James Richard Steven

James Richard “Jim” Steven was born September 23, 1946, and passed away September 11, 2026, at his home in Missoula, Montana. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 14, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Chester, followed by a luncheon in the church hall. Arrangements are by the Rockman Funeral Chapel.

Jim attended school K-8 grades in Chester. In 1960, his family moved to their farm in Virgelle. He graduated from Big Sandy High School in 1964. He attended Montana State University (MSU) from 1964 to 1969, participated in ROTC, belonged to Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He was named outstanding cadet at a ROTC summer camp in Fort Polk, Louisiana and later, earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Montana.

In 1967, Jim’s sister Martha Rae, an MSU freshman studying chemistry, died in an automobile accident at age 18. Jim took a semester off from MSU after her death.

During his final year at MSU, Jim met Carol Chauvet of Big Sandy. Carol describes meeting him as “one of the happiest times of her life.” They married February 6, 1972, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Before their marriage, Jim served in the military during the Vietnam War era and was stationed in Germany. After about a year in Fort Collins, Jim and Carol returned to Chester where he began farming. Together, Jim and Carol owned and operated the Chester farm and his father’s farm near Shelby.

Their daughter Lana was born October 14, 1973, and their daughter Samantha was born August 23, 1988. Jim was deeply involved in his daughters’ activities and remained closely connected with them throughout their lives.

Jim became a grandfather with Hannah Rupprecht’s birth in 2009 and welcomed grandson Hans Rupprecht in 2010. He took great pride in his grandchildren, attending Hans’ football and basketball games and Hannah’s tennis matches. He loved sports and attended many Bobcat and Griz football and basketball games. Jim enjoyed having Hannah, Hans, and their second cousins, Whitney, William and Hannah Waddell (William Steven’s grandchildren) help out on the farm by cleaning grain bins, driving tractors, fixing equipment, etc. Jim enjoyed hunting and watching horror and sci-fi movies with Hans and Whitney.

Jim was an outstanding husband, father, grandfather, and brother. He is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters, Lana and Samantha; grandchildren, Hannah and Hans Rupprecht; and siblings, Ida and William Steven. He was preceded in death by his parents, Martha and Rae Steven, and his sister, Martha Rae Steven.