By HDN staff
BIG SANDY - John Morton Sheehy, 82, died Sunday, Feb. 6, 2000, at a Big Sandy medical center of congestive heart failure.
Memorial services will be held 2 p.m. Friday at St. Margaret Mary's Catholic Church in Big Sandy. Military honors will follow at Big Sandy Cemetery.
Sheehy was born July 14, 1917, to Thomas Lawrence and Blanche Morton Sheehy. He was raised on the family ranch east of Big Sandy and graduated from Big Sandy Schools in 1935. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1941, serving in the South Pacific during World War Two. He participated in the battles of Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian. He was discharged at the rank of sergeant in 1945.
On April 28, 1951, he married Laura Chagnon in Havre. The couple resided on the ranch at Big Sandy. He remained active in the ranch until his death.
Sheehy served many years on the Big Sandy School Board and served on the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation. He was a founder and initial director of the Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association and long time member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Land and Mineral Owners Association, VFW and American Legion.
He enjoyed saddle making, his ranch and visiting with friends and neighbors. He also took satisfaction in the many visitors who used the park on the family ranch which he helped the Big Sandy Rotary Club establish in the 1950s.
Survivors include his wife, Laura; son, Tom Sheehy of Big Sandy; daughters, Janet Mullen of Miles City and Marjory Berlinger of Big Sandy; sister, Margaret Norris of Seattle; and six grandchildren.
Memorials are suggested to the Big Sandy Medical Center, St. Margaret Mary's Catholic Church or the Big Sandy Historical Society.
Benton Funeral Home of Fort Benton is in charge of arrangements.
