practice after 33 years. Jack had numerous hobbies through the years including fishing, sailing, skiing, working out, bicycling and riding his Harley. Anyone who knew Jack well, knew he never did anything halfway; it was all or nothing! Jack is survived by his son Michael, Missoula, MT; daughter Claire (Chris) Cummings, Sun Valley, ID; two grandchildren Chauncey and Callie; brother James (Tracy) Dustin and his former wife Carol J. Dustin of Great Falls, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Marcia Skinner Smith and brother Robert M. Skinner MD.