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Obituary
Spud, 93, died February 1, 2023, in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, May 1, 1929. Given his love of the outdoors and the fact that his Dad was a forester, he initially studied forestry at the University of Montana before switching to music. Throughout his life, Spud pursued his twin passions for the outdoors and music. While studying music in college, he was a smokejumper and jumped at Missoula 1949-52, and 1955. An active member of the NSA, he eventually served on its Board of Directors and volunteered to work on campgrounds and trails until he was 90 years old. For much of his life, during summer seasons, he was a National Park Ranger in Glacier N.P., Montana (1960s) and a Mokelumne Wilderness Ranger (1960s-70s) in California. During winter seasons, he was a member of the National Ski Patrol at Boreal Ridge Ski Resort. After college, Spud began his music teaching career in the Missoula public school system. In 1960, he moved to Sacramento, California, and began teaching music in the Grant School District. After many years teaching at Foothill High School, he retired from public school teaching during the 1980s. Passionate about youth orchestras, he co-founded the California Orchestra Directors Association and was a conductor of the Sacramento Youth Symphony. In the 1970s, Monroe and his wife, Betty, moved to Auburn, California. His proudest accomplishments were the founding of the Auburn Symphony and the revitalized the Auburn State Theater. In 2000, he was recognized by Auburn with the McCann Award for outstanding community leadership and volunteerism. Spud, who was an Army Infantry Officer and a Korean War Veteran, is interned at the Willamette National Cemetery in Oregon.
Identifier
De-Jarnette_Monroe-C-Spud_Missoula_1949
Publication Date
March 2023
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: De Jarnette, Monroe C. "Spud" (Missoula 1949)" (2023). Smokejumper Obituaries. 1680.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/1680
