John "Dale" Gorman

John Dale Gorman, 78, of Great Falls, Montana, left this life on the evening of Tuesday, December 1, 2015 after a mercifully short battle with cancer. He passed at his home in Great Falls with his family by his side. Dales family invites you to attend a celebration of his life at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1315 Central Ave. in Great Falls, with a reception to follow at the church. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements. He was born to John W. and Rose (Lee) Gorman on May 11, 1937 in a cabin on Rabideau Lake in Black Duck, Minnesota. Dale was raised in Minneapolis, where he graduated from Central High School. His love of the outdoors was one of the main reasons he then earned a degree in forestry from the University of Minnesota. After college, he spent 2 years in the US Army as a Pharmacy Technician and a tank driver. He was then hired as a forester by the USDA and assigned to the Chippewa National Forest in Marcell, Minnesota, where he met his wife of 52 years, Janice Jorgensen. His Forest Service career then took Dale and Jan to Cass Lake, Minnesota, to the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, to the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, to the regional office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and finally to the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Great Falls, MT. Dale and his wife Jan loved the open spaces and spirit of the west they found in Great Falls so much they decided to make it their permanent home. Dale guided management of the Lewis and Clark from 1980 until his retirement in 1995, becoming the longest serving Forest Supervisor in the history of the Lewis and Clark. A man of few words, Dale was well-respected among his peers; he was known for his calm, deliberative approach to problem-solving, his honesty and his respect for the land. Under Dales tenure, the first Forest Plan and first Travel Plan were written, defining future management of the Forest. He lamented the personal losses to private landowners caused by the 1988 Canyon Creek Fire on the Rocky Mountain Front and years later the Turkey Fire in the Little Belt Mountains and overstepped his authority to assist ranchers who had lost critical rangeland. Dale weathered the boom/bust of the oil and gas era on the Rocky Mountain Front and was silently pleased when leasing was suspended. He endured unsettled times of shifting national objectives and shrinking agency budgets with composure and thoughtfulness. Perhaps his most satisfying accomplishment, and certainly his most lasting legacy, came in the later years of his career when he convinced the Forest Service and the Congressional delegation to follow this communitys dream to build the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center along the Missouri River. He was unrelenting as he lobbied the agency for funding, persuaded the then Montana Power Company to commit $1 million towards construction and collaborated with community enthusiasts to make their vision a reality. The Interpretive Center celebrated its official opening on July 4, 1988. In addition to his work in the Forest Service and on the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Dale did a variety of other volunteer work. Dale used his fund-raising experience to help raise money to renovate Centene Stadium. After a local ballot initiative was narrowly defeated, efforts were redoubled, and significant funds for a major renovation were raised. The Diamond of Honor was his pet project, and he spent many hours personally laying bricks from donors, as well as assisting in writing grants for a major stadium renovation which helped convince the Chicago White Sox to bring the Voyagers to Great Falls. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church where he was a Deacon and an Elder, as well as a volunteer driver. He served as president of the Great Falls Rotary Club during the early 1990s. He was a member of the Masonic Temple, Chippewa Lodge #275 of Bigfork, Minnesota, as well as a Shriner. He volunteered for the East/West Shriner football game when it was played in Great Falls. He especially enjoyed the yearly parades. His other interests included running and walking in his later years, his almost yearly trips on his motorcycle to Sturgis, working on remodel projects around the house, and gardening. His squash and squash pies were highly sought after. He is survived by his wife of nearly 52 years, Janice (Jorgensen) Gorman of Marcell, MN; and their children, son Christian (Kelly) Gorman and their sons, Andrew and Stephen, daughter Judy (Chris Harriamn) Gorman, and daughter Heather Gorman and her son Anthony Gorman. He also leaves behind one younger brother, William (Tammy) Gorman; his favorite Aunt Doris (Lee) Lindberg of Superior, WI; and many, many cousins located throughout the country. Dale was preceded in death by his parents.