Chet Hope

Chet Hope

Chet, Carol and Jared Hope passed away Sunday, Feb. 10, 2002, at their home in Whitefish, Mont.

Chet was born August 2, 1945, in Sneek, the Netherlands, the fourth son of Ted and Hilda Hope. The family immigrated to the U.S. In 1949, settling in Ripon, Calif. Chet graduated from Oakdale Union High School and attended San Diego State University. There he met his wife, Carol, and they married in 1969. He attended medical school at University of California, Irvine, and interned at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas. Following a year of traveling around the U.S. in their yellow camper van, Chet and Carol moved to Lusk, where he served two years with the Public Health Service. They returned to California where Chet completed his family practice residency in Redding.

The Hopes moved to Whitefish in 1977 when Chet began his medical practice in Columbia Falls, taking over the practice of Dr. Will Bennett. An active community member and avid outdoor enthusiast, Chet was instrumental in organizing and coaching the Bill Koch Ski League as well as serving nine years on the Whitefish City Council. He was a past president of the North Valley Hospital medical staff as well as serving as a hospital board member.

Openly fond of his patients, he brought a very personal touch to his medical practice. Chet was a passionate fly fisherman who loved to share tales of adventure and huge fish, frequently sharing the location of his "secret lake" with his fishing buddies.

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