One of the victims of the Aug. 1 mass shooting at the Owl Bar in Anaconda was 70-year-old Columbia Falls native David Leach.

Born in Whitefish, Leach graduated from Columbia Falls in 1973. He was remembered as a good athlete, playing baseball, football, track and basketball. He was coached in Little League by his father Don Leach. His passion for basketball was developed under coach Ralph Johnson. He was a three-year letterman for the Wildcats in basketball and also lettered in football and track, according to his obituary.

“My thoughts and prayers to the Leach family ... Dave was a good friend and teammate of mine while going to school in Columbia Falls! What a tragedy,” classmate Rick Blades wrote in a post on Facebook.

In a subsequent interview, Blades said Leach was “a very nice guy

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