Shirley Witt
Shirley V. Witt, 79, went to be with the Lord on July 17, 2005, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Shirley was born Sept. 13, 1925, in Eureka to Columbus and Kate Clark.
Shirley attended school in Eureka, and in 1942 she married Bob Davis. They had one child, Carol. Bob was later killed in a car accident in 1948.
Shirley married Rodney Witt on Sept. 11, 1949. They were part owners of Tobacco River Lumber Co. where Shirley was the bookkeeper. They sold the mill in 1961 and moved to Whitefish, where they built the Mountain Holiday Motel. They later sold that and purchased the Greenwood Trailer Park and campground in 1972.
Shirley was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church in Whitefish.
In her retirement years, she would try to attend any activities that her grandchildren and great grandchildren were involved in. Shirley loved to try to take trips each year to see her grandchildren and families that lived away from the Whitefish area. Last year, she took her final trip and flew to Alaska to see grandchildren, and while there she went on a train ride to Denali Park and also went whale watching in Homer.
We will miss her deeply but we know that she is in Heaven with the Lord.
Shirley is survived by her daughter Carol Cuffe and son-in-law Tom; five grandchildren, Glenda Carr and husband Jim, Dina Roberts and husband Ryan, Dana Oliver and husband Roger, Bob Cuffe and fiance Julie Hamilton, Katie Mobley and husband Mark; and great grandchildren Lisa, Chris, Becca, Sarah, Mandie, Josh, Jordan, Keaton, Hailey, Conner, Payton and Hudson; her sister Nancy Stallings and husband Barry; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and her best friend for many years, Loretta Fauske.
Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2005, at Austin Funeral Home. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 23, 2005, at First Baptist Church in Whitefish at 6232 Hwy 93 South. There will be a luncheon following at 2:15 p.m. Graveside services will take place at the Tobacco Valley Cemetery in Eureka.
Gladys Carr
Gladys Mae Carr (nee Baker), 98, a longtime volunteer and resident of Whitefish, died June 19, 2005, at Bayview Manor in Seattle, Wash.
Gladys was born March 28, 1907, to Ameilia Bell Valentine and George E. Baker (one of the original architects of Whitefish).
She was a tireless volunteer and a longtime member of Eastern Star, serving as Matron and Grand Officer. She enjoyed being a frequent contributor to the Stumptown Historical Society and the Whitefish Pilot. She was also the first president of the Soroptimist Club in Whitefish and president of the Bayview Residents Council, in Seattle.
Gladys was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Albert E. Carr, in 1969
She is survived by her daughter, Maisie (Merv) Buersmeyer, of St. Louis, Mo., four grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, six great great grandchildren, as well as nieces, a nephew and many friends.
Mrs. Carr always felt blessed to have lived the life she'd lived. She will be missed by all who loved her.
A graveside service will be held July 25, 2005, at 11 a.m. at the Whitefish Cemetery.
Kenneth King
Kenneth Russell King, 71, died peacefully of heart failure at his home in Whitefish on July 12, 2005.
He was born Aug. 7, 1933, in Fresno, Calif., and was raised in Richmond, Calif. He was a resident of Montana since 1995.
"Kenny" served the city and county of San Francisco with a distinguished 32-year career in the San Francisco Police Department until he retired in 1997. As an inspector, he worked undercover in the narcotics and special operations bureau.
Following his retirement, he co-starred with David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino in Jade, directed by William Friedkin. His other acting credits include the film Big Eden and various print and television advertisements. Ken was a member of the Screen Actors Guild until the time of his death.
Ken was easy-going and is remembered for his sense of humor, friendly manner and his comical stories about his many life experiences. It wasn't uncommon, even among those closest to him, to be surprised by a funny story they had never heard before.
Once moving to Whitefish, Ken became a popular figure in the community and enjoyed his job as the Whitefish Lake Golf Course marshal and the head coach of the Whitefish Lake Nude Synchronized Swimming Team (50 and over).
In his leisure time, he enjoyed golf, fishing, building model airplanes and smoking good cigars. On July 28, 2004, only days before his 71st birthday, Ken achieved a hole-in-one on the sixth hole of the Whitefish Lake Golf Course, where he was also a member.
He is survived by his wife Joanna, of Whitefish; his daughters Dyana, of San Francisco, and Stephanie King and David Zilka and their children Hillary Marie and Miguel David; and his son Russell and his wife Rosemary Arosteguy-King, of El Cerrito, Calif.