Leonard "Pete" LeRoy Maxted, loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather passed away on January 1st in Billings, MT at St. Vincent Hospital.

Pete was born on March 19th, 1938 to Nora (Achenbach) and Wayne Maxted.

On September 26th, 1959, in Big Horn, he married Betty Lee Garrett. Pete and Betty spent most of their young life working for Mullinax on road construction as a traveling finish blade operator. In his spare time Pete raced cars, motorcycles, and snow mobiles. You could usually find Pete at the race track or the bowling alley. When he wasn't doing 90 he and Betty would be tuning on their toys.

In 1960 they started a family and by 1966 they had four children. Pete was a family man who loved spending time together as a family. Together they would go camping, fishing, hunting, bowling, or racing. It didn't matter what they did as long as it was together as a family.

Pete enjoyed running a blade and was one of the best blade operators around. He worked for Kiewit, Decker Coal, and retired from Oftedal. He has had a hand in building most of the roads in Wyoming and took pride in his job.

After retirement Pete found a passion for rocks and hunting for rocks in the mountains. He enjoyed being outside and hunting for wild mushrooms in Canada. He also enjoyed playing pool and loved playing cards. Pete will be remembered as loyal friend and an honest and generous man. He was a devoted husband and father and a loving grandfather. Pete was proud to have passed on his love of cars and the outdoors to all of his grandchildren.

Pete was preceded in death by his son, Cory Wayne Maxted, his parents, his brother, Jack D. Maxted, and his grandparents.

Survivors include his wife Betty Garrett Maxted of Sheridan, daughters and son-in-laws, Bonnie Harper and Rick Howell of Kettle Falls, WA, Dee Dee and Kim Rice of Clearmont, Cindy and Rick Jensen of Neodesha, KS; grandchildren, Shane and his wife Savannah Rice of Sheridan, Tausha Harper of Cheney, WA, Nicole and her husband Cole Cooper of Grand Junction, CO, Brianna Ewing of Neodesha, KS, Whitney Ewing of Neodesha, KS; great grandchildren, Paisley Rice (Shane and Savannah) and Italy Pierce (Brianna and Tyler). Other survivors include his sister Barbra Townsend of CA, his sister in-law Kathie and her husband Gary Grider of Billings, MT, his brother in-law Gary and his wife Meegan Garrett of Tucson, AZ, his niece Michelle and her husband Tommy Tristen and family of Billings, MT, and his nephew Kyle and his wife Cathy and family of Billings, MT.

Viewing will be 11:00am until 4:00pm on Thursday (Jan. 5th) at Champion Ferries Funeral Home with funeral service at 10:00am on Friday from Champion Ferries Funeral Home with the Rev. Bob Miller officiating. Interment will be in Sheridan Municipal Cemetery. Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

SheridanMedia.com - January 3, 2012.