Julia Lamberson
Julia Lamberson, 85, passed away at her home in Whitefish surrounded by family on March 29, 2010.
Julie was born in Whitefish on Jan. 10, 1925, the third child of Anna and Ralph Baker. She attended school in Whitefish, graduating from Whitefish high School in 1943.
She married Cloyd Lamberson on June 15, 1945. She was a devoted wife and mother who loved all things domestic — cooking, sewing, baking, gardening, canning, participating in her children's activities and creating a nurturing home for her family.
Julie worked through the years, most notably at the Whitefish J.C. Penney store and Physician's Clinic. She was a lifelong Whitefish resident and spoke often of wonderful times and memories of growing up in Whitefish.
She was a lifetime member of Beta Sigma Phi, Pinochle Club, Birthday Club and the Moose Lodge. She also helped write the "Looking Back" column in the Whitefish Pilot. Julie was a faithful member of St. Charles Boromeo Catholic Church and was a member of the Altar Society.
Julie was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother Ralph, sisters Clara Crawford and Helen Doyle, and grandson Lonnie Lamberson.
She is survived by her brother John Baker, of Whitefish; son John and wife Lillian, of Lacey, Wash., and family Mandi, Luke, Willow and Reuben; son Ralph and wife Susie, of Whitefish, and family Darin, Tara and John; seven great grandchildren; one great great granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews.
Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated April 5, 2010, at St. Charles Boromeo Catholic Church with the Rev. Patrick Patton as celebrant. Interment followed at Whitefish Cemetery.
The family suggests memorials to the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, P.O. Box 221, Kalispell MT 59903; St. Charles Boromeo Catholic Church, 230 Baker Ave., Whitefish MT 59937; or Home Options Hospice, 430 Windward Way, Suite 101, Kalispell MT 59901.
Mona Shook
Mona Ruth Shook, 85, of Eureka, died of natural causes at Kalispell Regional Medical Center on March 28, 2010, with family at her side.
Mona was born March 25, 1925, to Esther Iverson and Joseph Woods in Hibbing, Minn. The family moved to several Montana communities before settling in Browning, where Mona attended grade school.
The family spent several winters as caretakers at Many Glacier, the memories of which were treasured by Mona the rest of her life. Her mother and grandmother were both seasonal cooks at Two Medicine. One of their diners was President Franklin Roosevelt, who complimented the fine cooking with a signed note.
Mona attended high school at St. Matthew's in Kalispell. She married Dick Davis in 1941. He was killed in action following D-Day and buried in Luxemburg in 1945. She married Bill Show in 1946 and then Bob Shook in 1949.
After living in Browning and Cut Bank, she and Bob retired in Eureka, where they bought a home on Glen Lake in 1984. Bob died shortly after, and Mona moved to Whitefish, where she became re-acquainted with Ross Armstrong, a career railroader whom she first met in her school days. She and Ross moved to Glen Lake in 1993, where they have resided since.
Mona was preceded in death by her three husbands, mother, stepfather Fred Knowlton, son-in-law Glenn Moran and daughter-in-law Julie Shook.
She is survived by her loving friend and companion of 20 years, Ross Armstrong, of Eureka; son Rick Shook and wife Carole, of Portland; son Terry Shook and wife Lamar, of Cut Bank; daughter Suzanne Davies and husband Dave, of Payson, Ariz.; daughter Robin Newman and husband Steve, of Eureka; and daughter Karin Ochs and husband Stanley, of Glendive; nine grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends.
Private family services have taken place. A celebration of life is planned for this summer in Eureka.
The family suggests memorials to Mountain View Manor in Eureka or Brendan House in Kalispell.
Robert Swanson
Robert C. Swanson, 85, of Eden Prairie, Minn., passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on March 5, 2010.
Bob was a dedicated employee of 37 years at Northwest Bell Telephone Co. He was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and active at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie.
He was a Navy vet who served in the South Pacific aboard the USS Hornet in World War II. Bob loved traveling, especially to Whitefish, and had a passion for Minnesota Twins Baseball.
Bob's final days were spent in hospice care at home cared for by his daughter Janice. He called her "his angel," and the family is forever grateful to her for helping him live his final days the way he lived his life — with deep faith, dignity and endless enthusiasm for his family.
