Forever in Our Hearts

                                                            Donald Brian Dwyer

On Sunday March 12th, 2023, Don passed away peacefully at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, Montana with his wife Mary at his side. As he courageously came to terms with an ALS diagnosis in June of 2022, he continued to live his life with purpose and love surrounded by his family, close friends, and neighbors.

Don was born February 28th, 1951, in Elgin, Illinois to Frank and Marvel Dwyer. He grew up in Elgin one of seven siblings: Gloria, Thomas, Bill, Steve, Jim, John, and his half brother Nels. Much of his childhood was spent at the Quarry Pool in South Elgin, a limestone quarry turned swimming hole that his family owned and operated. As a young man, he played football, participated on the swim team in high school, and developed a keen entrepreneurial spirit.

Don attended both Indiana University and Southern Illinois University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Botany. In 1975 he moved to Montana to work in Glacier National Park in field botany and fire science. This led others to follow in his footsteps and eventually a non-profit research company, S.E.M. (Systems for Environmental Management) was formed in Missoula.

In the summer of 1979 Don met Mary Elizabeth Snow dancing at the Packers Roost in Coram, Montana to the music of the Live Wire Choir. Don and Mary were wed at Cedar Bay Lodge on the shore of Swan Lake Montana in June of 1980. That same year brought the birth of their son Dylan. Three years later, their daughter Chenoa was born in St Charles, Illinois.

Don was an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, scientist, farmer, and environmentalist. He was a voracious reader and loved world history and plant sciences. He cherished his horses, the backcountry and the woods were his church. He spoke reverently about Larch trees and delighted in attempting to teach his family the Latin Genus and species of every single plant in Glacier Park, or the history of every wildfire each time we visited. When he couldn’t be in the woods, he could be found exquisitely landscaping his property, sculpting a stunning vegetable garden, growing a steady crop of the best tasting fresh greens you’ve ever had, or cooking up his favorite meals for family and friends in the kitchen.

As a botanist Don had a passion for plants and strongly believed that sustainable agriculture was essential to make the world a better place for future generations. He aspired to always be part of the solution. He designed, built, and managed cutting edge greenhouse and farming projects all over the globe. Don grew some of the best tomatoes one could eat in Swan Lake Montana. He developed the largest farm in the Middle East to grow food for the Saudi Army, then later returned to the Middle East to develop acres of greenhouses to grow staple foods for the people of Riyadh. In between, he grew vegetables at a geothermal site in Wendell, California. Don designed a facility to grow specialty crops in Nepal for use in the development of ovarian cancer drugs. He taught Afghan farmers the most effective farming practices to re-establish and cultivate grapes, apples, and pomegranates, all crops that have their origins in Afghanistan. His final project was to design an eco-friendly rooftop greenhouse using vertical aeroponic towers to grow organic greens in Denver, Colorado.

Don was preceded in death by his mother Marvel Nickelson, brother Thomas, and father Frank Dwyer. His energy and wisdom lives on in his wife Mary, son Dylan and wife Sam, daughter Chenoa and husband Tim, his adored grandchildren Sagan and Archer, sister Gloria, brothers Bill, Steve, Jim, John, Nels and his extended family of relatives and friends all over the world.

Don (Dad-Daddio-Papa-Uncle Don-Mr. Don-Bugs-Donny) will be deeply missed by his family and friends. May we all live our lives with a measure of the passion, intensity, humor, and love he lived his, and keep him forever in our hearts.

Written from the heart by Dylan ~ Don's Son

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