Excellent Story. I laughed and cried at the same time, in realizing his humanity while reading his story, in particular when reading from the link to the article with his USA Today interview. You gotta love his ever-alive spirit while he faced the knowledge of imdending departure from life on earth, his candid commentary and in particular, reflections on cheating death, reflections on God and the hereafter. I found it interesting that he nasayed talks about God when he was younger when his former wife, Linda, tried to bring this to mind. Upon living through his experiences, it seems like he was able to reflect and acknowledge the reality of a being greater than him, in hindsight. May you rest in peace, Evel, leaving behind a legacy of living each day the best one knows how to, being fearless and finding happiness in that!

There is also a good over-the-phone interview with "Haunted Saloon" on his website. He talks about his past and the things that he's done. He really was a great man underneath that hard exterior. A Montana troublemaker turned American Icon. He will be missed.

The spirit of Butte incarnate! He, like Butte, was one of a kind, the good, tough, indominitable kind. Evel, may you rest in peace (at least as much as possible for a soul/spirit like yours) on this last and final jump! My guess is that he'll be seen jumping in ghostly form for many years to come! Hard to keep a good man down!

Fifty years and one week ago today, I was a UM Freshman making the Seattle-Missoula slog aboard a Northwest DC-3. The flight was up-down rough and the stewardess navigated the aircraft aisle on her knees, while holding on to the seatbacks with one hand. With the other, she lobbed the passengers boxes filled with cuisine later described euphemistically as cold rubber chicken. The plane descended in gradual loops into Missoula, but couldn't land. Visibility there was zero.

That decided, we flew the hump to some place called Butte. The moon was in flood, the night air crystalline, the city covered in ten inches of white stuff, the temperature at least 10 below. Once on the ground, the old Douglas chugged to a small terminal. The pilot jumped out of the plane, ran all the luggage into the terminal, pogo'd behind the counter, and proceeded to hawk bus tickets to Missoula. "We got maybe a fifty-fifty chance (well, maybe thirty-seventy) of landing there, but I'm willing to try. Gotta get back to Seattle tonight anyway."

Most of us took the bus home that night. My impression of the place called Butte? Tough town, best left to tough people.

Bobby's obit in the Mt Standard - a rag that usually argues copy editors are superfluous - appears to have been done by folks from Lee Enterprises, the parent publishing organization.

It's a good, sympathetic obituary which cites reminiscences of Butte locals about their old pal and their old haunts. The city, its mine heads, the Pit, bars, casinos, and people defined Bobby Knievel.

I think he would have agreed.

The service will be held Dec 10 at 11 AM at the Butte Civic Center. Best leave the leathers and Hogs at home: weather's bound to be cold.

It's a tough town.

Hello,

I had a chance to meet and chat with Evel (Bob) in 1969 in North Hollywood, Ca. he was staying at the same place my family was staying on Ventura Blvd. At the time he was recovering from the Ceaser's Palace accident still on crutches.
I have always been thankful to him as I had a 3 yr old son also named Bob that while walking past the pool jumped right in the deep section and went straight to the bottom. Evel was setting in a chair near the pool and without hesitation got up and jumped in the pool and pulled my son out. We as a family have told this story over the years and how grateful we were to him. The ironic part of this is that the son he pulled out died on a motorcycle in November '04.
He was a really great person to talk with and I am sre my son will meet him again in Heaven.
God Bless his Family.

Very Truly,
Evon Habel
Elk Grove Village, Illinois