Philip Thompson Bain, 80, of Missoula, Montana left the trailhead for the last time from his home on Tuesday, September 19th, 2023. He was vibrant, sharp and an epic story-teller until his final days.
Phil was born in Zanesville, Ohio to parents Muriel and J. Herbert Bain. His childhood was one of shenanigans, small-town escapades and keeping up with his older, most mischievous brother, John. Phil had a small army of devoted friends. These childhood friendships forged lifelong bonds and his circle remained fiercely loyal and close to each other even as they became octogenarians. Phil did not utter a word until the age two whereupon he said that he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (Let it be known, Phil ate nothing but peanut butter for the first 5 years of his life!) He studied piano, but missed a majority of classes because he had to “scrim at schree”. This confused his piano teacher, who wasn’t clear whether he had to “swim at three” or “trim a tree.” His first recital piece was “My pet squirrel”. He was also renowned as a crackerjack player at “mailbox baseball”, which was played by Phil, his brother, and friends in the family convertible with a baseball bat.
His childhood home in New Concord was teeming with people, energy, and good conversation. His family often opened their doors to football teammates and classmates.. The dinner table at the Bain household was uproarious and lively. It was a place for conversation, hilarity, Presbyterian hospitality, heated debate and always peppered with guests - actors, athletes, and friends sharing a meal. Phil’s parents, Muriel, a Speech and Theatre Professor, and Herb, the town doctor and Muskingum football team Doc, instilled a strong sense of generosity, grace and community responsibility in Phil. He took their lessons very much to heart and throughout his entire life he was known as a very kind and generous soul - one who went out of his way most days of the week to lend someone a hand or check in on a friend.
Phil attended prep school in Pennsylvania at Kiski Prep School for his final two years of high school. Summers were filled with family fishing trips to Michigan and Canada. These jaunts set the tone for a deep love of the outdoors and a penchant for a good story ‘round the campfire. Phil learned to drive when his father needed to go to Florida to recover from an illness. Having never been behind the wheel of a car, his pragmatic parents decided that there was no better way to learn to drive than navigating the Buick from Ohio to Florida. Philip Thompson Bain, 80, of Missoula, Montana left the trailhead for the last time from his home on Tuesday, September 19th, 2023. He was vibrant, sharp and an epic story-teller until his final days.
Returning to New Concord, Phil began his path as an academic educator at Muskingum College where he was a member of the Stag Club fraternity and followed a long lineage of Bains who had both attended and taught at the college. As the story goes, he was a pre-med major until his golf tee time constantly interfered with biology class. He met his wife, Marleen Apple Bain, as a freshman when they were in chapel. Phil was in the row in front of Marleen when she accidentally hit him over the head with her pledge card as he leaned back in the pew. This fortuitous collision sparked a 54-year marriage! Christy, Amy, and Martin were born while they were at Muskingum and the family of five lived in old army barracks doubling as married student housing. Life-long friendships were made at Muskingum College. Phil coached football and basketball and taught at John Glenn High School in these early years.
Phil’s only brother, John Bain, was a lively and powerful constant in his life, sharing a love of adventure. They both raised young families together in Ohio and, though they each moved to far corners of the US, they regularly herded the whole kit n’ caboodle between Montana, Idaho, and Puerto Rico, ensuring their children had strong relationships with their cousins. The Bain brothers, patriarchs in the finest sense, taught their children that the truest love is family.
After college graduation the family moved to Athens, Ohio, where he completed his masters as well as a PhD in Guidance and Counseling at Ohio University. The years in Athens found the whole family living in the first co-ed dorm on campus where Phil was the Head RA, eating amidst students in the campus dining hall and tearing through the dorm halls on bikes. The sixties were raging in full force at Ohio University and Phil proudly sported an afro and corduroy bell-bottoms. While a full-time student, he also moonlighted at Jim Smith’s farm bucking hay and as a medic at Athens Hospital. Living through the Ohio University/Kent State Riots in 1969, Phil and Marleen knew it was time to move on. It was clear to them that they needed to raise their family elsewhere after a brick was pelted through their window during the riots.
Feeling the call to go westward, Phil and family, with girls clad in gingham and son toting a toy rifle, boarded a plane to Idaho. Immediately upon arrival, the family went directly to a car lot and purchased Phil’s dream car, a brand-new yellow Jeep Wagoneer. After piling the kids into the back of the jeep and hitting the road, he heard shrieking and quickly realized that the metal in the back of the jeep was too hot to sit on. His quick fix was to pull into Tri-State and buy bean bag chairs to toss into the back for the kids. Indeed, the best car ever!
Moscow was a place to make more dear, lifelong friendships, where Phil spent four years at the University of Idaho as the Associate Registrar. Phil taught all the kids and Marleen how to ski at the iconic Moscow Mountain Ski Slope. Rousing everyone out of bed every Saturday when there was snow, he loaded up the jeep, slapped together peanut butter sandwiches and they headed off to the slopes in the jeep. He never minded that he spent most of his day with his gloves off and hands in the snow helping kids put their skis back on and dragging them back onto their feet - he wanted everyone to love skiing just as much as he did. Phil was a daredevil father who made sure his kids got to spend time playing ball, riding bikes, raising pets, and enjoying his love of the outdoors.
In 1973, the Bain family pulled up stakes in Idaho and crossed the border to his dream state of Montana and Phil never looked back - this was home. Big Sky country indeed. Upon arrival, Phil and Marleen quickly bought a house in the Rattlesnake, a Starcraft pop-up camper and two horses named Applejack and Brownie - let the festivities begin!
