Don F. Scoffield, 83, of Three Forks passed away quietly at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings on Monday, September 20th.
Don was born in 1927 in Layton, UT and grew up on a farm, the youngest of 13 kids. He learned to work hard and enjoy life from a young age.
He met his sweetheart Patsy Del Moss as a sophomore in high school. Pat asked Don to a girl’s choice dance and their life together began.
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| October 23, 1946 |
They graduated from Davis High School in 1945 and were married the next year in the Salt Lake City Temple.
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| September 1956 |
The newlyweds headed north in 1949 to work for Don’s brother on the Park Trail Ranch near Toston, MT. An opportunity arose to run a ranch near Three Forks in 1951 and they seized the chance.
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| Scoffield Ranch May 1959 |
They were able to purchase the ranch soon after and have been ranching and farming the Scoffield land outside Three Forks every day since.
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George Brian(1), Ralph Don(8), Bonnie Lou(3) on the horse
Sandra Jean(5) in the front in the Spring 1960 |
Don was a proud husband and father. His sons and daughters learned to work at a young age and everyone was expected to do their part. The combination of farm work and parenting didn't always result in perfect harmony but there is no doubt Don loved each of his children immensely and that they were the pride of his life(just a little ahead of his horses and somewhere intertwined with his grandkids;).
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| Three Forks School Board 1973 |
In addition to ranching, Don worked at the Vet Clinic in Three Forks for 17 years. He also involved himself in the community over the past sixty years serving on the school board, Security Bank board of directors, participating in bowling leagues and attending as many TFHS sporting events as possible, especially when his children and grandchildren were participating.
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Don with Dexter in the 1970s. He caught the racing bug
after taking Dexter to the track. |
Don had a special love for horses from the time he was a boy. In the 70s Don bought a colt he named Dexter and raised him. He showed Dexter at the fair and decided to try him on the race track. This was the beginning of a life-long passion for owning and training race horses; a hobby that Don and Pat enjoyed together for decades.
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LDS church built in the 1950s. The building has served as
the Three Forks Public Library since 2000 |
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the Scoffields helped establish the Mormon congregation in the Three Forks area. They also played an important role in the building of the first Mormon chapel which now serves as the public library on Main Street.
No-one was a stranger to Don Scoffield and if you knew how to talk he’d soon know something about you. He loved to tease and though he’d surely deny it, he was the life of any party. His work ethic, jokes, songs, stories, and friendships are a hallmark to his memory that have left a print on thousands of hearts and that is the measure of a man.
He met his sweetheart Patsy Del Moss as a sophomore in high school. Pat asked Don to a girl’s choice dance and their life together began. 
