Seeking new adventure

Doug and Pat Gilbertson have their eyes set on doing a bit of traveling.

Following years of volunteering in various areas in the Flathead Valley, they’re hoping to pull back a bit this spring and hit the road. They’ve visited every state in the U.S. save for Vermont and Alaska. They’d also wouldn’t mind spending a bit more time camping at their property on the Kootenai River.

“Volunteering keeps us young,” says Doug.

But it’s also kept them busy.

Doug was a long-term member of the Whitefish Community Center board, involved with the Whitefish Credit Union, a member of the Elks and the Vietnam Veterans of America and teaches cribbage to students at Muldown Elementary. Pat instructs senior exercise classes at the community center, volunteers with Beta Sigma Phi and Sons of Norway. They both are members of the Whitefish Moose Lodge and have been involved with Agency on Aging.

The couple has been married for 56 years and met while Pat was still in high school. Pat was born in Whitefish and Doug was born in Kalispell.

“I saw her around and decided to take her out,” Doug said. “I asked her and she said I had to ask her mother for permission.”

“We’ve been together ever since,” Pat adds.

Doug spent 22 years serving in the U.S. Navy. He was an electrician and racked up 4,500 flight hours.

The couple moved from Florida to Washington and back to Florida, before settling in Maryland, where their two boys attended school, and Doug finished his career.

The family lived in a brick house on the air base in Maryland. It was nice house with a big yard next to a playground.

“We had a Scottie dog that would chase the airplanes from the front yard to the back,” Doug said with a laugh. “I don’t know what he would have done if he’d caught one.”

Doug served as the cook for the crew on long flights during missions on the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The couple both fondly recall the year Doug was charged with fixing Thanksgiving dinner for the crew of 22.

“We go to the commissary store and he is measuring turkeys with a tape measure,” Pat says.

“I had to make sure the turkey would fit in the oven,” he said. “I cooked a complete Thanksgiving dinner. We still cook Thanksgiving for 22 people, but now I don’t have to measure the bird.”

They remained in Maryland working government contract jobs following Doug’s retirement. But a T-shirt in the mail with the word “grandma” on it got them to move back to Montana in the early 1990s to be closer to their sons.

The couple’s two boys are grown and they have four grandchildren.

Though the couple is looking to travel a bit more, they do remain committed to their volunteer work here at home.

Doug is working along with other members of the Vietnam Veterans of America local chapter to bring The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., to Kalispell in September.

The group also raises funds for scholarships for veterans and provide Christmas presents for those living at the Montana Veterans Home.

“We are busy raising money to pay for it,” Doug said.

Of particular importance to Pat is her work with the Moose Lodge. She previously served as the State Deputy Grand, which is an international officer with the Moose service organization. The Whitefish lodge will host the state Moose association convention this fall.

The couple has been members of the Moose Lodge for 27 years. She’s quick to note that the Moose Lodge is more than a fraternal organization and it helps out locally, but also supports Mooseheart, a residential childcare facility for children in need located west of Chicago.

“Our lodge needs new members,” Pat said. “Anyone can join.”