Olaf Peter Erie, 77
Olaf Peter Erie, 77, beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend, "left us to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ" on March 12, 2005, after a courageous 14-month battle with cancer.
Olaf was born on Sept. 29, 1927, to Jacob and Viola Erie on the family farm near Brinsmade, N.D., four minutes after his twin sister, Jordis. He attended a country grade school, near the farm until the family moved to Eureka on Sept. 27, 1937. He finished grade school and two and a half years of high school in Eureka, enlisted in the U.S. Army on Nov. 9, 1945, and served with the 29th Engineers as a carpenter and engineer in the Philippine Islands, He received the World War II Victory Medal and was discharged on Sept. 20, 1948.
He worked for the Great Northern/Burlington Northern railroad as a brakeman/conductor and retired in 1992 after 47 years.
He married Marie Ann Hammons on Dec. 6, 1949, in Missoula. They moved and raised their three children in Whitefish until April 2000, when they moved to Kalispell.
He was a coach and umpire for Little League baseball, active in Boy Scouts, played Santa Claus for the Moose Lodge for many years, served as a mediator for the Railroad Boxcar Association, and participated in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and for Easter Seals.
He was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell.
He was also an active member of the Moose Lodge and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 276.
Olaf was a very hard-working man who loved to laugh. He enjoyed all kinds of sports, especially baseball, and loved to watch his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves.
He also attended high school football and basketball games in Whitefish and Kalispell and watched golf, basketball, baseball, boxing and gymnastics on TV. He was an avid fly fisherman, grew beautiful roses and tomatoes, took great pride in his lush, green yard, loved to play cards, visit with his friends and family, tell jokes and tease everyone.
He loved small animals, was a great dancer and enjoyed all kinds of music. He enjoyed the Glacier Symphony and Chorale and Flathead High School Choir concerts.
He was also a very kind, generous and loving man who brought joy to everyone around him and he will be greatly missed by all who loved him.
Olaf was preceded in death by his sisters, Lois and Marilyn in infancy; his parents, Jacob and Viola; his son, Donald, in 2002; and his wife, Marie, in 2003.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Randy Augusta; son, Jacob Erie and his girlfriend, Sharlyn Vadnias, and grandchild Tanner Vadnias, of Kalispell; sisters, Jordis Swanson and Ardis Checkettes of Kalispell; brother and sister-in-law, Gene and Eileen Erie of Kalispell; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Norman and Irene Erie, of Oak Harbor, Wash.; grandchildren, Russell Devires of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., Cheryl and Willis Brandt of Auburn, Wash., Jada Marie Erie, Jason Brown and Diane Morrison of Tacoma, Wash., Cody Dwire of Napa Valley, Calif., Sonya Peak of Spokane, Amra Erie, Brittney Jo Erie, LeRoy Doty and Ryan Augusta of Kalispell, Jim and Blair Ivy and unborn great-grandchild of Atlanta; great-grandchild, Allison Rose McDonald, of Bozeman; and extended family, Jessica and Dennis McDonald of Bozeman, and Gary Hughes of Spokane; and many cousins, nephews, nieces, and other relatives and friends.
"Thank you for the laughter, Dad, and keep the card game going ..."
A celebration of Olaf's life will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church with the Rev. Larry Stappler officiating. Cremation has taken place and private burial will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1002, Kalispell, MT 59904.
Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family.