He is survived by his wife Betty; his children Susan Kimitch, Tom Swanson and Nancy Conboy, all of Eden Prairie, and Janice Swanson, of Whitefish; and many loving grandchildren.
Funeral services took place on March 9, 2010, at St. Andrew Church.
Norman Armour
Norman Armour, 90 , a longtime resident of the Flathead Valley, died peacefully on March 29, 2010, in Vero Beach, Fla., surrounded by his family.
Norm spent the last three months of his life living with his daughter Laurie Armour and dear friend and caretaker Lynda Hall, also former residents of the Flathead Valley.
He was a decorated Army captain during World War II and survived the first wave of the Omaha Beach Invasion in Normandy, France. He successfully founded and owned Armour Exterminating Co., in Palm Beach, Fla.
Norm was an avid fisherman and held several world records in billfish tournaments. He was an avid sportsman and outdoors man, and especially enjoyed hunting, fishing and polo.
Upon retirement, he moved to Whitefish. He was loved by his family and will be missed by all of us. He truly exemplified leaders from "The Greatest Generation" and had a passion for living life to the fullest.
He is survived by his brother Alan Armour and wife Barbara, of Delray Beach, Fla.; sister Edna Warren, of Las Cruces, N.M.; daughters Laurie and Vicki Armour; sons Scot and Norm Armour Jr., and wife Salita; grandchildren Mark Delorme Jr. and fiancee Stacy Gruber, of Kalispell, Adam Delorme, of Breckenridge Colo., Elizabeth VandeVenter, husband Christopher and their son Dax, of Charleston, S.C., Tiana Armour, of Chicago, and Shane Armour, who attends college in Scotland.
A full honors ceremony will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., in June.
In lieu of flowers, remembrance can be made to the Boy Scouts of America at scouting.org. Norman attained Eagle Scout level with Troop 577 of Bryn Community Church, in Chicago.
Loren Kreck
The celebration of Loren Kreck's life on April 17, 2010, has been moved to the Stumptown Ice Den and Saddle Club in Whitefish, starting with the sharing of stories and memories at 3 p.m., followed by a potluck dinner around 5 p.m.
In addition to being a longtime Flathead Valley conservationist, activist and outdoorsman, Kreck was an avid hockey player, He organized early skating opportunities in the Flathead Valley and helped develop the valley's first ice skating rink in Whitefish. Ê
For more information, contact Elaine Snyder at 756-6240 evenings or Dave and Janet Downey at 257-4311.
Dorothy Perry
Dorothy Emmett Perry, 89, passed away March 30, 2010, at her home in Whitefish.
She was born Dec. 18, 1920, in Hobson, the 12th child of Harvey and Lula Belle Rogers. She grew up in Windham.
In high school, Dorothy was active in sports, band, drama club and was the best dancer at the proms. The winner of many blue ribbons at county spelling bees, Dorothy remained a sharp speller at 89 years old.
Dorothy attended Great Falls Beauty College to become a beautician. She met her future husband Raymond Emmett through a foursome date night. They were married June 3, 1939.
Dorothy held a variety of secretarial jobs in insurance and real estate in Great Falls. After living and working in Great Falls for 42 years, Dorothy and Ray moved to the Flathead Valley.
Following Ray's death in 1992, Dorothy returned to the valley permanently. Two years later, she married an old-time friend, Woodrow Perry. Together they traveled, explored and settled in St. George, Utah.
When Woody died in 2007, she moved to Whitefish to live with her daughter and son-in-law. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was always wanting to gain more knowledge and testimony of her beliefs.
She was preceded in death by her parents, two husbands and siblings.
She is survived by her daughter Carole Denning and husband Kay, of Whitefish; son Jeffrey Emmett, of Borego Springs, Calif.; step-daughter Pamela Olsen and husband Steve, of Salt Lake City; grandchildren Scott Hatfield, of Columbia Falls, Shayne Hatfield and wife Kristi, of Columbia Falls, Suzanne Haverkorn and husband Tony, of Belgrade, Shelly Chandler and husband Kyle, of Cedar City, Utah, Nathan and Tina Emmett, of California, and Ashley and Carter Emmett, of California; 13 grandchildren; eight step-grandchildren;; and many great and great great grandchildren.
