Rocky Allen Fritz, 65, Belfield, died Thursday, June 15, 2017 in Billings County. Rocky’s Celebration of Life Service will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson, with Chaplain Deb Howie officiating.
Rocky was born on May 21, 1952 to Leslie and Ollie (Smedley) Fritz in Dickinson. He was raised on the family ranch south of Belfield. He attended Rocky Ridge Country School just a few miles from the ranch and attended high school in Belfield and Bowman.
He married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Darlene “Chunks” Schaff on July 28, 1969. To this union two sons were born, Erik Leslie and Jerad Walter. Rocky and Chunks raised their sons on the family ranch, instilling in them their hard work ethics, but also their love of hunting, fishing and gunsmithing. This is something they enjoyed doing together when time allowed.
Rocky, being an avid hunter, was an advocate for helping young kids get started hunting and teaching them gun safety. He allowed many first time hunters to come out to the ranch to hunt their first deer. This created lifelong friendships and great memories over the years. He was a good judge of a persons character and when you become a friend to him, you were a friend for life and he had many.
He was one of the founding members of the Amidon Black Powder Club and was a life member of the NRA. He also enjoyed team roping in his younger years and in recent years enjoyed prairie dog hunting with his cousin, Joe Fritz and hunting with L.K. Lorge. One of his favorite things to do was to hunt and trap coyotes.
Rocky is survived by his wife of 48 years, Chunks Fritz; sons, Erik (Alicia) Fritz and Jerad (Sarah) Fritz; father, Leslie Fritz; sister, Connie (Lynn) Weishaar; grandchildren, Peter Fritz, Madison Fritz and Owen Fritz and step-granddaughters, Beth (Ray) Rembold and Stephanie (Matt) Hanvold.
He is preceded in death by his mother, Ollie Fritz; grandparents, Joe and Lucy Fritz, Bill and Orpha Smedley; father-in-law, Walter Schaff; mother-in-law, Elaine Schaff and sister-in-law, Donna Schaff. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the NRA.
