John Francis Callahan Jr.

John Francis "Jack" Callahan Jr., age 80, passed away peacefully surrounded by family, on May 31,
2023 in Denver, Colorado. He was born to John F. and Florence Callahan in Butte, Montana. He is
preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, Joan (Howard), Flo(Joe), Connie, and-in-laws, Jack and Ellie
Lesser, and is survived by his loving wife, Kathy, his sister Sue (Frank), his brother, Pat (Patsy), brother in-
law, Bob, his four sons, Frank (Jen), Paul (Stella), Phil (Shawnett), and Rob (Karri), as well as, his seven
grandchildren, Jack, Maggie, Xander, Kahlee, Zayne, Colin, and Grant. To him, it was also always a
privilege to be a part of a very close circle of extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews and-in-laws.

He was never short for words and always quick with a story to share. John was always social and never
once did he hesitate to lend a helping hand for whatever was needed. He was incredibly generous with
everything that he had. He loved pocket knives, cowboy boots, and target shooting. He listened to western
cowboy music, drank Jack Daniels, and loved the mountains. This man led a life dominated by family,
friends, faith, and adventures in the great outdoors. As a young man, he was a part of a Forest Service fire
crew digging fire lines in the wilds of western Montana. He dreamt of being a professional firefighter, but
settled on becoming a petroleum engineer from the Montana School of Mines. He traveled the globe to
places like Glendive and Cut Bank, MT, Bradford, PA, Tripoli, Libya, Warri, Nigeria, Casper and Rock
Springs, WY, Farmington, NM, Duncan, OK, Vernal, UT, and his home town of Littleton, CO. He kicked
up more dust on the backroads of the western United States than anyone would have thought was humanly
possible. He has climbed a 14'er, driven ocean to ocean multiple times over, and skied in the Colorado high
country. He has scuba dived in the Mediterranean Sea, fed monkeys on his shoulder, and was the first in his
family to go to college for more than a week. He was at his happiest while admiring the Fourth of July
fireworks over the Big M in his parents' backyard surrounded by the beautiful chaos of kids, family, and
friends. He put a lot of miles down, by foot, being led around the neighborhood by one of his beloved dogs
at the end of the leash.

After studying at Butte Boys Central HS and the Montana School of Mines, John went to work for
Halliburton, where he spent his entire career. Starting as a field engineer, he eventually became the Western
United States Regional Technical Tools Manager. If you knew John, you knew, through his stories, about
his time spent in the oil fields of the world. He met a beautiful, whip smart, and adventurous girl in western
Pennsylvania, convinced her to get married, and then promptly whisked her away to the deserts of Northern
Africa. It was a whirlwind romance, if there ever was one. He and Kathy took great pride in their children
and grandchildren and their many achievements. There were so many holidays, trips, weddings, milestones,
graduations, homework sessions, sports, late nights, early mornings, ceremonies, paper routes, birthday
parties, projects, awards, and backyard BBQs. He was always there. He also felt a great sense of
accomplishment for putting his four sons through parochial schools, college, and still managing to retire
early.

He was many things in his lifetime; A son. A brother. A schoolboy. A drummer. A wrestler. An altar boy.
A graduate. A husband. A son-in-law. A brother-in-law. An uncle. An engineer. A mentor. An expat. A
friend. A father. A father-in-law. A manager. An usher. A donor. A volunteer. A grandfather. A patient. A
child of God. But most of all, he was a good ole boy from Butte America.

He left an indelible mark on this world and in our lives and will be missed. He is no longer the story teller.
Now, the stories will be told, by others, all about him. Forever in our hearts, may he rest in eternal peace.

A burial ceremony will be held at a future date at Mountain View cemetery in Butte, MT. In lieu of
flowers, please share a cherished story with someone you love, raise a glass of whiskey to John, "Jack", or
"Jackie", or consider a donation to Montana Technological University, Butte, MT (Class of 1964) or
Catholic Charities of Denver. www.ccdenver.org in his honor