Final Salute

HELENA – John Lester Stemple Jr., 75, of Helena, passed away on Thursday, June 30, 2022, of natural causes.

John was born on March 7, 1947, in Conrad, to John and Marianne (Hurley) Stemple. As a young man he lived with his parents in Helena and was educated in the Helena public schools. After High School, John joined the Navy “Seabees” and did two tours in Vietnam before being honorably discharged on April 19, 1968.

John would return to Helena after serving in the Navy and apply his trade, travelling around the state doing road construction. Later in life, he would try his hand at long haul truck driving and would spend over the next 30 years enjoying the open road and earning a 2-million-mile award from Werner trucking.

In May of 1989, John would marry the love of his life, Cheryl (Susag) Stemple and continue to call Helena his home. John enjoyed many things in life but mostly loved to fish, hunt, play live poker, billiards, and most of all, he loved spending time with friends and family.

John was preceded in death by his parents and older sister, Willa Rose Hallberg.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl (Susag) Stemple; daughters: Stacy (Dave) Sherman, Nikki (Kitch) Walker; and son, Dale (Lisa) Mortieau. He is also survived by his sister, Carol Jean Little; and numerous, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on July 29, 2022, at the Fort Harrison VA Memorial.

Published by Helena Independent Record on Jul. 19, 2022.