David Carling Malouf Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

David Carling Malouf, 71, passed away unexpectedly on March 11, 2019 in Fort Collins, CO. He was born in Nyack, New York during one of the biggest snow storms they had ever recorded. He and his family then moved to Missoula, Montana, where his father had taken a position at the University of Montana. He was the youngest of four children, and the family lived in UM faculty housing at Fort Missoula. The stories of the adventures they shared with other faculty families resulted in hours of laughter and great memories at family get-togethers. The family eventually moved to a house on East Fifth Street to be nearer to the U. Dave attended elementary and high school in Missoula. He was part of the first class that graduated from Hellgate High School after the schools were split. He excelled in debate during his years there and was the editor of the school's literary magazine. Dave attended the University of Montana and studied Secondary Science 11-18 Years to become a teacher. He later earned his Masters in Elementary School Administration. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. It was during his university years that he met Michal Hall. They married in 1970. He became an elementary school teacher with Missoula County Public Schools and taught for 37 years. During that time he taught 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th grades at Willard, Franklin, Cold Springs, Lowell, Mount Jumbo, and finally at Rattlesnake. His favorite years were spent as the science and math teacher for the district's program for gifted and talented students at Jefferson School. There, he had the time to develop extraordinarily creative lesson plans designed to challenge the students who spent a half day in his class every week. When he returned to the regular classroom, he continued to use those lesson plans. Most of his students will tell you they remember making beeper boxes and hoping that a Zeeblie would appear in their desks. Though soft-spoken, Dave could be very persuasive. He served on the teachers' negotiating team for several years. He also served on the Lolo School Board and was a staunch advocate for teachers and public education. Outside of teaching, Dave was a gifted artist. He loved to draw and produced beautiful geometric abstractions with pencils and pastels. Eventually, he turned his talents to sculpting in wax and having his pieces cast in bronze. His favorite subjects were birds and other wildlife of the northwest. The C.M. Russell Art Gallery in Great Falls recognized his talent. As a result, he was invited twice to have his pieces presented for the annual Russell Art Auction. That was a serious thrill for him. After retirement, much of Dave's time was devoted to loving and nurturing his grandson, Sulli (Sullivan). They spent hours and hours in the extra bedroom telling "scary" stories and imagining a world that was exclusively theirs to share. Most recently, he helped Sulli design and carry out his first science fair project for which he won first place in physical sciences for the fifth grade at his school. Dave was very proud of Sulli. Dave is survived by his wife of 48 years, Michal, in Fort Collins; his son, Ben (Jessica) and grandson, Sulli, in Butte; his sister, Sydney (Greg) Hulla in Nebraska; brothers Richard in Idaho; and Robert (Judy) in Oregon. He will also be sorely missed by his mother-in-law, Freda Hall, of Missoula and his sister-in-law, Kathleen (Steve) Milo in California. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews (with a few grands thrown in). He was preceded in death by his mother, A. Arlene Malouf and his father, Carling Isaac Malouf. He also leaves behind his ferrets, Badger and Beaner, who will be moving to Montana to live with his son. Dave adored ferrets, and they were a huge part of his life. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Goes Funeral Care in Fort Collins, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society or Montana Public Radio. Arrangements are being made for a memorial celebration to take place in Missoula at a later date.