Bricklayer still strong at 100

Ray Nelsen has a handshake as solid as the brick buildings he helped build in the Flathead Valley.

He celebrated his 100th birthday Monday with family and friends at Buffalo Hill Terrace. His secret to longevity sat by his side: his 89-year-old wife Eileen.

"She's an angel as far as I'm concerned," he said. "And she has been ever since the day I stooped down and kissed her."

He credits his wife with keeping him on his feet and walking even though macular degeneration has taken much of his eyesight in recent years.

Their rock-solid marriage provided a safe harbor as they weathered adversities like his blindness and some health issues she faced recently. Their teamwork emerges as they piece together highlights of his long life.

"He was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, in 1905," Eileen said with a laugh.

He was the youngest of three children and is the last surviving member of the family.

When Ray was just 5, his father died. The young family had just moved to a homestead on the border of Nebraska and Wyoming.

"He was a bricklayer," Ray said. "At that time, they were building a lot of depots."

With the breadwinner gone, the family was split up with one brother going to live with an uncle. At times, Ray lived with the Volunteers of America, a group related to the Salvation Army, when his mother found work and couldn't take him along.

In the past, Ray related to Eileen how he went out with groups to sing on street corners to make Christian converts.

"He used to remember all the hymns they sang," she said with a smile.

Eventually, Ray went to live with his uncle.

"My uncle was a contractor in Mankato," he said. "He was considered one of the largest contractors in Minnesota."

As a result, Ray got a chance to sign on for a three-year apprentice program as a brick mason when he was 16. He moved to a boarding house just one house away from Eileen and her family.

He never missed an opportunity to ask his pretty neighbor if she wanted a ride to school in his Model T.

"Of course, I always did," she said with a laugh.

Eileen was 19 years old when the two married in a simple ceremony in a parson's house more than 70 years ago. It was June 1934 and Eileen recalls the misery caused by the Great Depression.

"I remember walking down the street to church," she said. "Just about every house was vacant."

After the wedding, Eileen returned with Ray to Glasgow, where he had found work due to the building boom surrounding the construction of Fort Peck Dam.

More bricklaying jobs led the couple to the Flathead Valley, where they lived on and off as work was available. Along the way, the couple's family expanded to include two sons and a daughter.

"We wanted to stay in Kalispell but there wasn't enough to keep us going," Eileen said.

During the 1950s, Ray served as the superintendent on his largest job, building the pot lines at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant. He had charge of about 65 men on that job.

Ray also laid bricks for the Frank Lloyd Wright building in Whitefish, which now serves as a professional building. He knew then what history has confirmed.

"He was a real good architect," Ray said.

One of Ray's favorite projects remains Linderman School on the east side of Kalispell. Eileen said he still enjoys driving by the big brick school building.

"He was always so proud of it," she said.

Ray had a hand in building another east-side landmark, the old hospital that became Court House East. He jokes that he can't see so it doesn't bother him that part of the building was recently demolished.

"I'd kind of like to have seen how they undermined it," he admits.

The Catholic Church in Whitefish remains as another monument of his 35 years of bricklaying in Montana.

Ray said he enjoyed working on each one of the buildings but he doesn't regret that none of his children made a career of the Nelsen family craft.

His daughter, Margaret, went into nursing. One son, Ray Jr., built a successful career in real estate after retiring from teaching. His other son, Don, serves as superintendent of Blue Creek School District in Billings.

Ray endorses a college education for young people.

"You bet your life that's important," he said, gesturing with his muscular hand. "Very, very important."

From the wisdom of 100 years of joy and adversity, Ray thought of just two things in life of greater importance.

"Get the right partner," he said with a fond look at Eileen. "And actually mean what you say."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.