Richard Alan Procter

Richard Alan Procter passed away on Dec. 29, 2017, after a prolonged battle with dementia. He was 80 years old. On May 1, 1937, Dick was born in Fargo, North Dakota. He spent his childhood in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, where he developed into an avid outdoorsman.

Dick attended college at the University of Arizona, obtaining a bachelor of science in industrial relations in 1959. He subsequently obtained his Juris Doctor from the James E. Rogers College of Law in 1962. He was admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Arizona, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.

Shortly thereafter, Dick applied for and was accepted into the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island. Upon successful completion of the program in 1963, he was stationed on the USS Little Rock, a Talos missile cruiser, in the Mediterranean as a legal officer. In 1966, Dick volunteered for service in Vietnam/MACV and served as an advisor assigned to Junk Force Base, South China Sea. He then spent an additional eight years in the Reserves and separated from the Navy as a Lt. Commander.

After Dick returned from Vietnam, he began practicing law in Tucson, Arizona. Shortly thereafter, he was recruited by Gulf Oil and spent the following two decades in the oil and gas industry. Dick then served as in-house counsel with Exeter Corporation, in management for Standard Oil and, finally, Burlington Northern Railroad. His career afforded him the opportunity to conduct business in over 40 countries, including living in London and Singapore, and eventually brought him to Montana.

In 1988, Dick took his family back to Singapore where he taught business organization and law at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Utilizing his athletic acumen and love of football, he also volunteered to coach the high school football team at the Singapore American School, leading the Bulldogs to a World League Championship in 1989 and 1990.

In 1994, Dick and his family returned to Montana, where he contracted with Cenex to purchase right of way for multiple pipelines running down from Canada. He was a skilled negotiator and many landowners he encountered turned into dear friends. He was also an adjunct professor at Rocky Mountain College.

After his retirement around 2000, Dick enjoyed hunting, fishing and "a cold beer" at Jake's Bar & Grill with his close friend of many years, Lon Faught. Dick was a strong, principled man with incredible intellect and sharp wit. He made his girls laugh every day. Dick excelled at everything he did and was truly one of a kind. He will be missed, immensely.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Maura; his daughters, Dianna Nuernberger, Leigh Procter-Chapa (Mark) and Veronica Alyn Procter. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Jon and Strom Nuernberger, Layla and Adam Chapa; and his beloved Labrador Retriever, Lute.

Dick's family extends their sincere gratitude to the staff at Reflections, Morningstar Senior Living, for their caring, kindness and support.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5, at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, 2055 Woody Drive. Interment will follow at the Yellowstone National Cemetery at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, for those wishing to contribute, a memorial page in Dick's name has been created at Ducks Unlimited.