Roger Stanley Cruwys

Roger Stanley Cruwys, a celebrated American sporting artist, spent a lifetime capturing the fleeting, golden moments of the great outdoors. Raised in the woods of upstate New York and eventually finding his "Last Best Place" in Bozeman, Montana, Roger’s life was an enduring love letter to the wilderness.

Born on November 8, 1938, Roger grew up in the small town of Wellsville, NY, where he spent much of his youth exploring nearby woods and waters. It was here he learned to hunt, fish, and trap. Early mornings, before school, he’d venture out to check traps he’d set the night before. If he was lucky, he’d catch a beaver or two, and the pelts would put a little money in his pocket.

After graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and, as tensions escalated in the Pacific, was deployed to Japan. Upon completing his service, he was accepted to Syracuse University on the GI Bill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. It was here he met and married Betsy Larsen, and after graduation, the two headed to California, where he earned his master’s from the University of California, Berkeley. The couple moved to Marin County, and Roger joined Anthony M. Guzzardo & Associates, a San Francisco firm specializing in land planning and landscape architecture. Not long after, his daughter Darcy was born. His son Darren arrived 3 ½ years later.

In 1979, Roger would walk away from a successful career to "scratch the itch" of his creative spirit, transforming from a designer of land into a chronicler of its soul. Soon after, in a leap of faith, the family of four packed up and moved to Montana -- the place they had fallen in love with over so many summers -- settling in the town of Bozeman. A handful of years later, the couple divorced, and Roger found himself not only a full-time artist but a full-time single parent as well. He coached his daughter's softball team. He went hunting with his son. He learned to make a mean elk chili. And elk spaghetti. And elk meatloaf. And elk lasagna. So much elk. Roger did not merely paint nature; he lived it. Whether navigating the skies as a pilot, watching ducks cup from a blind, wading through hidden trout streams, or trekking through grouse coverts, his art was born from the dirt, water, and feathers of a true sportsman. His later years were spent traveling the country in his “tin teepee,” beloved bird dogs by his side. His signature style, "Sporting Art,” brought bird dogs, rising trout, and flushing game birds to life with a vibrancy that made the observer feel the chill of the morning mist; the warmth of a Montana sunset; the peace of dancing waters; the beauty of a mayfly. His accolades, including multiple state duck stamp honors, stand as a testament to a man who mastered the difficult harmony between technical precision and emotional depth.

On a windy afternoon, March 29, 2026, Roger peacefully closed his eyes for the last time, taking “The Big Dirt Nap,” as he would say, surrounded by love -- his two children and granddaughter at his side.

Roger’s legacy remains etched in the pages of every sporting journal and book his work graced, and lives on the walls of collectors who see his work not just as a painting, but as a memory of their own days in the field.

He remains a guiding light for those who believe it is never too late to follow the call of the wild.

Roger is survived by his children, Darcy (Paul) of Bozeman, Montana, and Darren (Shannon) of Denver, Colorado; his grandchildren, Maggie, Finn, Greyson, and Courtney; and four great-grandchildren.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.dahlcares.com.