John G. Lepley, 89, died of natural causes on May 25, 2018. Funeral services are at 2 p.m. on June 24 ^th in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fort Benton. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery followed by a reception at the Montana Agricultural Center. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Benton Funeral Home. Please visit John's on-line memorial at www.bentonfh.com .

Jack was born June 28, 1928 to John and Margaret Lepley. He graduated from Fort Benton High School in 1946 and from the University of Montana in 1950. Following a brief service in the U.S. Army, Jack taught in the Fort Benton High School system from 1951 to 1993. He was a member of several academic societies and received professional recognition as a Shell Merit Scholar to Cornell University and Montana's Outstanding Biology Teacher. For several years, Lepley was a member of the summer faculty at Purdue University and taught an academic year at the University of Oregon as a National Science Foundation Fellow in Graduate Study.

His local and state community service led to recognition by many including the Montana Historical Society (Trustees Award and Board Member), MT Preservation Alliance (President's Award), and MT Tourism Advisory Council (Award of Recognition). Jack was honored by his Sigma Chi fraternity with the National Significant Sig Award in 2003. He was instrumental in forming the MT Agricultural Center, erecting the Lewis and Clark Statue during the nation's bicentennial, and creating the Shep Memorial. The Levee trail and the Levee signs are also the result of his efforts.

Jack is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sue (Vielleux Nottingham), daughters Pam Jones (Steve) of Helena and Tami MacDonald (Brian) of Billings, sons John (Bonnie) of Las Vegas, Bill (Kristin) of Shepherd and Parry (Sherry) of Boulder, 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant son and first wife Betty (Marble). Donations in his memory may be made to the Montana Agricultural Center in Fort Benton.