Bruce Earl McLees, 63

Bruce Earl McLees passed away from cancer on the morning of March 14, 2025, at the Gallatin Valley Rest Home in Bozeman, Montana. He was the youngest son of Earl & Orece McLees. He is survived by his brother, Scott McLees of Three Forks, Montana, and his sister, Kathy McLees of Honeyville, Utah, as well as his many relatives and friends.

He was born on February 2, 1962, in Bozeman, MT Bruce was 63 years old when he passed and lived almost all of his life in Three Forks and the area. He graduated from Three Forks High School, and the only time he spent away from Montana was when he joined the Navy. While he was in the service, he was disabled with the left side of his face paralyzed. He returned to Montana and purchased a cabin in the Tobacco Root Mountains, where he lived.

From an early age, Bruce always had a love for reading books. He was well-read and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. He was only in grade school when he read the book "My Life as an Indian." This book made a huge impact on his life. It was about a white man who lived with the Blackfoot Indians and was married to a Blackfoot woman. He told me that he had read this book every year of his life, and in many ways, it had shaped the lifestyle he lived.

Bruce was just a youngster when he started trapping, and after he began living in his cabin, he learned how to skin and tan hides the old Indian way. Some of the hides he tanned ended up in the movie "Dances with Wolves" due to their authenticity and high quality. Bruce enjoyed going to Mountain Man retreats and traded wares with other Mountain Men. He also made friends and learned from other Mountain Men. As Bruce got older, he developed arthritis, making it harder for him to do as much tanning with his hands. He then learned how to make knives. The highlight of his nephews' and nieces' lives was getting to camp in the Tipi he had set up. It was an adventure to go to "Uncle Bruce's" and stay. The girls weren't thrilled about the "outhouse"! It sure made for a good story to tell their friends when they got back home.

One of the highlights of Bruce's life was getting mail! He LOVED to get mail! He had many pen pals from all over the country. And he must've had at least one or two excursions to the Catskill Mountains, as he did mention this from time to time. In more recent years, Bruce also enjoyed church and the friends he made there. If you had to label Bruce, I guess you'd call him a Mountain Man. But despite his rugged appearance and way, Burce was a very loving and giving person. I'm not sure there was a charity he didn't give to, and he would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed help.

A big part of Bruce's life was his dogs. He loved his dogs and always had the most unique names, such as Moose and Tidewater. And it grew more difficult to care for them properly towards the end of his life. We want to thank his niece, Chrissy, for the utmost care of his dog once he was hospitalized, which meant a lot to Bruce.

We would like to thank the staff from the rest home and the hospice for their kindness and assistance in trying to keep Bruce comfortable. We would also like to extend our thanks to all those friends who came to see him during his illness. It meant a great deal to him.

We would like to extend special appreciation to his friend Richard Robinson for all his invaluable help. He's a good friend and helped Bruce's family out beyond belief. We cannot thank him enough for the difference he made. Danny Schedel was also a good friend to Bruce for most of his life and helped Bruce out when he needed it, and spent time tanning hides together. Bruce was blessed with his good friends.

Bruce wants his ashes scattered over the land near his mountain home. His friends and family are invited to his Celebration of Life at the Christian Center in Three Forks, Montana, this summer during the Three Forks Rodeo weekend on Friday, July 18th, at 4 PM.