John Theodore Borgreen, aged 84, passed away on Saturday, August 20, 2022, at Peace Hospice due to complications of a prolonged illness. A memorial service is planned for Friday, August 26, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel with a reception immediately following at the Scottish Rite Building next door. Given the increased local transmission rate of COVID, the family encourages masks be worn during the service. 

John was born on August 16, 1938, in Great Falls, MT to Ellen and Carl Borgreen. Carl was the safety engineer for the Great Falls Anaconda Company, and John enjoyed an idyllic childhood on Smelter Hill and Black Eagle. He grew up spending summers at the family cabin in the Little Belt Mountains, playing hockey in the winter at Smelter Hill, and baseball with the Black Eagle boys in the spring. John was proud of the fact that his C-league baseball team was undefeated and won the city championship in 1949. 

After graduating from Great Falls High in 1956, he joined the U.S. Navy and served three years in the South Pacific as a radioman on an aircraft carrier between the Korean War and the Vietnam War. After returning to Great Falls from the Navy, he began taking college courses. After his father’s sudden death, John’s career plans shifted to help support his mother and three siblings. He received an apprenticeship with Electric City Printing, which led to a 35-year career working as a pressman at Tribune Commercial Printing. 

John and his first wife had one daughter, Karrie, born in 1963. John and his wife, Julie, married in 1980. John became a devoted stepfather to Julie’s children, Jenny and David.

In his youth, John played with the original Great Falls Americans hockey team. While John coached hockey for many years, he particularly loved his time coaching David’s youth hockey team. John and the team spent countless hours together traveling to and from games in Canada. During this time, John’s influence on the players was much greater than just hockey technique and strategy. Many players remember him as one of the most influential figures of their youth, shaping them into responsible and respectful men. John helped establish the Casey Cup hockey tournament. In 1997, the Great Falls Meadow Gold Beavers were the first American team to win the Casey Cup. 

After retiring as a pressman, John went to work as a case manager, then a consultant, working with disabled farmers to regain their independence and continue working. His work took him to all corners of Montana. However, in his post-retirement life, he found his calling in advocacy for local sportsmen, public lands, and wildlife conservation. He has been referred to as ‘a champion of the wild’ and brought his deep love of the Montana outdoors to family and friends. John was a longtime member of the Russell Country Sportsmen, Montana Wildlife Federation, and a founding member of the Montana Sportsman Alliance. In addition, he was influential in establishing a youth hunting program that taught the values of ethical hunting methods, safety, and respect for public and private lands. 

After the accidental death of his and Julie’s daughter, Jenny, John became a volunteer at Camp Francis, a bereavement camp for children who have lost loved ones. John’s nearly 20-year commitment to the camp became a source of healing for himself, his family, and countless bereaved youth who considered him a surrogate grandfather. 

John’s playful, mischievous streak endeared him to many. He was a storyteller of renown, and some were even true. John was not unfamiliar with pulling childhood and even adulthood pranks. He was a walking encyclopedia and could recall facts on almost any subject. John had an abiding interest in and knowledge of World War II history and gathered a substantial library of books on the subject. John had a sophisticated palate and was a connoisseur of ketchup, head cheese, bacon, pickles, and ginger snaps.

John was remembered by all he met as a kind and generous man that always put the needs of others before his own. His selflessness in helping family, friends, and neighbors without fanfare or even thanks made him a central person in all of the many communities into which his life and work took him.

He is survived by his wife, Julia Borgreen; son, David Leonardelli; daughter, Karrie Schutt; grandchildren, Ashley and Tyler Schutt; sister, Judy (Gary) Marxer; brother, Jerry Borgreen; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ellen and Carl Borgreen; his brother, James Borgreen; and his daughter, Jennifer Leonardelli. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials are sent to the Benefis Children’s Bereavement Program (1101 26th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405) or the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinic (1304 13th Street South Great Falls, MT 50405).