Richard Lynn Isle, age 64, passed away Saturday, September 30th in Bozeman, Montana. He was born in Wolf Point, MT on October 30, 1952 to Roger and Agnes Isle and was the youngest of 2 children. Rick was well known for his strong work ethic which started early, as a paper boy for local delivery of the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Throughout the rest of his youth he continued in the newspaper business, working at the Herald News which was owned by his maternal grand-parents.
Upon graduation from Wolf Point High School in 1972 he attended the University of Montana-Western in Dillon. He was pulled back to the town he loved so much after just one year and took a job at a local service station. In 1975, he purchased that service station and Rick’s Standard “later Ricks Exxon and Rick’s Tire and Service” became a staple in the community. He was proud of the work he and his staff did in serving the citizens of Northeast Montana for the next 29 years.
On June 25th, 1977 he married Michelle (Shelli) DuBe’, of North Saint Paul, MN. In 1980, they welcomed a son, Christopher Lynn. They were joined by a second son, Chase Michael, in 1982.
In 1984, the family added a second business, a bulk fuel plant known as Isle Oil Company. Rick was again proud of the work he and Shelli did in helping meet the needs of the local economy. He was a long-standing member of the Montana Petroleum Marketers Association and served on their Board of Directors at various times over the years.
In 1977, Rick acted on his desire to be more involved in serving his home town and joined the Wolf Point Volunteer Fire Department. By the time he retired from the department in 1997, he had served as Fire Marshall, three terms as Captain, and was an Officer on the Fire Relief Association Board.
He continued to expand his community service in 1985 when he was elected to the Wolf Point City Council as an alderman for Ward 3. He served two honorable terms and was then elected to the office of Mayor in 1993. He was re-elected to the mayor’s office in 1997.
In 1999 he resigned from the mayor’s office to assume the role of Public Works Director for the City of Wolf Point. During his tenure, he and Shelli sold Rick’s Service and Isle Oil Company so Rick could focus on his new role and Shelli could explore other work opportunities. Rick proudly served as the PWD until May of 2017 when he retired due to his rapidly declining health.
Rick was committed to several community service organizations throughout his adult life. At various times he served as a member of the Jaycees, Lions Club, and served as a director for the Wolf Point Chamber of Commerce. He was also a fixture at his boys sporting and school events and some of his favorite memories were supporting his sons at their events. More recently, he was a member of the Montana Essential Air Committee and worked hard to maintain air service in Eastern Montana.
Rick was proceeded in death by his father Roger and mother Agnes. He is survived by his wife Shelli; son and daughter-in-law Chris and Carla Isle of Henderson Nevada; son and daughter-in-law Chase and Sheryl Isle of Bozeman, Montana; grandson Brent Michael, a freshman at UMary in Bismarck, ND; and sister Ruth Ann Boysun of Wolf Point. He leaves behind numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.