Area farmer is killed in crash

A Havre farmer was killed in a single- vehicle crash early Thursday morning near Big Sandy, the Montana Highway Patrol said.

Bart Owen Wilson, 32, lost control of his pickup while driving north on Ihmsen Well Road, the highway patrol said. He over-corrected and the pickup left the road about a mile outside of Big Sandy.

The pickup rolled five times before coming to stop in a ditch on the right side of the road, the patrol said. Wilson was ejected and died at the scene. His body was found about 8 a.m. Thursday.

"We are just devastated," his brother Kenny Jay said today. "He will be missed. It is a void that can never be filled."

His mother, two brothers and sister remember Wilson as a fun-loving man who enjoyed the outdoors.

"Bart was a very giving person," Kenny Jay said. "He worked hard and he played hard."

Wilson's sister, Cindy, recalled one of Bart's favorite mottoes.

"He used to tell me, 'You have to bet the max or you'll never hit the jackpot,'" she said. "I'm going to miss him so much."

Wilson's family members said they will miss his constant humor. Cindy laughed when she remembers their adventures together.

"He was so funny," she said. "He was a very good storyteller. He was quite the character."

His brother Brian said: "He definitely had a sense of humor about everything."

Wilson was a 1990 graduate of Havre High School, where he was on the football and track teams. He received a degree in business administration from Montana State University-Northern.

Wilson loved to hunt and fish, and recently enjoyed playing racquetball at Northwinds, his mother, Caroline, said.

He was an invaluable contributor at the family farm, Kenny Jay said.

Wilson enjoyed traveling and meeting new people, Kenny Jay added.

"He just really enjoyed people," he said. "He was well-liked by everyone in the community. He knew everyone."

Cindy said one of her favorite childhood memories was playing on the farm with Bart.

"He was a really good brother," she said. "We had a heck of a good time together. I remember when we would play in the mud out on the farm. We would just go all out. We would be covered from head to toe in mud, and when we came back in the house, our mother would always be so mad at us."

Cindy recalled her 16th birthday when Wilson gave her a piece of Black Hills gold jewelry.

"I have never been able to find anything like it," she said. "It is something I have treasured my entire life."

Wilson spent the Christmas holidays with his sister, a time she said she cherishes.

"It was just so much fun," she said. "I'm glad we got that time together because I will never get to see him again."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.