Ron Faust was a charming, kind, intelligent, and thoughtful man. He seldom spoke in anger, was fun loving, attentive, and fair, and was genuinely interested in the lives and welfare of other people. Ron recently joined his beloved wife Georgiana Coppedge Faust (1933-2019), passing quietly in his sleep at his home in Billings MT on September 24, 2021.
Born in Forsyth MT on November 2, 1931, Ron was the oldest child of Katherine Minerva McRae, a flapper from Rosebud who owned a beauty parlor, and Francis (Frank) Faust, a Minnesota native and proprietor of the local theater. Young Ronnie grew up watching the films of the 30s and 40s, sweeping up between shows, taking tickets, learning the business, and getting his boyhood pals into the Saturday matinee. (The Roxy Theater still operates today – https://www.roxytheatre.net)
When not at work or school, Ron was likely playing ball with the neighborhood boys. He loved all sports, closely following his Brooklyn Dodgers, taking up golf and fly-fishing, and lettering as a quarterback, third baseman, and point guard for the Forsyth Dogies. In the process, Ron forged close friendships that lasted a lifetime – a pattern he would repeat many times over.
A life-long learner, Ron was equally capable of scholarly pursuits. The valedictorian of his Dogie class of 1950, he graduated the University of Montana with honors in 1954 and was selected president of Silent Sentinel. In later years, Ron wrote an autobiography, enjoyed reading American history and researching the lives of his ancestors.
Ron met the love of his life in 1951, when his SAE brother Jack Coppedge invited him to Polson for golf and teenage sister Georgiana came out to caddy. Primarily conducted on campus and in the old Northern Bar, the courtship began in earnest when “George” came to the U of M that fall. They married on March 3, 1956, forging a 62-year partnership that would take them around the globe. They were in step with one another, and always vivacious on the dance floor!
Seeking a larger life than Forsyth might provide, Ron embarked on a career in international business as a manager of factory accounting for the Firestone Rubber Company. The young couple raised their family in Arizona (grad school – 1957), Ohio (58), Sao Paolo, Brazil (58 – 60), Valencia, Venezuela (60 – 62), Mexico City (63 – 65), and San Jose CA (66), and enjoyed many exotic adventures along the way.
Always, their hearts remained in Montana. Ron launched a new career as a stockbroker in 1967, accepting a position in Billings with JM Dain & Co. At first unsure he was suited to a sales-oriented profession, Ron pursued his goal through years of “bear” markets with the vigor and determination he brought to all his endeavors. Evenings were spent poring over technical stock charts, his days calling on prospects from Miles City to Missoula. Many lives were enriched by Ron’s acumen for investing and he made many friends in the process. After serving as manager of the Billings branch office for many years, Ron retired from Dain in 1997.
Ron was active as member of Kiwanis Club, the Billings Mustang Booster Club, served on the boards of the Yellowstone Club and First Citzens Bank, and supported the Eastern Montana Yellow Jacket basketball program, becoming a mentor to several players. In retirement, he reliably volunteered to help seniors prepare their annual income tax returns.
Ron and Georgiana had cabins on the Boulder and West Boulder rivers where they spent many weekends and summers entertaining friends and family. He enjoyed meetings of the Bull & Bear Club in Billings and annual “Sumus” retreats in Scottsdale. They traveled extensively as a couple and treated their kids and grandkids to multiple adventures to Disneyland, Disney World, Europe, San Diego, Mexico, and Hawaii. Well into their 80s, they regularly drove hundreds of miles for a Grizzly football game. They loved watching their Montana grandkids take the field for the Columbus Cougars, sometimes driving to several towns in a single day. As they spent time in Columbus, they also became well known supporters of that community.
Among the many people that will miss Ron are his sister, Sharon Lincoln, sisters-in-law Gay Federico and Sharon Fulton (Bob); children Steve Faust (“Betz”), Johanna Kern (Joe), and Ronnie Faust (Kay); grandchildren Wilson (Shelby), Charles (Kelli), and Franklin Faust, Brooke Kern, Stephanie Edwards (Jeff), Samuel Faust (Rachel), and Louis Faust; and great grandchildren Thea Delaney Faust, Mara Joy Faust, Archer Duke Edwards, and Quincy Kay Edwards.
A service is planned in Billings on November 6. Memorials may be made to Ron’s favorite charity, Project Hope, 428 East Pike Avenue, P.O. Box 1443, Columbus, MT 59019.
Published by Spokesman-Review on Oct. 3, 2021.
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