Byron Whitcomb
Byron Taylor Whitcomb died June 19, 2010, at Fort Polk Army Base, La.
He was born in Missoula on Dec. 15, 1988. He attended high school in his hometown of Whitefish and went on to join the Army in June 2009 to live his dreams and provide a good life for himself and his family.
Byron was stationed at Fort Polk, La., as a Private First Class in Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light). He was looking forward to deploying to Afghanistan as part of a Blackhawk Company in the fall. Byron had applied with the Ranger school and was accepted.
He loved baseball, football, basketball, hockey, hunting, fishing, laughter and being first with his family. He had a huge heart made of gold as true as they come. He excelled to be the best at everything he did and had talent that did not go unnoticed.
Byron was always driven and ambitious, always working hard for everything he had. He loved to have a good time with his friends and make people laugh. He was a wonderful husband, father and son who made the ultimate sacrifice.
He was preceded in death by his grandmother Helen Miscampbell, grandfather Maurice "Jim" Miscampbell and uncles James Miscampbell and Robert Miscampbell.
Surviving him are his daughter Kendal-Marie Whitcomb; wife Lindsey Whitcomb; mother Billy Eisinger; father Jim Whitcomb; mother-in-law Linda Stacy; and father-in-law Willie Stacy.
A celebration of Byron's life will take place at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish on Friday, July 2, 2010, at 10 a.m. Full military honors will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens. The family asks people who attend to wear colorful attire (no black).
In honor of Byron's memory, a memorial account in Kendal-Marie's name has been established at Park Side Federal Credit Union.
Dennis Peterman
Dennis William Peterman, 59, unexpectedly passed away on June 2, 2010, in Peoria, Ariz. A loving father, brother, son and friend, he will be fondly remembered and dearly missed.
Dennis was born on Feb. 8, 1951, to BJ and Marceen Peterman in Whitefish. He grew up in Whitefish, where he attended school and excelled at sports, particularly basketball. He played for the Whitefish Bulldogs as they took the state championship in 1970, the same year he graduated.
After high school, he joined and served in the Navy until 1972. Upon his return, he attended and played basketball at Eastern Montana College in Billings. He also went on to play basketball at Saint Paul Bible College in Minnesota.
While getting knee surgery, he met a nurse, Karen Erdmann, whom he married on June 5, 1976, the mother to his three children.
Dennis was a member of Evergreen Alliance Church for 20 years, where he participated in the children's ministry. He loved to visit Glacier National Park in the summertime, where he would spend weekends camping and hiking with his family.
He worked at Plum Creek in Columbia Falls for 20 years before moving to Arizona in 2000, where he lived until his recent death.
He is survived by his mother and father; his wife; daughter Alyssa Peterman; son Aaron Peterman, wife Alexandra and their son Austin; brother Dave Peterman and wife Dana; sisters Sharon Howell and Darcy Trostad and husband Russell; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held June 26, 2010, at Glacier Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Dennis Peterman Athletic Scholarship at First Interstate Bank.
Tom McDermott
Thomas A. McDermott, 72, passed away suddenly from a heart attack on Saturday, June 12, 2010, at his home in Kalispell.
Tom lived a full and happy life. Following his honorable service in the Army, he married Judy Troy. Together they raised their three daughters, Theresa Kerzman, Lorraine Fox and Valerie Rao in the New Jersey area, where Tom worked for RCA. Life transitions caused their marriage to end, but Tom and Judy remained friends.
After moving to the Flathead Valley in 1974, Tom worked for Semitool, Inc., where he met the love of his life, Darlene, and became a second father to Pam Penrod, Jody Hunt, Cristie Hunt and Michelle Reimer, all of Whitefish.
Tom was also employed by Nupac, where he enjoyed working with many friends. After his retirement in 2003, he proudly served his community as a member of the Flathead County Sheriff's Posse. During the summer, Tom relaxed by spending time boating with his wife and family on lakes around the Valley.
Tom and Darlene enjoyed spending their winter months in Port Mansfield, Texas, where they met many wonderful people while attending Port Mansfield Community Baptist Church..
Tom will be forever missed by his wife Darlene, his seven daughters, sons-in-law and nieces Lisa, Donna and Susan. His absence will create a void in the family which cannot be filled. He was devoted to his 20 grandchildren and four great grandchildren, whose lives are eternally changed because of his love and influence. It is fitting to note that Tom died wearing his favorite "Awesome Grandpa" T-shirt.
A private family memorial has taken place. Memorials may be made to africanchildrenschoir.com.
Jeff Young
Jeff Young passed away May 3, 2010, as the result of a windsurfing accident at Three Mile Canyon on the Columbia River Gorge near his home in Hood River, Ore. He was a Whitefish resident in the early 1980s and was a well-known skier and windsurfer.
Learning to ski at four years old led Jeff to a life filled with adventure. His passion for skiing, which he shared with so many young people, will live on in all of those whose lives he touched. Not only a terrific racing coach, he was himself a truly fine ski racer. His other great athletic joy was windsurfing. Among windsurfers, he was widely known as one of the best of the best.
He and his daughter Hannah began spending their winters in Steamboat Springs in 2005 following the sudden death of Hannah's mother, Connie, in 2003. A longtime children's ski racing coach, Jeff worked with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Jeff is survived by his daughter; mother Carole; father Terry and wife Randi; brother Scott and wife Nancy; many family members; and innumerable friends.
A memorial service was held May 7, 2010, in Hood River and May 10 in St. Paul, Minn. Burial took place May 12, 2010, in Gladstone, Mich.
A memorial fund has been established to help Hannah with current expenses and to defray funeral costs. Contributions may be made to the Jeff Young Memorial Fund at any U.S. Bank location or by mail to U.S. Bank, 1309 12th St., Hood River OR 97031.