Alan Thompson

Alan Trigg Thompson, 86, "made his final transition while under our watchful eyes' on Nov. 9, 2009.

He was born to Joseph and Ovidia Thompson in Crary, N.D., on Oct. 8, 1923. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., in 1941. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and served as a B-25 pilot during Word War II. Upon completion of his duties, he married the love of his life, Garnett Butterfield, with whom he shared 63 rich and wonderful years.

Alan worked for the Pacific Telephone Company in Seattle, and later relocated to Los Angeles, where he and Garnett raised their two children. After 30 years with Pacific Telephone, Alan retired to a life full of activity and time with friends.

He and his wife took up residence on Catalina Island, where he expanded his time commitment to a Christian bookstore, art, photography, writing, inventing and astronomy.

They later moved to Whitefish, where Alan established numerous friendships and continued to dedicate himself not only to his wife but to his hobbies and grandchildren. He collected stamps and edited video, enjoyed gold panning and fly fishing, photographed Glacier National Park and continued to write.

Alan was a man of many talents, though his primary focus always rested on his family. He exuded a quiet peace and kind disposition. As a patient teacher, Alan freely gave himself to all those around him in many positive forms.

He was preceded in death by his wife Garnett; one brother and sister; and both parents.

He is survived by his daughter Janine Perry, of Martin City; son Terry Thompson, of San Diego; grandchildren Todd and Brian Thompson, of Seattle and Columbus, Ohio, and Heidi and Zachary Perry, of the Flathead Valley; and three great grandchildren.

Roland Moen

Roland Moen passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 17, 2009, at his home in Spokane. Wash.

Upon graduation from Lewis and Clark High School, in Spokane, Wash, Rol served in the Army during World War II, earning a Purple Heart.

He married Betty Brudseth on Sept. 17, 1949. They recently celebrated their 60th anniversary, attended by a large gathering of family and lifetime friends.

Rol retired from Wendle Ford, in Spokane, Wash., in 1990. He enjoyed boating, spending time with his family and watching sports, especially his grandsons' soccer games.

He is survived by his wife Betty, of Spokane; son Marc Moen and wife Brenda, of Whitefish; daughter Deidre Jacobson and husband Lance, of Spokane; grandchildren Michael, Aaron, Michalee, Jeremy, Drew and Kyle; great grandson Kolton Hutch; brother Morrie Moen and wife Virginia, of Spokane; niece Molly Beyer and nephew Mike Moen; and other family and friends.

Rol will be interred in a cemetery in Newport, Wash.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Rol's memory can be made to the Heart Association or a charity of the donor's choice.

Betty Brown

Betty Fay Brown, 86, peacefully passed into eternity at her home on Whitefish Lake on Nov. 6, 2009.

Betty was born, raised and lived her entire life in Whitefish. She was proud of her Whitefish roots and appreciated her home town's beauty and the quality of life it offered.

She was the youngest of eight children and attended grade school and high school in Whitefish. Summer days would find her and her siblings swimming all day at the lake or hiking down the railroad tracks to Beaver Bay to pick and sell huckleberries to earn money for school clothes.

Barely 18, she married Glen Brown on Dec. 25, 1941. Rather than go to war, Glen was given a deferment to raise hogs and farm with the help of his new bride, who found herself thrust into domestic action.

She and Glen farmed the Henry Good Ranch on Whitefish Stage Road from 1943 through 1951. From 1951 through 1955, Betty owned and managed Bonnie's Dress Shop on Central Avenue and later worked at the Toggery. She also tagged and graded trees for her husband at the Brown Brothers Christmas Trees yard, shipping as many as 49 rail loads of trees in a single season.

Betty enjoyed an active social life. For 43 years, she played on a women's golf team and a bowling team. She was a lifetime active member of the Whitefish Methodist Church and a member of the Moose Club.

She leaves behind a family that loved her deeply, mourns her passing with great sorrow and remembers the joy, provision, and sincere caring that characterized her love of family. Her legacy is one of great love and care for family. Her children and grandchildren were her world, a focus of constant concern, interest, support and provision.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband and youngest son.

She is survived by her son Richard Brown and wife Margy; daughter Gail Blakeley; six grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; brother William DeVall and wife Eva; sister-in-law Clara DeVall; numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at the United Methodist Church of Whitefish on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, at 11 a.m. with a reception following at the Whitefish Moose Lodge.

Donations may be made to Wings, a cancer support group.

Patricia Christensen

Patricia Ann Christensen, 74, passed away Nov. 18, 2009, at the Brendan House in Kalispell.

She was born Sept. 12, 1935, to Henry Polk and Grace (Rhine) Elam. Pat was a Whitefish native, from birth through high school.

On Oct. 2, 1953, Pat married Frank E. Christensen. She joined Conrad National Bank in 1957, where she worked in bookkeeping, the teller line, escrow department and then in the trust department. When the Conrad National Bank became the First Interstate Bank, Pat continued to work in the trust department. She worked for First Interstate until 1993. She then began working for Escrow Services of Kalispell until her passing.

Pat had a lot of interests to keep her busy, including bowling, traveling, cooking and major power shopping. She enjoyed helping others and meeting new people.

Since 1996, Pat was a loyal supporter of the Veterans of the Foreign Wars and a member of the Kalispell Soroptimist Club and the Women of the Moose. Pat was a very giving person, both financially and personally.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband.

She is survived by her daughter Julie Jensen and husband Doug, of Eugene, Ore.; sons Greg Christensen and wife Teresa, of Salt Lake City, and Chris Christensen, of Sheridan; sister Judy Beecher, of Whitefish; brother Vernon Elam and wife Joan, of Kalispell; grandchildren Megan, Tiffany, Sean, Jana, Joseph, Eric, Kyle, Johnny, Garrett and Jackelyn; and great grandchildren Jonathan and Joseph.

Funeral services were held Nov. 23, 2009, at the Calvary Lutheran Church, with Pastor Kurt Rau officiating.

Memorial donations be made to Brendan House, 350 Conway Drive, Kalispell MT 59901.