Harry John Schlehr

This is not going to sound like an ordinary obituary, because nothing about him was what we would call ordinary. So, we are going to call it the Highlight Reel. Some of you are familiar with the stubborn man he was and some of you knew a more sensitive side. Let me share a little bit about Harry John Schlehr with you. Before we get to how his life ended, let's start from the beginning. He was born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on September 18, 1956, to Joyce Stach and Harry Schlehr. He was their 3rd born child, their first son, and well, his mom thought he was ugly. He never even crawled on his knees, he skipped that and went right into the bear crawl. They knew then he would not just be an average boy, but as time went on, he turned into a handsome and creative young man. At the age of twelve, Harry decided to leave his dad in Minnesota and head to his mom’s in Montana. It is rumored he hitchhiked the whole way. There he attended school and graduated from Centerville High School. One of his teachers during his senior year said that he was always coloring in his book and not paying attention. So, she cut a piece of his cowlick that was always sticking up and said she would cut the rest if she did not see his head up paying attention. It worked he paid more attention. From 1976 to 1980 he was a member of the Montana Air National Guard. In 1983, he married Jeanice Osborne, and they lived in Helena. During this time, he worked for the gold mine. They later divorced but always remained friends. Many of his nieces and nephews fondest early memories with Harry were during the time he lived near Hauser Lake. He moved back to Great Falls, and this is when he began working for Bush's Repair and kept busy painting vehicles (a talent he started developing in Helena). He ended up moving out towards the ranch into his own little private slice of heaven. During this time, he got a wild idea, and he decided to try his hand at being a buffalo rancher. These beautiful big creatures just kept outsmarting Harry and escaping the property. At this time, he was given the nickname Buff Daddy. He also received another interesting nickname given to him by his friends at the colony, the Hutterites. They knew him as Peace Bro because he used to throw up the peace sign whenever he saw them. He befriended many of the men and most of them (and their children) still talk about him to this day. One of his funniest features was his fondness for the ladies, and he was never too busy to pay each one a compliment (whether warranted or not). One of his proudest moments was restoring a 1940 Oldsmobile with his stepdad Max Bush. Everyone remembers its glorious debut on a day that none of us will forget it was at Max Bush's funeral in 2015. What he accomplished became a standout moment in most of our memories. He received his diagnosis of Lung Cancer in approximately 2016, and even with the odds against him, he was given a couple of extra years with us. He loved camping and fishing and was able to spend two whole months camping in the summer of 2022. He was very grateful for all that extra time spent with his family. Although, he would only admit it to a few in private. Everyone knew he had a huge soft spot for all his nieces and nephews (great and great-great ones included). Sadly, on January 3rd, 2023, Harry John Schlehr passed surrounded by family. He was 66 years old. He will be deeply missed, especially by his two favorite boys, Smoke and Newt. He is proceeded in death by his father, Harry Melvin Schlehr; his stepfather, Max Bush; his brother-in-law, Randy Stanger; and nephew, Buck Schlehr. He is survived by his mother, Joyce Bush; sisters, Corrine (Lonnie) Johnson, Joyce (Bill) Stanger, Penny (Tom) Hill, Patty (Bob) Martin, Mari (Jason) Moe; brothers, Jerry (Kim) Schlehr, Jay (Trish)  Schlehr, Joe (Arti) Schlehr, Jim (Sue) Schlehr, Jason (Bessie) Schlehr, and Justin Schlehr; stepbrothers Randy (Sherriee) Bush, Les (Nyla) Bush, and Mike Bush; Stepsister, Jolene Cordeiro; and close friends, Gualter Cordeiro and Jerry (Connie) Lucotch.
There will be a visitation on Sunday, January 8, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. The funeral service will be on Monday, January 9, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel.