Bill Wieferich, 78

Bill Wieferich, 78, of Kalispell, passed away March 26, 2005, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. After a long struggle with congestive heart failure and cancer he left his circle of family and friends poorer for his leaving, but much richer for having been.

Bill arrived into Frank and Katherine (Meyer) Wieferich's growing family on Oct. 5, 1926. He was the sixth of 14 children. Katherine's sister helped deliver Bill at their family home in Canton, Mont., where Frank and Katherine farmed and ranched. He learned his love of farming from his father that he pursued throughout his life, and passed onto his own children. Bill graduated from Broadwater High School in 1942 while working on his parents Missing Horn Ranch.

He met Grace Fisher while their family was moving from Helena to Townsend, won her heart and they married on July 27, 1951.

He enlisted in the Air Force on March 30, 1951, in Butte. He and Grace spent their first year of marriage in Albuquerque, N.M., followed by a transfer to England. While stationed in England the first two of their four children were born and died in infancy. England remained their home until the end of his tour in 1955.

When they returned to the United States they moved to the Bitterroot Valley, where they farmed for Bill's father. In 1957, they came to the Flathead Valley to begin their own farm, where they remained until Grace's death in 2003.

Nothing was more important to Bill Wieferich than his family. Growing up with 13 siblings made for many adventures and wonderful stories that he enjoyed sharing with his children and grandchildren. Bill could always be found cheering on his kids, and then grandkids; whether it was a "prized" pig in FFA, or the sidelines of a basketball game, he and Grace were their biggest fans.

In addition to being a loving husband and father, Bill was a hard-working farmer and a good neighbor to all. He was a member of the board of trustees of Flathead Farm Mutual for almost 30 years and on the school board for Rousselle School on Lower Valley Road. He enjoyed working and welding in his shop. He could often be found there working on equipment or building some new idea. He always had butterscotch candies in his pocket and all his animal "pals" knew about this habit and begged treats as he went about his farm chores.

He and Grace were founding members of their parish of St. Catherine's of Bigfork. He helped with the planning and landscaping of the church. Wherever hands were needed his large ones were there to quietly help.

Bill lived his final years with his daughter's family in rural Ohio. His love of farming was apparent by his comments during many "field trips" through the countryside. He marveled at the crops, dairy farms and multitudes of hardwood groves in the area. Ohio's plentiful rainfall and bumper crops always amazed him.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Grace; sons, Randall William and Steven Raymond; and his siblings, Frances Glisan, Evelyn Richardson, Franklin Wieferich and Henry Wieferich.

He is survived by his son, Frank, and wife, Rexanne Wieferich, of Kalispell; daughter, Theresa, and husband, Mark Sethre, of Forest, Ohio; grandchildren, Erica (Wieferich) and husband, Jason Burlingame, of Dillon, Trevor and Daren Wieferich of Whitefish, Eli Sethre of Kennesaw, Ga., Erin Joy (Sethre) and husband, Jon Motsinger, of Columbia, Mo., and Adam and Nathan Strash of Kalispell; great-granddaughter, Makaila Burlingame of Dillon; sisters, Mildred and husband, Slim Bucy, of Townsend, Helen and husband, Larry Rider, of Manhattan, Pat Allen of Stevensville, Margaret "Peggy" Miller of Milk River, Mary Anne Mockel of Helena, Gladys and husband, Darwin Younggren, of Great Falls, Eilleen and husband, Gene Erie, of Kalispell, and Gerri and husband, James Higgins, of Ringling; brother, James Wieferich, of Twin Bridges; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

A vigil will be held at 7 p.m. April 8. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. April 9. Both will be held at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Bigfork. Interment will be at 1 p.m. April 11 at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Townsend.