Don E. Groven

Don E. Groven passed away peacefully on Monday, February 16,2026, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, Montana. His wife, Julie, was at his side after spending time with family both in person and virtually. Don was born to Elmer and Ada (Cady) Groven on December 3, 1950, in Havre, Montana.

When don was seven years old, his parents divorced, and his mother moved him, his older brother and his sister to Kalispell, Montana. Don attended school in Kalispell, by high school he had reached the impressive height for six feet and seven inches. He played varsity basketball for the flathead braves, helping his team earns second place in the "Big 32" tournament in both 1968 and 1969 against Missoula Hellgate, Don made a spectacular shot lying on the floor under the basket, scoring two points. He graduated from Flathead High School in 1969.

Don entered Northern Montana College (now MSU-Northern) In 1971 and joined the Northern Lights basketball Team. While there, He met his future wife, Julie (Herington), and they got married on July 1,1972, in Billings, Montana. During the 1973-1974 season, he averaged eleven rebounds per game, a season record at the time. He played basketball for NMC from 1971 to 1975.

In the spring of 1975, don joined the U.S. Navy. He attended A-School at Gret Lakes, Illinois, where he graduated top three of his class. However, when the Navy was unable to honor its part of his contract, he was discharged.

Later that year, Don and Julie moved to billings, where Don began what would become nearly 40 years in the tire business with BLM Tire.

Don and Julie welcomed their first daughter, Brandi, in October 1976, shortly before Don was transferred to Tire-Rama in Missoula. After a year there, he was transferred to Rudyard, Montana. In 1982, the Groven family moved back to Havre, were they welcomed their youngest daughter, KayCee.

In the mid-1980s, Whalen Tire offered Don the opportunity to manage his own store in Havre. He spent the next 30 years with the company before retiring in 2013. Don knew tires more than almost anyone in the region and had a remarkable ability to locate even the most difficult-to-find inventory, including a massive group of tires destined for locations above the Arctic Circle.

Don was always an avid fisherman, but it wasn't until moving to Rudyard he discovered walleye. From then on, there was only one fish in his vocabulary. He became involved with the newly formed Walleye Unlimited (WU), an organization that would become major part of his life.

In 1989, Don presented an idea to the State Walleye board: create a Walleye unlimited magazine. It was a risky Proposition. At the time, the state organization struggled to publish even a newsletter. Don approached Jim Rettig of Big Sandy about making the magazine a reality. Even Jim was skeptical but agrees to help. The first issue was published in April 1991 and featured Miles City Hatchery. Its popularity required three reprintings. The magazine's success helped return the state WU organization to financial stability and strengthened communication among local chapters.

For its first 20 years, Fish Tales magazine was truly Don's baby, he wrote many articles without taking credit, sharing his knowledge and sense of humor with readers. Anglers eagerly awaited each issue to see whether any fishing "escapades" had made it into print. Don preferred to remain behind the scenes and chose to let Jim to serve as the magazine's public face. "Tuba Man" (Doug Grubb) was always onboard to try anything to depict his character's stories. The family extends thanks to everyone who helped make the magazine flourish.

Don also transformed the annual WU banquet from a lackluster beef-and-ham dinner into a delicious fish fry. When Havre hosted a state banquet, barbecued Baron of Beef was added to the menu. After the banquet moved locations the aroma of the outdoor barbecue drifted across town on and east wind, promoting the fire department to check out the smoke and of course the beef.

Don worked hard to make the banquets more family-friendly by including spouses and kids. He brought Walleye unlimited into local classrooms, accompanied by his bulldog, and the fish tales' mascot "Fergus," portrayed over the years by community members including Havre Daily News publisher and the Chief of Police. He initiated the annual Kid's Day, which introduced young people to fishing, boating, conservation and the outdoors. He also helped bring well-known naturalists into local schools.

Don never claimed the accomplishments as his alone. He had tremendous support from fellow club members, but he was instrumental in launching programs that later inspired other WU chapters across the state. He consistently advocated for improving fishing at Fresno Reservoir, often challenging decisions made by Montana Fish, Wildlife&Parks and the DNRC. He closely followed fish management and stocking plans and possessed a knowledge of the reservoir that rivaled, or exceeded, that of many biologists and wardens. Fresno was both one of his greatest passions and one of his greatest frustrations. In recognitions of his persistence, he was once humorously presented with a gift certificate from FWP for the services of Jack Kevorkian. If you know, you know.

When a person dies, they do not automatically become a saint, you either liked/loved Don or you hated him, sometimes both. He fought for what he believed in, and he believed in Fresno.

Dons' health declined during the last five years of his life. He deeply missed fishing. Though he was able to enjoy a few final trips to Devils Lake, North Dakota; Fort Peck; and Nelson Reservoir. Now he is fishing again with his ol' buddies.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Jean Buchholz, and brother in-law, Ken Buchholz; his brother, Roger Cain; His triplet daughters, Ariel, Beth, and Carol; and his granddaughter, Morgaine.

He Is survived by his wife of 54 years, Julie; daughters, Brandi, (Sean) Alcorn and Kaycee Groven; grandchild Harley Maxwell, Cole Womack, Rhianna Ollinger, and Kobe Belcourt; great granddaughters and nieces, Zoey Womack, Kim, Tammy(deceased), Cherie, Tracy. And Lori.

In Don's words: "A person never really dies as long as we keep them alive in our hearts and memories."

A celebration of life will be held at the Walleye Unlimited Pavilion at Fresno Reservoir on June 20, 2026, at 4:00 P.M. Bring your fish stories. Refreshments will be served!!

Memorial donations may be made to Walleye Unlimited or a charitable organization of the donor’s choice.