A LIFE ENDS, A GIFT LIVES ON

The Recreational Aviation Foundation is saddened to share news of Agnes “Butchie” Ryan’s passing in the early hours of March 15. Butchie and her husband, the late Ben Ryan had generously donated their northwest Montana airfield property to the RAF so it could be shared with the public forever. The RAF was not only blessed with the gift of land, it was enriched with Ryans’ friendship and their life story.


RAF Chairman John McKenna said, “From the first time I met the Ryans in 2002, until Butchie’s passing these twenty years later, the Ryans were an example of lives very well lived. Generosity and humility are two traits that come to mind.”

Agnes Butchkosky was raised in Jeddo, PA, daughter of a hard rock miner who’d emigrated from Austria as a teenager. Butchie’s mother managed to care for the family of seven in spite of labor strikes. Butchie’s father brought home empty wooden charge boxes for the children to play with. “I turned mine into a desk for my nurse’s station,” she recalled, and following that passion, she graduated from nursing school in 1944.

She was determined to join the Army Nurse Corps, even though she was too short. She piled her hair on top of her head with plenty of hairpins. It made her just tall enough. “Our generation was willing to step up and it was what I wanted to do,” she said.

Butchie was assigned to the hospital ship, Republic to serve the injured soldiers anticipated in the planned invasion of Japan. The ship broke down near the Panama Canal and waited a month for parts. Ben Ryan, a dashing Army Lieutenant flying Lockheed P-38 Lightnings on sub patrol, was stationed at Howard Air Force Base nearby. He’d survived bailing out of his P-38, possibly something they talked about during that blind date that changed their lives forever.


After the War, Butchie was stationed at the Army Hospital in Aurora, CO to treat tuberculosis patients. Following their nine-month courtship, Ryans were married in a Denver hospital chapel on June 8, 1946.

Agnes “Butchie” Ryan, 1922-2022

Ben was honorably discharged and roughnecked on an oil well near Livingston, MT.

Stanford was their home for the next three years where Ben earned his petroleum engineering degree while Butchie worked in the Palo Alto Hospital.

Ben’s career with Richfield Oil began in September 1949, and his duties sent the couple near Bakersfield, then to Wyoming, and Caracas, Venezuela where they left amidst the chaos of a military coup. They transferred to Los Angeles, then to Alaska in 1961. Butchie was cooking moose stew for guests when the 1964 earthquake hit. The whole house pitched and swayed, and they hurried to high ground in the car to avoid a possible tsunami wave.

Ben was responsible for Alaska oil exploration. When his field crew reported promising oil sands near Prudhoe Bay, Ben agreed that Richfield should invest in it, and he and his crew were credited with the discovery of the North Slope oil field.

After retiring, they bought a quarter section of forest near West Glacier, MT in 1966. They built an A-frame home, and Ben designed and built a sawmill from which he sawed lumber to build a shop, outbuildings and hangar where he built several aircraft.

Their land could accommodate a 2,500-foot turf runway, and Ben cleared trees, and filled low spots with a one-and-a-half-yard front loader to create meadow-like Ryan Field, at the base of Strawberry Mountain.

Butchie saw yellow and purple iris growing wild along the highway and took the liberty to transplant a few bulbs around their home. They flourished, and she freely gave bulbs to others so they could enjoy the cheerful Spring color.

In 2005, Ryans began incrementally donating their property to the RAF so the airfield could be used by the public in perpetuity. In 2008, Ryan Field was dedicated at a fly-in and barbecue. The honored couple held hands and enjoyed the camaraderie throughout the June weekend.

Ben and Butchie moved to the Montana Veteran’s Home in Columbia Falls in 2012, and Ben passed away at age 94 in July of 2017. Now when the yellow and purple iris bloom around Ryan Field, it will serve as a tribute to Butchie and her love for the land and its beauty.

Visitors quickly realize that Ryan Field, 2MT1 is a treasure, and are grateful for the opportunity to enjoy recreational aviation in its beautiful setting so close to Glacier National Park. The RAF will be forever grateful for this opportunity to be stewards of the property, and the Ryan Legacy.

A memorial service with military honors was held graveside Tuesday, March 22 at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Columbia Falls, MT.

Butchie was assigned to the hospital ship, Republic to serve the injured soldiers anticipated in the planned invasion of Japan. The ship broke down near the Panama Canal and waited a month for parts. Ben Ryan, a dashing Army Lieutenant flying Lockheed P-38 Lightnings on sub patrol, was stationed at Howard Air Force Base nearby. He’d survived bailing out of his P-38, possibly something they talked about during that blind date that changed their lives forever.

After the War, Butchie was stationed at the Army Hospital in Aurora, CO to treat tuberculosis patients. Following their nine-month courtship, Ryans were married in a Denver hospital chapel on June 8, 1946.

Submitted on March 16, 2022.

