Photo courtesy of the Go Fund Me page in honor of Owen Murnion
As of Monday morning, donations are now nearing $70,000 for the family of Owen Murnion, who died Thursday during a tragic ranch accident outside of Jordan, Montana.
Murnion leaves behind a wife and 7 daughters.
Our own Shannon Brown of Northern Broadcasting, who also owns a ranch near Jordan, provided this update for the radio Friday:
Folks, we have a sad reminder today that Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations.
Today our hearts go out to the Murnion family of Jordan.
Yesterday, Owen Murnion was tragically killed while unloading a heavy tool bar from a trailer, when it fell on him.
Owen and the Murnion family have farmed in Garfield County for generations.
Owen’s funeral will be Monday, February 16th, 11am at Garfield County High School in Jordan.
Owen was 38 years old and leaves behind his wife Brianna and 7 young daughters.
From the GoFundMe.com website:
Owen Murnion, of Jordan MT, died tragically in a farm accident on February 12, 2015. This man treasured every moment with his family, deeply valued his relationship with God, and was fiercely proud of his community. He leaves his wife Brianna and seven children ranging in age from 15 to 5, including two sets of twins.
I first heard of the tragedy in Glendive on Friday, as the story has broken hearts all across Eastern Montana. Check out what folks from as far away as Broadus, Montana have also done to help out the family during this time of need, as Ed Kemmick reports.
By Sunday afternoon, more than 500 people had donated over $54,000 to the family of Owen Murnion, who died Thursday while unloading farm equipment he had bought in North Dakota.
An especially touching tribute took place Saturday night, during the halftime of the boys’ varsity basketball game in Broadus. Following the lead of Circle fans, who rallied a week earlier to help a Culbertson athlete fighting a brain tumor, the Broadus Lady Hawks went through the crowd with buckets to collect donations for the Murnions.
Owen died on the day his family started calving on their farm and ranch near Brussett, northwest of Jordan. As word of Owen’s death quickly spread, more than 20 vehicles full of volunteers showed up to help the Murnions with their calving. They were not forgotten on the GoFundMe page.