Dennis Leslie Flath

Dennis Leslie Flath passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, surrounded by family and friends. He issurvived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Linsky, of Junction City, OR (former son-in-law, Ray Linsky of Mesa, AZ), and Sarah Erhardt, of Albany, OR, (former son-in-law, Keith Erhardt of Albany, OR), his 6 grandchildren, Nick Linsky, Marissa Taylor (Robin Taylor), Ren Linsky, Amelia Parks-Larssen (Joey Parks), Michael Erhardt and Rebekah Erhardt (Kobe Baley), and his 2 great-grandchildren, Beau Baley-Erhardt and Sophie Parks-Larssen. He is also survived by his brothers, Lee Flath (Kate Flath), Tim Flath (Gary Mankiewicz) and Greg Flath (June Flath), along with his nieces and nephews, Megan Flath, Otto and Jessica Flath, Brian, Robbie and Michael Davis, and Chris Ferber. He was preceded in death, by his parents, Otto and Leona Flath, his sister Vonceil Davis, and his partner, Sharone Rhoades.

He led a wonderful life as a biologist and as an avid outdoorsman and will be greatly missed.

He was born on December 17, 1941 in Minot, ND to Otto and Leona (McGill) Flath, the oldest of 5 children. He grew up in a small town, Max, in the middle of North Dakota farm country, having a playful youth, spending time on his grandparents’ farm (Großmutter & Großvater). His tenure in the Max School system focused on a pursuit of mischief punctuated by occasional episodes of panic, trying to complete an assignment before the deadline. The only subject that really interested him was biology, especially during the adolescent years, when he began to realize there was more to biology than dissecting stuff. His worst class was English. He had a very kind and patient teacher, whom, in spite of his shortcomings, allowed him to escape with a "D" so he could get on with something more meaningful.

Following high school, the family moved to Puyallup, WA, and he enrolled in a radio broadcasting course at a vocational school in Tacoma. It was pretty interesting for a while, but wore thin in the second year. So, five of his friends dared one another to join the military. Three wimps chickened out and he wound up in basic training at Ft Ord, CA.

His military service took him all over the US, and, all told, he had been to 45 of the 50 states (missing: ME, VT, NH, MD, and DE). After three years of army life (and saving the USA from the Cuban Missile Crisis), he turned to working in a lumber yard in Tampa, FL.

Summer 1964, found him back in Washington, where he enrolled in Pacific Lutheran University with a major in biology. Here, sandwiched between marine invertebrates and entomology, he got involved in drama, and participated is various stage productions during all four years. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1968, and was accepted into the graduate program at the University of Montana in Missoula.

In 1966, he married Helen A. Hosum, of which his two daughters were born, Elizabeth and Sarah.

They later divorced. He completed a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Biology at UM in 1970, and immediately went to work for Montana Fish & Game Department. Eventually, he became the first biologist to establish and lead the Nongame and Endangered Species program. His work was statewide and took him to all 56 counties (a mere 93,000,000 acres). He stuck with that career until retirement in 2000.

Maybe his English teacher made an impression after all. Over the years he had authored or co-authored 77 magazine and journal articles on a wide variety of wildlife topics, and co-authored 2 books on herpetology. He can tell a Thamnophis elegans from a Thamnophis radix at 50 yards with one eye, but he wouldn't know a gerund from an adverb if he met them on the street! Perhaps some things are just more interesting than others.

After retiring from the State of MT, he started doing some consulting work, just to earn a little extra change. The first such contract job was as a wildlife advisor for a BBC film, then a golden eagle project in CO, followed by involvement with energy related issues. Since retirement, he was involved with wind power development, and served as an environmental consultant to the energy industry for about 10 years.

He enjoyed a wide variety of hobbies, most of which involved outdoor activities. Hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, xc skiing, birding, or just plain exploring. Among his favorite pastimes was primitive (pre-1840) camping, buck skinning, and shooting muzzle loaders with the Mountain Men. He even hunted with those things!

He was an amateur historian and had an extensive library of historical literature on the fur trade era (1823-1840) in the Rocky Mountain West. Included in his historical interests was a cartridge collection consisting of about 590 specimens ranging from pre-civil war to the present.

One of his favorite places was Alaska. He visited several times, fishing for everything Alaska had to offer, and collecting multiple souvenirs and artifacts from the locals.

Around 2013, he met a lively new person, Sharone Rhoades, while going to dances at the Belgrade Senior Center. Together, they traveled the West extensively, including Hawaii during the Pandemic! Sharone liked to “keep it moving”, so she challenged him to a new hobby, golf. They would play several times a week, whenever the sun was shining. She kept life fun and interesting until her death in 2023.

In 2017, another love came into his life, Dolly, his Bichon Frise dog (named after Dolly Parton). Dolly was his constant companion, wherever he went, up until his death. The family is very grateful for the love from friends over the years, that have helped out with Dolly, and have given her a good home.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, but especially his grandchildren. The camping, canoeing, & fishing trips with the Linskys, along with the frequent trips to Oregon to see the Erhardts. He loved every minute of it.

A celebration of life will be held next spring and will be announced at that time.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Museum of the Rockies where he was a lifelong member, or to the Ellen Theatre where he and Sharone enjoyed many wonderful shows.