Posted in News

    Recent Posts

VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE SEASONAL TASKS AT RYAN FIELD

June 30, 2026
It’s bear grass season around West Glacier, Montana, and nearly a score of volunteers from three different states drove in to Ryan Field June 12-13 to complete seasonal maintenance, and enjoyed spotting the showy blooms throughout the woods. Bear scat was also seen in several places – a reminder that a clean camp protects both campers and wildlife. The airfield remains closed until the new runway grass has stabilized for landing, so watch the Airfield Guide for an announcement that the field has re-opened. As a result, there was no annual Ryan Fly-in this year. Volunteers removed downed trees, cleared and marked hiking trails, mowed around the buildings and part of the runway, cleaned bear boxes, the pilot shelter, cabins, and barn. “We welcomed new volunteers and continue to work hard maintaining the field. We are as eager as everyone for the grass to take good hold so the runway can open again,” Administrative Director Tricia McKenna said. Submitted June 30, 2026

MAGEE, ID FLOOD MITIGATION ASSESSMENT BEGINS

By lellington • June 26, 2026
RAF President Bill McGlynn met in mid-June with the US Forest Service, Idaho Dept of Aeronautics, and Idaho Aviation Association to evaluate steps to improve Magee (S77) airstrip, 23 nm east of Coeur d’Alene. On the way, Bill picked up Joe Sober, one of two airport engineers from Oklahoma City who have volunteered their professional services, and have been instrumental in creating maintenance and remediation plans on Idaho backcountry airstrips. “The Forest Service engineering teams have too much on their plate just addressing roads, so having this resource to make airstrip engineering assessments and plans is instrumental to resolving challenges on USFS airstrips like Magee,” McGlynn said. The improvement project at Magee has been organized through a Cost Share Agreement the RAF has with the USFS. McGlynn, Sober, Willy Acton of the Idaho Airstrip Network, along with USFS District Ranger Holly Hampton, Don Macintosh of IAA, Dan Conner of Idaho Aeronautics, and RAF Idaho Ambassador George Weaver investigated the sources of flooding that plague Magee airstrip every spring and analyzed means of re-directing the problematic water. Magee airstrip was created in the 1940s by the Corp of Engineers as a hidden fighter base in case of Japanese attack on the western US coast. A dike that was built to channel water away from the runway has eroded over the eighty years. Sober took numerous measurements and will develop a plan to submit to the USFS for approval. Work could begin over the next year or two to recover about 700 feet of runway. “We truly could not do this work without our volunteer engineers and are very fortunate to have their expertise,” McGlynn said. Weaver said, “The airstrip is a real gem, and the restoration work will make it a great backcountry destination.”

TEAMWORK GETS THINGS DONE AT HISTORIC MEDICINE BOW, WYOMING

June 26, 2026
“It was really nice to spend some time with Wyoming folks cleaning up a little piece of history,” RAF WY/UT Ambassador Karen Larson said of the May 30 work party at Medicine Bow airport, on the historic US airmail route. RAF Wyoming Liaison Joe Feiler organized the work and reports that about 15 people with a wide range of backgrounds arrived at 9 am to help. Attendees included RAF supporters, EAA Chapter 420 members, local residents, as well as Lee Cook, Medicine Bow airport board member and town council member.

STEVE JONES

By lellington • June 25, 2026
Steve Jones was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio just an hour from the birthplace of aviation. He fell in love with airplanes at an early age and has been flying ever since. That passion grew exponentially when he landed off-airport in a tailwheel airplane for the first time and discovered the world of backcountry aviation. He first encountered the RAF while attending a “Peaks to Pavement” seminar in 2019, where he met Ohio State Liaison Christine Mortine. Since that time he has enjoyed supporting the RAF including getting his hands dirty helping with campsite improvements at Noble County Airport. He has also supported technology projects for the HQ team and RAF volunteers. As a State Liaison for Ohio he will be focused on initiating new grant projects, adding more recreational airports in Ohio to the RAF Airfield Guide, and increasing RAF engagement and collaboration. Steve is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a BA in Aviation Management and is a loyal Ohio State Buckeyes football fan. He works in Flight Operations for a large private aviation company where he has worked for the past twenty years. He resides in Pickerington, Ohio with his wife Kasey who is also an aviation enthusiast. Steve can be reached at sjones@theraf.org (614) 353-8895 

RAF VOLUNTEER STEVE JONES STEPS INTO OHIO RAF LIAISON ROLE

By lellington • June 25, 2026
Joining RAF Ohio Liaison Christine Mortine is Steve Jones, who is stepping into a Liaison role from having volunteered on RAF technology projects. Raised in Columbus, Ohio just an hour from the birthplace of aviation, Steve fell in love with airplanes at an early age. That passion grew exponentially when he discovered the world of backcountry aviation. He first encountered the RAF while attending a “Peaks to Pavement” seminar in 2019, where he met Christine. Since then, he has enjoyed supporting the RAF by helping on campsite improvements at Noble County Airport. As a new Ohio Liaison, he will focus on initiating new grant projects, adding more recreational airports in Ohio to the RAF Airfield Guide, and increasing RAF engagement and collaboration. Steve is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in Aviation Management and is a loyal Ohio State Buckeyes football fan. For the last twenty years, he has worked in Flight Operations for a large private aviation company. He resides in Pickerington, Ohio with his wife Kasey who is also an aviation enthusiast. Steve can be reached at sjones@theraf.org