Funeral services will take place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Whitefish on Saturday, April 10, 2010, at 11 a.m. with Bishop Joel Stevenson presiding.
Interment services will follow at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell at 2 p.m.
Susan Schwarz
Susan Nancy Schwarz, 78, died March 21, 2010, at home in her Zen room with family at her side.
She was born Oct. 23, 1931, in New York City and then lived in California and Montana. Whitefish was her home for 31 years.
She attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, graduating in 1949, and then put herself through Los Angeles City College to achieve a degree in nursing in 1964. She eventually earned her RN and worked as a nurse in California and Montana.
From 1982 to 1992, she was employed at Big Mountain Ski Resort as a ski school instructor, obtaining her Level 2 certification. She was also a Forest Service skiing volunteer.
She worked from 1992 to 2007 at the Violence Free Crisis Line and Flathead Justice Center as a victim witness advocate. In May 2001, Susan was honored by Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath for "providing outstanding assistance and advocacy for victims of crime."
Susan was an amazing, remarkable woman. She was a beloved spouse, mother and friend, a life-long learner and teacher; survivor, warrior, mentor and angel.
She was preceded in death by her adoptive parents, Hubert Charles and Ethel Rausch, and her natural mother, Genevieve Davis.
She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Charles Schwarz; children David, of Venice, Calif., Diana, of Tucson, Ariz., Daniel and wife Jolene, of Whitefish and Missoula, Derek and wife Barb, of Bigfork, Duncan and wife Sally, of Penn Valley and Rough and Ready, Calif., Suzie and husband Frosty, of Victorville, Calif., Scott and wife Ruthie, of Palmdale, Calif., and Glenn and wife Danette, of Medford, Ore.; 19 grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; sister-in-law Nancy Mills and husband Bill; dear friends Anne Moran, Phyllis Shaw, Linda Kuhlmann Wells, Chyral Berney, and William and Carolyn McKinney; and many other friends and co-workers.
A memorial gathering took place at her home on March 27, 2010. Another gathering will be scheduled for this summer.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Home Options Hospice, 175 Commons Loop, Suite 100, Kalispell MT 59901.
Harold Dalen
Harold "Bud" Dalen, 89, passed away March 30, 2010, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.
He was born Aug. 20, 1920, in Watford City, N.D., to Arne and Berthine (Anderson) Dalen.
Bud moved to Whitefish at age one and attended school there, graduating from Whitefish High School in 1938. After that, he worked for the Great Northern Railway at the round house in Whitefish.
He joined the Army in 1942 and served as a railroad engineer in the 759th Engineer Battalion. He began his service in Alger, North Africa, and hauled munitions and supplies to the front lines in the European theater of operations.
That included hauling munitions for "The Battle of The Bulge," a grueling task where he was without sleep for several days and nights. When he finally got to bed at 2300, he thought he had not slept because the clock was still 2300 when he woke up exactly 24 hours later.
After three years of service. Bud finally came home to the bride he had married just before leaving in 1942, Ethelyn Torgerson. They were married for 67 years.
Bud went back to work for the Great Northern Railway and retired as an engineer in 1981. His hobbies included fishing and camping. He enjoyed reading, and he read the Bible cover to cover several times. He enjoyed his friends and would go to coffee in the morning to visit with them. He especially enjoyed his grand children and great grandchildren.
Bud was preceded in death by his son Buz Dalen, brother Ole Dalen and sisters Mary Collier and Minnie Pike.
He is survived by his wife; son Gary Dalen and wife Annette, of Whitefish; grandchildren Paul Johnson and wife Janelle, of Great Falls, Erik Retz and wife Jennifer, of Whitefish, Jeff Dalen and wife Jenny, of Kalispell, and Jim Dalen, of Whitefish; nine great grandchildren; sister Arlene Field and husband Ken, of Kalispell; sister-in-law Sugar Dalen, of Franklin, W. Va.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services took place April 6, 2010, at the Christian Center/Assembly of God, with Pastor Robert Ross officiating.
Bud's favorite charity was A Ray of Hope, P.O. Box 5407, Kalispell MT 59901.