Greg Aldrich

Richard Gregory Aldrich “Greg,” 76, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, at the Billings Clinic.

Born Oct. 27, 1946, Greg joined the growing family of L.R. “Bill” and Maxine (Stockham) Aldrich.

Greg, a keen outdoorsman, husband, father and grandfather, is survived by his devoted wife Thora; son Richard (Guenever); daughter K.V. “Ginger” (Terry); grandsons Sasha and Anders; sister Jean (Jerry); brothers John (Aldora) and Jim (Dar); and faithful bird dog, Z. Greg was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Maxine; and his sister, Mary Gale (Shrikant).

After graduating from Billings Central High School in 1965, Greg received an M.B.A. from the University of Montana and a Masters degree in Architecture from Montana State University, where he met the love of his life, Thora. After a year of courtship, Greg and Thora were married at his beloved East Rosebud Lake and enjoyed 53 years of marriage. After completing his architecture degree, Greg joined his family’s extensive regional retail lumber business, Aldrich & Company, where he competently led the company for many years. During those years, he continued to use his architectural skills to help friends and clients with log cabin design, including designing several intricate entries for the Playhouse Parade such as a Norwegian stabbur, a longship, and a sod roof playhouse. Greg harnessed his extensive knowledge in log restoration and volunteered his time on projects throughout Montana, including as an expert for the US Forest Service.

Throughout his life, Greg was an avid outdoorsman, spending much of his free time guiding family and friends through the Absaroka-Beartooth backcountry, training black lab retrievers, hunting game, and fishing. He was a world traveler, flew small planes, and scuba-dived in exotic locations. Every evening, Greg could be found in his basement woodworking workshop. In his later years, he mastered Norwegian acanthus carving, receiving national recognition for his artistry. Greg leveraged his considerable skills for many community projects and charitable causes, such as researching and designing a scale Viking parade ship for the Sons of Norway. Greg was a member of Pheasants Forever, Rattlesnake Lake Duck Club, and the downtown Billings Rotary Club, and he served as President of the East Rosebud Lake Association and the Rimrock Foundation.

Above all, Greg had a lifelong love affair with lemon meringue pie. Please take some time to find and enjoy a piece in his memory.

The family will receive visitors at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary at 1001 Alderson Ave. in Billings from 10 a.m. on October 30th. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., followed by a reception.

Friends may make memorial contributions to the Yellowstone Valley Chapter #434 Pheasants Forever Youth Hunt (Please send donations c/o Yellowstone Valley Chapter of Pheasants Forever; PO Box 81430, Billings, MT 59108) or to the Rimrock Foundation ( https://www.rimrock.org ).