Backcountry Horseman became a passion for Phil. Signing up for a packing course with the legendary Smoke Elser opened a whole new world of Decker pack saddles, canvas manties, Barrel hitches, and horsemanship that forged lifelong friendships in the Missoula community. Marleen and Phil soon found themselves on week-long treks packing into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, BBQ trail rides, and rides deep into their backyard - the Rattlesnake Wilderness. He wore the hat of president of Back Country Horsem*n for a bit. Phil was always game to call the attendance office if his children were willing to accompany him to the Tuesday horse auctions at the stockyards. Many a horse had the honor of bunking at the Bain’s. Brownie, Blackie, Bingo - Phil’s horse-naming skills were epic...
Phil was one of the original wood carvers on the Missoula Carousel. He spent untold hours carving and enjoying the camaraderie of carvers Chuck Kaparich & Co. Of the many horses Phil helped to carve, American Beauty, was one of his favorites as it celebrated the Missoula Caras family. He also contributed to work on many other ponies including Red Ribbons, Horse, Pal, and Trapper. He collaborated with carving friends to craft the US Forest Service Forest Ranger for the Missoula International Airport, and he created and carved the bench in Caras Park that sits near Brendan’s wave on the Clark Fork River. A quarter of a century after the Carousel was completed, carving on Thursday evenings with some of the original carvers still held a special place in his heart. A totem pole that he carved graces the front door at the Bain home.
It has been said that you would be hard-pressed to find a UM alum that had not experienced a helping hand or kindness from Phil Bain. A 31-year stint at the University of Montana as the Registrar left a long trail of fans. A beloved soul at the university, his committee memberships and awards were many. He helped to create a community and spirit that still vibrantly defines the University of Montana. Post retirement, he continued his ties and fellowship with a dedicated group of former UM administrators, professors, and deans, gathering at the KettleHouse to sip a brew most Thursday afternoons.
Friendships in Montana ran deep for Phil and Marleen and their life was jam-packed: Bridge groups, Meals on Wheels deliveries, Grizzly Basketball and Grizzly Football, fishing, hunting, camping, skiing at Snow Bowl and Marshall Mountain. A dedicated circle of dear friends golfed, cross-country skied, traveled and celebrated milestones together. Phil was a truly fine neighbor, snow-blowing the neighborhood driveways even after knee-replacement surgery. Like his mother, Phil was passionate about travel and he and Marleen journeyed to England, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and throughout the United States. A trip to Prince of Wales Island, Alaska was a special trip the month before he passed away.
The Rattlesnake Recreation Area and Wilderness became the final Bain stomping grounds. The move in 1986 found them living smack-dab across the road from the Rattlesnake Trailhead. Phil and Marleen took thorough advantage of the majesty of the Rattlesnake and were fierce advocates for the wilderness area. Daily life included time in the glorious Rattlesnake. Summertime saw them on hikes with their labs, bike rides, or horseback riding the treacherous trail to Glacier Lake. Winter saw their cross-country skis perpetually propped by the front door so that they could be hopped on immediately after work for a quick ski in the dusky light.
Phil was devoted to his grandchildren and played a large role in their lives. He and Marleen regularly traveled the circuit between Seattle, Reno, and Phoenix to visit children and grandchildren, His humble spirit and adventurous soul lives on in each of them.
A few memories of Phil in the words of his grandchildren: “ I loved to visit my grandfather when I was a little girl because after dinner I got to have “deedirt”. “At Grandma and Grandpa’’s 50th wedding celebration in Hawaii they asked him how they made their marriage last and he said, ‘Just keep on lovin! ‘ It was super sweet and I feel like he treated everyone with that sort of motto - a good rule of thumb.”
“He taught me about the history of basketball and told me stories about Michael Ray Richardson when I would sit next to him at Grizzly basketball games.” “’When I would visit my grandpa he would take me to the Bison Range, mining for rocks, and to the candy store. He seemed to know about everything and he inspired me to learn.” “I will never forget the day we went ziplining at Snowbowl. After that, Phil showed us the bench he carved at Caras Park and that night we all enjoyed a good steak, several glasses of wine and some great conversation. “ “Grand-pa-pa embodied all things a grandpa should be. He was full of jokes and a good hearty chuckle. He always wanted to teach us new things and fill us with knowledge whether that be about animals, wood carving or something he read in National Geographic. I could always rely on his molasses cookies in the red cookie jar or a delicious piece of toast with creamy, NOT CRUNCHY, Jif peanut butter.” “ I can’t help but smile when thinking about his legendary afternoon naps, and notorious love for Red Hook every evening. I will remember my grandpa for his unfailing support and pride in each of us. My grandpa was incredibly kind and always looking to make people laugh.” “I’ll always remember his kind smile around his loved ones and his ability to nap anytime, anywhere."
We miss our father and grandfather dearly.
Phil was preceded in death by his wife, Marleen, and his parents, Herbert and Muriel Bain. Phil is survived by his daughter and his son-in-law, Christy Bain Smith and Michael Smith, his granddaughters Mimi and Violet, his grandsons Nathan and Andrew, and his great-grandson, Kai Philippe of Ellensburg, Washington and Denver; his daughter, Amy Bain, and his granddaughters Elle and Saadiya of Peoria, Arizona; his son and his daughter-in-law, Martin Bain and Mitzi Miller, his granddaughter, Kate, and his grandson, Andrew of Reno, Nevada; his sister-in-law, Marisa Bain of Columbus, Ohio; his nephews Jim Bain (Julie), Stephen Bain (Michelle), Hatuey Infante Castellanos (Marie), JJ Bain and his nieces Ellen Bain, Marie Lourdess Infante Lessells (Doug) Marisol Infante and Maria Bain Ferraro (John), as well as many grandnieces and grandnephews.
