John
Robert Thole, 45, passed away as a result of an
accident on the Moyie River near Moyie Springs,
Idaho, on March 10, 2012.Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Mountain Springs Church in Bonners Ferry. A funeral service and interment will also be held in Havre, Montana, with interment in the Highland Park Cemetery in Havre.
John Robert Thole was born October 26, 1966, in Havre, Montana where he also grew and lived during his adolescent life. He had friends there, still has friends there along with his mother, Shirley Gorman.
His life in Havre doesn't quite compare to the good he's done in Bonners Ferry, though. Always was he a helping hand and always was he someone to talk with and seek enlightenment from. Some judged him for his lack of faith, but others would say he didn't need it; he was a better person than most could hope to be.
John never complained (unless he was sick) and never let down his family, though he often felt he had.
Most knew him for his intense dedication to work and his hunger to feed his mind. His family knew him for the jokes he told, his random bouts of dancing and his addiction to books, along with his Xbox 360.
What everyone did know, though, was that John would have done anything for his family.
Once, on a hot June morning, a fire erupted in his home and 30-percent of his lungs suffered bums due to the fact he stayed inside, trying to put the fire out. He did all this to save his family's material possessions, never quite realizing that he was the most important thing in their lives.
No one being perfect, John made mistakes and some might thank their lucky stars for that because his intelligence could have spelled out a different sort of life for him.
Instead, a little town called Bonners Ferry was blessed with that greatness and his smile. Yes, his smile. You could see him from a mile off when that bright, white smile shone.
Many would call him unforgettable, especially the boys who tried anything funny with his two teenage daughters, Sara and Alicia Thole.
His protective arms reached out to all his family though, including his wife Yolanda Thole, his son Jeb Weise, and his two dogs, Darnell and Blue.
Besides his family, John's favorite things included any kind of fantasy, no matter what. If you were to ask him his favorite place outside the home, you could be certain what his answer would be -- the book store. Much of his smiles came with great thanks to Bonners Books, where his imagination was fed with fantastical stories of all sorts.
None of these words compare to the person he really was, no words on Earth could really ever tell you the way he touched the hearts of those he loved.
These words ... are just a consolation for those not lucky enough to know him.
His words were the tenets and philosophies of his daughters and son, the love he held for his wife, and the joy he brought his dogs. John Thole was one of the most incredible and unique people to touch the ground and the world is a dimmer place without him. You will be missed, John.