HE DROVE 1,300 MILES TO SEE GLACIER AGAIN — THEN A ROCK ENDED HIS LIFE
HE DROVE 1,300 MILES TO SEE GLACIER AGAIN — THEN A ROCK ENDED HIS LIFE
Rex Schowengerdt had been looking forward to his trip to Glacier National Park for weeks. The 73-year-old retired outdoorsman had traveled more than 1,300 miles from Missouri with his wife when a freak rockfall suddenly turned their dream vacation into an unimaginable tragedy.
A TRIP HE HAD BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT
Rex and his wife, Chris, were beginning a months-long journey through several U.S. national parks.
Glacier National Park was their first major stop.
Rex had visited the park once before and was thrilled to return.
On July 11, he was riding in the back of a hardtop Jeep with Chris as the vehicle traveled along the Going-to-the-Sun Road near Logan Pass.
Then, without warning, a rock fell from the cliffs above.
It crashed directly through the roof.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
Chris was sitting beside her husband when the rock struck Rex.
His family said the impact caused catastrophic head injuries.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Kalispell, where he remained in intensive care.
Five days later, on July 16, Rex died from his injuries.
HIS WIFE WAS RIGHT BESIDE HIM
For his family, one detail from those final moments has become both heartbreaking and strangely comforting.
Rex’s daughter, Amy Prince, said her mother remembered looking over after the impact and seeing what appeared to be a smile on her husband’s face.
Rex had been incredibly happy to be at Glacier.
He had been excited about the trip for weeks.
And he was in a place he loved.
A LIFE BUILT AROUND THE OUTDOORS
Rex was remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He and Chris had been married for 50 years.
His family described him as someone who loved camping, running and spending time in nature.
His daughter also remembered one piece of advice he shared before the trip:
Stop. Look. Really see what is around you.
That message now carries a painful new meaning for the family he left behind.
EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH, HE HELPED OTHERS
Amid the family’s grief came one final source of comfort.
Rex’s eyes and tissues were donated, and his family later received word that his donation helped restore the vision of two people.
His family says that knowledge has helped them find a small measure of comfort in an otherwise devastating loss.
A RARE BUT REAL MOUNTAIN HAZARD
Rockfall is a known hazard along parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road.
But fatal incidents are rare.
The road had previously seen fatal rockfall incidents, including the death of a 14-year-old girl in 2019.
In Rex’s case, his family described the event as a freak accident — something they believe could not have been prevented.
HE TRAVELED MORE THAN 1,300 MILES.
HE WAS SITTING BESIDE THE WOMAN HE HAD LOVED FOR 50 YEARS.
A ROCK FELL WITHOUT WARNING.
HE NEVER GOT TO FINISH THE JOURNEY.
BUT HIS FINAL GIFT HELPED TWO PEOPLE SEE AGAIN.
Rex’s family now faces not only the pain of losing him, but also the financial burden left by the emergency response and medical care.
Yet they want people to remember something more important than the accident:
He loved his family.
He loved the outdoors.
And he was incredibly happy to be at Glacier.
“DON’T TAKE NATURE FOR GRANTED.”
A vacation that was supposed to create months of memories instead became the final chapter of Rex Schowengerdt’s life.
But his family’s message is not only about tragedy.
It is about remembering to slow down.
To look.
To appreciate the people beside you.
And to never assume there will always be another day.
This post summarizes publicly reported information about the July 11 rockfall at Glacier National Park.
