James Baird Allison, 83, passed away in Ennis, Montana, on September 8th, 2026. He wrote his own obituary several years ago: James Baird Allison, only son of Ruth Sullivan Allison and Richard H. Allison

I was born in Watertown, NY, on May 30th, 1943. My biological father was Richard H. Allison. He was a P-47 pilot in the Army Air Corps. On June 5th, 1943, he died in a horrific plane crash while flying back to England after a mission across the English Channel. That sad event occurred six days after I was born. My maternal grandparents were Marge and Edmund Sullivan. My granddad was the comptroller for the Saint Joseph Lead Company, and they lived in Edwards, New York. They spent a lot of time caring for me in my early years when my mother was either teaching or working on her Master's degree at Syracuse University. We moved to Cobelskill, NY, for a short teaching stint, and then my mother took another teaching job in Cortland, NY, around 1949. I attended Alton B. Parker grade school through the fourth grade. I then attended Saint Mary's Parochial School in Cortland through the eighth grade. My final four years of high school were spent at Homer Central in Homer, NY. My mother remarried on September twentieth, 1953. She married Dr. Robert H. Kerr, who was practicing medicine in Cortland. I could not have chosen, nor bought, a better step-dad. He was a wonderful man that raised me as his own and taught me the values that took me through life with a minimum of discomfort. I acquired two half brothers and two half sisters from this union. We are still a close family. Dr. Kerr passed away in September of 1988 and we were all fortunate enough to be at his side at that time. My mother passed away on December second, 2011 at the age of ninety.

After high school graduation in 1961, I attended The State University of New York at Morrisville. I received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Animal Husbandry in May of 1963. I then applied to and was accepted at Montana State University in Bozeman Montana. I drove to Montana in January of 1964 and started school winter quarter. I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business in 1968. While in Montana, I discovered rodeo, fly-fishing and hunting, among other things. I won't expand on the "other things" I discovered, as they would add about fifty pages to this document! I rodeoed competitively in bareback riding and then in later years I competed in team roping. Right out of college I worked for the Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway Montana as the purchasing agent. After three and a half years there, I took a position as general manager on the Jumping Horse Ranch in Ennis Montana. I married Pamela Mosback on August 31, 1973. I inherited two young children with that marriage, Mitchell and Kathrin. I kept this job until the summer of 1988 when I pursued another interest that was dear to my heart. I became a fishing outfitter in Ennis, Montana, and am still doing that today. (He retired from outfitting in 2020). I also have approximately 65 head of beef cows, (he got out of the cow business in 2021) and I am down to one twenty-year-old quarter horse that still tries to buck me off once a year. I love that horse. I put up with that because he is an awful good rope horse and works cattle very well. I also have been a full-time winter employee for the Montana Department of Transportation in the Ennis Section. That job usually ran from mid November to mid April. I did this for nearly thirteen years. My primary responsibility was snowplowing but there were many other tasks associated with this position. My wife works in Bozeman, some fifty miles to the northeast and stays there during the week. She is home with me on weekends and we cherish that time together.

I feel that I have been doubly blessed by the two dads that I have had. My biological father, who gave me the genetics that I needed, and my step dad who gave me the proper advice and guidance that worked in harmony with the genetics. I also learned a great deal from my paternal grandparents, Sam and Rillie Allison, and my uncles and cousins while in my early formative years.

I have done mostly physical work over the years and have been blessed with loved ones and The Lords' bounty. In retrospect, I know that I could not have survived in an office. The outdoors was the only option that would keep me sane. I have made many mistakes, but you can't improve yourself without making mistakes and learning from them.

We live in a rather rural setting, six miles north of Ennis in McAllister Montana, on ten acres. It reminds me a lot of Granddad's location in Farmersville Center. That too, must be genetic. Life goes on.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Richard Allison, Robert & Ruth Kerr.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Pam and children, Mitch, Kathi & Tina. Grandchildren Robert, Allison (Carson), Jadin, Davis & Drake. Brothers Duncan (Colleen), Andy (Gaylene) and sisters Susan & Katherine, as well as several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, September 19th, 2026, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Ennis, Montana, at 11:00 am. A private interment service at the McAllister Cemetery will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Madison Valley Medical Center or the Alzheimer's Association.