BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — A man whose gratitude for his wife's recovery from a serious illness inspired the creation of a 90-foot statue of the Virgin Mary on the Continental Divide overlooking Butte has died of respiratory arrest, Duggan Dolan Mortuary said.
Family members said Bob O'Bill died Sunday in Great Falls, where he had been hospitalized since Friday. He was 83.
O'Bill originally envisioned a 5-foot statute to thank God for his wife's recovery in 1979. His enthusiasm and the work and contributions of many others led to the much larger project being installed on the mountain a week before Christmas in 1985. A helicopter lifted each of four pieces of the statue in place.
"It was the work of many hands, but (O'Bill) made a promise to his wife," Sister Mary Jo McDonald told The Montana Standard (http://bit.ly/2bkEIMo). "I don't think he anticipated a 90-foot statue, though."
People are also reading…
Our Lady of the Rockies statue is open for tours and is lighted at night.
"That night when the lights went on was the greatest day of my life," O'Bill said at the time. "That was pay day. We're elated."
Leroy Lee, who did welding work on the statue, said O'Bill "could get anybody and everybody to help. He had that chemistry to ask, 'Would you donate or help?' No one could say no to him."
O'Bill was a U.S. Navy veteran and retired electrician who also volunteered time at the Butte Emergency Food Bank.
"He ran the back warehouse, but he did so much for us," said Kathy Griffith, director of the food bank. "I don't think I can put into words how instrumental he was for the food bank."
Shawna Gibson said her grandfather "taught me how to love unconditionally all people. He instilled in me compassion. He was a big part of my heart and my life."
O'Bill is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joyce; two daughters, a granddaughter and a great-granddaughter.
"We are all better people in this world to have known Bob," Griffith said. "You'll never find a more generous man. We've all lost a good friend."
___
Information from: The Montana Standard, http://www.mtstandard.com
