Page 13 - Flathead Beacon // 6.4.14

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NEWS
JUNE 4, 2014 | 13

pardo
n
Thre Rives

Bank is

remodeling

to serve

you Bet!

OUR IDAHO STREET BANK
IS OPEN WHILE UNDER
CONSTRUCTION.
Peter Brucato illed his life
with athletic feats, ranging THE NORTH ENTRANCE WILL
from ski and sailboat BE CLOSED BUT THE SOUTH
racing to completing two ENTRANCE WILL BE OPEN.
dozen marathons.
PARK IN FRONT OF THE BANK
COURTESY PHOTOS
OR DIRECTLY BEHIND THE CREDIT

UNION BUILDING TO THE WEST OF
THE BANK.

Brucato’s impressive resume might spend time visiting his three sons, all “You can chuck a snowball to the quad
belong to an adherent of a rigid, inlex- of whom followed in their father’s foot- from our deck, and at night the groomers
ible regimen, but he was even more de- steps as competitive skiers, sailors and start out on that side of the hill,” Rick
voted to fun.
runners.
Brucato said. “He would just have a glass
Rick Brucato recalls how, on Sunday But his health was lagging, and a trip of wine and watch the groomers go up
nights in Milwaukee, following a full day and down Inspo or Toni Matt. It was like
to the hospital conirmed he was sufer-
of skiing at the family’s local ski area, ing from a heart attack; unfortunately, entertainment for him.”
Alpine Valley, the boys would settle into he did not survive it, Rick said.
It was during those years he was
the den for a night of television, relish- “My dad lived a full life but it was dubbed “The Mayor of Big Mountain.”
ing programs like Wild Kingdom and not easy letting go of him,” he said. “I The welcome wagon to newcomers
Jacques Cousteau.
was very thankful to be out in Whiteish each season, Brucato became known as
Setting up TV trays for dinner, the that whole time, but it’s the last thing we the de facto ambassador and source of
boys soon realized the collapsible trays wanted. We wanted to bring him home critical ski beta on the mountain.

were an ideal height for bench jumps, a and keep him going until 100.”
In 2000, when the resort launched
kind of workout familiar to ski racers.
After college, the younger Brucato an oicial ambassador program, Brucato
“Back and forth, back and forth, we spent an entire year living in Whiteish balked.
cleared our good TV trays no problem. with his father, and recalls falling in with “They sort of encroached on some of IDAHO STREET BANK
But we were making noise and mom the local community, and falling in love Peter’s territory, because he would help
looked in to check on us,” Rick Brucato with the lifestyle.
people ind trails and show them where 233 E Idaho St.
recalled. “Dad was also in the kitchen Further conirmation came when he to go. He didn’t want to become an am- Kalispell, MT 59901
and Mom told Dad to go in the den and would watch his father, who was 72 at the bassador, he wanted to be kind of his 755-4271

control the boys. Dad came in and sized time, ski alongside him down diicult own ambassador,” former resort CEO
up the situation. Before long another old- runs, never revealing his age.
Mike Collins said. “So, in a moment of
er, bald, slightly paunchy boy was jump- “Dad had these crazy days where he weakness, I said, ‘well, why don’t we
ing over the TV trays with his sons. Mom would come out to the hill and the lines just make you the Mayor of Big Moun-
looked in at us and exclaimed, ‘Peter!’ in his face would disappear and all his tain?’ Of course I never thought that it
And this is how it went: four boys and body chemistry lined up,” Rick Brucato would stick, but Peter relished it and the
one mom.”
said. “It was part of his DNA. Here’s this next thing I knew he had the nickname MERIDIAN ROAD BANK
552 N Meridian Rd.
Through the 1980s, he visited White- 72-year-old guy and he didn’t look a day stitched on his jacket, and then he made Kalispell, MT 59901
ish only sporadically up until his wife’s over 50. We skied a lot together that win- business cards. We sort of had two am-
death in 1990. The following year, he ter.”
bassador programs; we had the formal 755-5432
purchased his third-story condo in the A strong supporter of the Montana
ambassador program, and then we had
Edelweiss, overlooking Chair 1. After a Special Olympics Winter Games, Peter
the Mayor.”
A Locally Owned,
day of skiing he would relax in the eve- Brucato played a major role in the an-
Just prior to Brucato’s death, Rick Independent Community
nings by watching the groomers rumble nual event on Big Mountain. The family
traveled to Whiteish from his home in Bank Since 1974
up and down the ski hill, sipping wine as has encouraged donations to www.somt.
New Jersey for an annual ritual – spend

the mesmerizing lights tracked across a few days skiing on Big Mountain before org/donate.
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
the snowy expanse.
returning east, where the Mayor would
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