One of the victims of the Aug. 1 mass shooting at the Owl Bar in Anaconda was 70-year-old Columbia Falls native David Leach.

Born in Whitefish, Leach graduated from Columbia Falls in 1973. He was remembered as a good athlete, playing baseball, football, track and basketball. He was coached in Little League by his father Don Leach. His passion for basketball was developed under coach Ralph Johnson. He was a three-year letterman for the Wildcats in basketball and also lettered in football and track, according to his obituary. 

“My thoughts and prayers to the Leach family ... Dave was a good friend and teammate of mine while going to school in Columbia Falls! What a tragedy,” classmate Rick Blades wrote in a post on Facebook. 

In a subsequent interview, Blades said Leach was “a very nice guy. He was liked by everyone.” 

A September 1972 photo by Mel Ruder shows Leach catching the first touchdown pass of the football season from Blades against Cut Bank. Leach was a tight end for the Wildcats and the pair were seniors. 

“He was also a good basketball player,” Blades recalled. “Kind of quiet. Very good athlete. Good teammate. Came from a nice family.” 

Leach’s father ran an upholstery shop in Columbia Falls during his childhood. 

Leach attended Utah Technical College in Provo, Utah. He received a certificate in heating and air conditioning. He then worked in that field for several years before working for Caterpillar Inc. in Denver, according to his obituary.   

The shooting, which left Leach and three others dead, made national news after a week-long manhunt for the alleged assailant Michael Paul Brown, 45, of Anaconda. 

Montana authorities have not said what sparked the 10:30 a.m. shooting, which killed a bartender and two other patrons. They were identified as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74. 

Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, said Kelley worked as an oncology nurse before becoming a bartender to fill free time in her retirement and that she was a close family friend who helped Brown's mother when she was sick, the Associated Press reported. 

After the shooting a massive manhunt ensued. It took a week to find Brown, who was taken into custody without incident at 2 p.m. Aug. 8 on a property adjacent to Montana 1 west of Anaconda, the Anaconda Leader reported. 

Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005. He also was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009, according to the Associated Press. 

Leach will be interred at Mt Olivet Cemetery in Anaconda. The family will have a private memorial service at a later date. 

His full obituary is at: longfellowfinneganriddle.com/obituary/David-Leach