Louis C. Dubs, III
Louis C. Dubs, III, of Billings, Montana, passed away on Aug. 6, 2024, surrounded by his beloved wife and daughters, after a sudden battle against endocarditis.
Louis was born on Jan. 16, 1954, in Genoa, Nebraska, to Louis “Louie” Dubs, II, and Gertrude “Trudi” Baumgartner Dubs. Like many immigrant midwestern families, Louie and Trudi raised their children on a small farm, filled with corn and cattle. When Louis was about five, Louie and Trudi purchased a cabin up the Boulder River Valley in Montana, igniting a lifelong love of the mountains within Louis. Louis and his siblings, Christine and Alfred “Fred” Dubs, spent their summers without electricity, subsiding on fish they caught and piles of books from the local Big Timber Library.
From a young age, Louis showed the signs of a hardwired drive to create and build. He was very active in FFA, in which he showed cattle and earned a Nebraska Star Farmer award. He also enjoyed playing basketball and the saxophone. After graduating from St. Edward High School, Louis attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, obtaining a B.S. in Microbiology and Psychology. He then attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Dentistry, obtaining his D.D.S. in 1980. Subsequently, he practiced dentistry in Genoa and St. Edward, Nebraska, during which time he met the love of his life, Kathy Marie Votaw, a small-town ranch girl also from Nebraska.
Louis and Kathy were married on Sept. 2, 1984, in North Platte, Nebraska. They lived on their farm outside of St. Edward, where they started their Winding River Angus cattle herd while Louis continued to practice dentistry. Louis and Kathy welcomed their eldest daughter, Katrina, on March 1, 1987. In 1988, the mountains of Montana called Louis back, thus he and Kathy moved their young family to Billings, where Louis purchased the dental practice from Dr. Jim Hanna. Louis, Kathy and Katrina welcomed the younger of the Dubs girls, Allison, on Dec. 31, 1991.
The 1990s and 2000s were filled with Angus cattle, dentistry, farming and mountain living. Louis enjoyed growing his dental practice, Teddy Bear Dental, where he cared deeply about each of his patients and staff. He strove to make a positive impact on the community by providing excellent care. Louis and Kathy purchased their ranch north of Columbus in 1997 and their farm south of Bridger in 2000. As the father of two active 4-H-ers, Louis was the beef leader of Ruff Riders and City Kids 4-H Clubs. He also stayed active in the Montana Angus Association and Midland Empire Angus Association, with Louis and Kathy hosting multiple Montana Angus Tour stops over the years.
Louis shared his love of Angus Cattle with his girls by hauling show calves around the region and country, taking the family along to the ranch and farm, and patiently seeking their input along the way. A ceaseless worker, Louis taught his family integrity, the worth of hard work and generally how to “figure it out” whenever confronted with a challenge.
A dream of Louis’ was to once again have a cabin up the Boulder Valley, which was fulfilled in 2011 when Louis and Kathy built one. Over the last few years, Louis, with no prodding, instilled his love of ranching and farming into his grandchildren, Reagan Louise Petersen, an avid horse girl, and Rhett Jeffrey Petersen, a tractor-obsessed future farmer. Louis deeply enjoyed his trips to his family farm in St. Edward with his brother Fred, attending Husker Football Games, critically discussing Husker football with his brother-in-law Steve Kliewer, spending weekends with his family at the cabin, and continuing to plan the betterment of the Winding River Angus herd, ranch, and farm for the benefit of his beloved family.
Louis is proceeded in death by his parents, Louis and Gertrude Dubs; and his sister, Christine Dubs. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Kathy Dubs; daughters Katrina (Adam) Petersen and Allison Dubs; grandchildren Reagan and Rhett Petersen, all of Billings; brother Alfred Dubs of Coos Bay, Oregon; and many other extended family members and friends.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 23, at First Presbyterian Church, 2420 13th St. West in Billings. Luncheon to follow. Service will be live-streamed. Interment will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Mountain View Cemetery in Big Timber.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Angus Foundation, 3201 Frederick Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64506 or the Sweet Grass County Recreation Association, P.O. Box 922, Big Timber, MT 59011.
Condolences may be made at www.michelottisawyers.com.
