William "Bill" Head

William "Bill" Head, also known as Vern to his family, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish. He had been ill with Parkinson's disease for several years. He was surrounded by family and friends during his last days.

He was born on July 19, 1925, in Sobol, Okla.

On Nov. 4, 1948, he married Harriet Reese in Vancouver, Wash. They moved to the Flathead Valley with their three children in 1955 where he worked at the Anaconda Aluminum Company as a pot line foreman. After 17 years at the plant, he realized his dream of working in the woods and became an independent logger. Whenever logging was slow, he was quick to find work repairing heavy equipment or driving trucks of all kinds.

Bill's sense of humor was well known. His easy grin and dry wit could warm the heart of everyone from highway patrolmen to bakery clerks. Stories told with a sparkle in his eyes never ceased to entertain, even when he was not feeling his best. Family was his top priority. They enjoyed spending time at their cabin on Echo Lake, riding horses, boating, fishing, and taking vacations and Sunday drives enjoying the Montana scenery.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Garland and Beta Head, and a brother, James Elton Head.

Bill leaves behind his wife, Harriet; daughter, Jan Cockrell and husband, Denny, of Shelby; daughter, Linda Post of Scottsdale, Ariz.; son, Jim Head and fiancee, Joyce Fredericks, of Columbia Falls; grandchildren, Amber Cockrell, Kelsey McAlpine, Travis Post, Brandon and Melissa Head, and Amy Fredericks; sister, Wilma Marchant, of Muskogee, Okla.; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at the United Methodist Church in Columbia Falls.