Gregory Edward Thelen

Gregory Edward Thelen, born on April 21, 1981, in Great Falls, passed away on June 5, 2018, in Billings, after a brief illness.

A celebration service of Greg's life will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 13, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary, 1001 Alderson Ave., in Billings. A reception will be held in the Knights room of the Billings Elks Lodge #394 following the service.

Survivors include Greg's parents, Dave and Judy Thelen of Billings; sister, Kara (Andrew) Nisbet of Puyallup, Washington; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Greg was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack and Mae Thelen of Great Falls, and Eddie and Winnie Hirsch of Vergas, Minnesota; his namesake and uncle, Greg Thelen; as well as two more uncles and four cousins.

Greg grew up moving around Montana and into North Dakota with his family, receiving his education in Conrad, Butte, Williston and Billings. He graduated and received honors from both Billings West High School in 1999 and Montana State University Billings in 2004. He went on to work for St. Vincent's HealthCare, Wells Fargo and Billings Clinic over the last two decades.

Greg's real passion, however, was writing comics, collaborating with talented artists and attending the Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) for the last decade. Beginning with Magic City and ending with Amanda Green, SIA, his body of work is available online at amandagreensia.com and exit421.com. His family knows he would love everyone to remember him by enjoying his work he enjoyed so much.

Greg will also be remembered by his early love of drawing, his lifelong love of Nintendo and his fierce dedication to combatting injustices in this country and the world. Greg's kindness, intelligence and humor will be sorely missed by everyone who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Greg's name to the American Diabetes Association or the Human Rights Campaign would be greatly appreciated.