Storrs Myron Bishop, III

Storrs Myron Bishop III, 81, died peacefully on June 14 with his son by his side. While lymphoma and Parkinson's wracked his body, his independent spirit carried him to the end. Storrs was born in Glens Falls, New York on June 2, 1934. He grew up in the region surrounding Albany, attending the Albany Military Academy through his Junior year. Mostly a city kid, his family lived on a small farm for two years when he was 6 years old. This exposure to farm life set his lifes ambition to be a farmer. His family moved to Syracuse, NY in 1951 where he graduated from Nottingham High in 1952. Storrs attended Union College for two years before enlisting in the US army and serving for two years in the 82nd Airborne Division where he made 29 jumps, one with a pet raccoon stowed in his jump bag. Storrs earned a BA in English from Syracuse University on the GI Bill in 1958. After skipping his graduation ceremony to ski Tuckermans Ravine he headed to Colorado University, Boulder to earn a teaching degree. His goal was to teach and live in Alaska, but he soon learned there was good skiing in Colorado. A friend lured him to Aspen in 1959 and dreams of Alaska faded into memory. In 1961 Storrs married Rosamond Stanton and in 1968 their son Storrs Myron Bishop IV was born. During his time in Aspen Storrs worked as a bellhop, a carpenter and a miner. He eventually bought a ranch up Little Woody Creek north of town. Roddy and Storrs divorced in 1971. In 1973 Storrs moved to Ennis, MT where he bought a ranch property one mile south of town on the road to Virginia City. He farmed and ranched and outfitted on this property for over 40 years. Storrs remarried twice in the 1970's, acting as step-father and role model to several step-children. In 1991 he married fellow Fjord horse breeder and horse lover, Beverly Oak of Sandpoint, ID. In his 40 years in the Madison Valley, on the land he named Willow Ranch, Storrs realized his lifelong dream to farm and raise animals. He loved his cows and their spring calves, his noisy domestic geese, even the pesky herd of nearly domesticated deer. But more than anything he harbored an intense passion for raising Norwegian Fjord Horses. As one of the earliest breeders and promoters of the breed in the United States Storrs gained a nationwide reputation for his breeding integrity and the quality of his horses. Though his everyday work kept him on the ranch almost year round, Storrs ran a top-notch wilderness outfitting business in the fall. There was nowhere on earth that he would rather spend time than in the Taylor Hilgards range of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness area chasing elk. A close second to riding horses in the mountains was sitting at the negotiations table of the Ennis school district. Storrs served nine years on that board of trustees, including several as chair. He served on the board of directors for the Montana School Board Association, also as chair. Through his work at the local and association levels Storrs was appointed by three separate governors (Democrats and Republicans alike) to three terms on the Montana Board of Public Education, again taking a turn at the chairmanship. His favorite responsibility on that board was attending graduations for the School for the Deaf and Blind in Great Falls. Whether he was mining in Colorado, meeting senators in Washington DC, banging nails in British Columbia, leading a Trinity Church vestry meeting in Jeffers, surveying the DEW Line in Alaska, collecting Navajo rugs in Arizona, playing a mean game of racquetball, or spending the night on a mountain side with nothing but a broken flashlight (you'd be surprised how many times that has happened) Storrs was always up for adventure. He led the life other people fantasized they could lead. His zest for life was infectious and his charm contagious. Perhaps that's why he'd never met a stranger. Storrs is survived by his son, Storrs Bishop IV and daughter-in-law, Laurie Bishop, of Livingston, MT; his grandchildren Storrs (Quint) M. Bishop V, Zoe M. Bishop, and Simon L. Bishop of Livingston; his sister, Florence Bishop Bogdan of Naples, FL; previous wifes, Beverly Oak Bishop of Ennis, MT, Rosamond L. Stanton of Livingston, MT; stepchildren Jason and Angie Hogg, a host of cousins, nephews and nieces; and a large, loving extended family in Livingston. Memorial donations can be made in Storrss honor to the Madison River Foundation in Ennis, or to the Jeffers Episcopal Church. A celebration of Storrss life will take place from 4-6 PM at the Park County Senior Center in Livingston, MT on Sunday, June 28th. A funeral service will be held at his beloved Trinity Episcopal Church in Jeffers, MT on Sunday, July 5th, 2015 at 2:00PM. Reception to follow. All are Welcome. A private graveside interment will be held at a later date.