Arthur J. "Art" Lyngstad

by Daily Inter Lake
| February 25, 2005 1:00 AM

Arthur J. "Art" Lyngstad died of natural causes at the Montana Veterans Home on Feb. 19, 2005, after a short illness.

He was born March 28, 1922, in Willow City, N.D., to Ole and Ida Lyngstad, where he resided until he joined the Army in 1942.

Receiving his honorable discharge in December 1945 as a World War II veteran, he returned to Willow City where he married his high school sweetheart, Audrey Charleen Johnston, on March 24, 1946.

They had three children and decided to move to Montana in 1951, originally arriving in Whitefish, working for Bell Telephone, then transferring to the Columbia Falls office. He spent his career as a telephone repairman/electrician for Pacific Power & Light, Northwestern Telephone, eventually retiring from Centurytel. Part of his career took him to Valdez, Alaska, which he enjoyed very much.

Throughout his life his hobbies were packing horses into the wilderness for his annual hunting trips, coaching Little League, golfing, bowling, playing guitar, singing, dancing and camping with friends and family. He also enjoyed watching sports -- track and field, baseball, football, and especially basketball in his later years.

Art was preceded in death by his parents; an infant brother; and also his wife, Charleen, who died Nov. 5, 2002.

He is survived by three children and their spouses, Mike and Vicki Lyngstad of Alaska and Hamilton, Dee and Steve Brown of Coram, and Loree and Ed Cumming of Kalispell. There are seven grandchildren, Dennis, Kim, Michelle, Ryan, DeDee, Amy and DJ; and two great-grandchildren, Kyle and Alyssa. He is also survived by one brother, and four sisters.

There will be private graveside services for the family.

"He will be missed by the people who loved him, but we will always smile when we think about the corny jokes he told, over and over again." (That is, when he could get through them without giggling himself.)

Any memorial gifts can be given in memory of Art to: Arthur Lyngstad Memorial Fund, c/o Montana Veterans Home, P.O. Box 250, Columbia Falls, MT 59912.