George “Red” Hallas

George “Red” Hallas was called home to our Lord on Dec. 25, 2010.

George was born May 29, 1922 to John and Amy Hallas in Butte. The family moved to Kellogg, Idaho, where his father worked in the mines. George spent the school year in Kellogg and summers in Lima, on a family ranch.

In December of 1941 he volunteered for service and joined the Army Air Corp. where he served his country for many years. In 1947 he married Linda Hlibichuk in Livingston. After living in Billings and Butte, they settled in the Flathead Valley where George worked at the Anaconda Aluminum Plant until 1984 when he retired.

George and Linda continued to work on their farm with a never-ending list of chores that needed to be done. Whether he was fencing or feeding livestock, haying or hauling logs, or on a covert mission for that new piece of equipment he had to have, George always found time for a cup of coffee with the gang at his favorite watering holes — Sykes in Kalispell or the Nite Owl in Columbia Falls. He would go there to solve the problems of the world, create some new ones and gossip about the person that did not show up for coffee that day.

As per his wishes, George moved into the Montana Veteran’s Home in 2006 where he could swap old war stories with his buddies and pinch a few nurses.

His three sons, Gene of Columbia Falls, Ray of Columbia Falls and Brian of Missoula, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, survive George.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in George’s name to the Montana Veteran’s Home Memorial Foundation, Attn.: Tracy, P.O. Box 250, Columbia Falls, MT 59912.

Services were held at Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls on Jan. 3, 2011.