Forrest L. “Scotty” Zion, 93, of Great Fal l s, a r e t i r e d b u i l d i n g contract

o r a n d h o u s e m o v e r , p a s s e d a w a y Mo n d ay, May 2 4 , 2 010 , a t P e a c e Hospice of natural causes.

Scotty’s life celebration will be held at the Christ United Methodist Church on Tuesday, June 2, 2010, at 11 a.m. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Scotty arrived in this world Dec, 1 4 , 1 91 6 , on the family h o m e - stead, 14 m i l e s nor th of Carter, the thi rd o f four children, t o Frank and N a n c y Zion.  His f a m i l y l a t e r r e l o c a t e d t o t h e Rattlesnake Butte place four miles south of Choteau.

He received his education at Choteau Public Schools, but passed with difficulty because of a hearing impairment not identified until his early teens.

Scotty’s hearing loss never deterred him as he built a successful building contractor and housemoving business, Zion Construction and Housemoving, which he operated for more than 50 years.

He was very proud of the rugged men who worked for him and was one of the biggest employers of Metis’ living on Hill 57.  Scotty and his men moved just about anything, and he used his homestead honed ingenuity and genius to accomplish the impossible.

His advertising slogan, “We Like ‘em Tough,” characterized his business and his character.

Over the years, Scotty moved everything from homes to bridges, multi-story and brick buildings, commercial grain elevators, grandstands, government complexes and historic buildings.  Scotty also moved half of Meaderville from the impending Berkley Pit and most of the buildings that now make up Nevada City.  He leaves an indelible mark on the cons t ructed landscape of Montana.

One of his favorite causes was the fight against wire-raising legislation.  Utilities were responsible for raising wires free of charge to allow the passage of large objects or buildings.

The utility companies wanted to change the laws, which resulted in a 30-year battle, with Scotty’s office at the center of the fight.

His favorite projects included the Wagon Wheel West motel complex in Augusta and the Zion School.  The motel offered many memorable days, especially during rodeo, such as the time Scotty cut off his big toe mowing the lawn.  The Zion School, relocated from the Zion homestead near Carter to the fairgrounds in Great Falls, was closest to his heart as it memorialized his family and the days of the one-room schoolhouse.

Scotty was interested in native cultures, geology, reading, riding horses on his beloved Rocky Mountain Front, and “penny dogging” with friends.

His true passion was for history.

Scotty was involved in area museums and was a trustee at the C.M. Russell Museum and an involved patron of the History Museum.

Scotty followed his “muse” as a writer putting his stories to pen.  He wrote about growing up during the Homestead and Depression eras, working in post-World War II Montana, his days in business and as a retiree in “Been Any Bigger I’d Have Said So,” “Piece of Cake Scotty, Piece of Cake,” “We Like ‘em Tough” and the “Sledge Hammer Kid.” He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.

We will miss his humor, his caring ways and good-natured demeanor.  In his “Five Wishes” he wished to be remembered as “He was all balls!” Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Claire (Bohling) Zion; and their two daughters, Sherry ( B e r n i e ) B u r n e t t o f Alamogordo, N.M., and Candi Zion (Jeff Solomon) of Havre.

Sherry’s daughters are Jennifer Burnett of Durango, Colo., and Lucinda (Gary) White, of Denver, Colo.

Memorials are suggested to the C.M. Russell Museum, at 400 13th St. N., Great Falls, MT 59401 and to the History Museum at 422 2nd St. S., Great Falls, MT 59405.

Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.

Schniderfuneralhome.com.