Vincent Babe Lidstrom, 74
Vincent "Babe" Lidstrom, 74, passed away Nov. 12, 2005, at his home south of Whitefish, after a battle with cancer. "He was sent to be with Our Lord and Savior" surrounded by all his loving family.
Babe was born on Dec. 5, 1930, in Palermo, N.D., to Carl and Pauline Lidstrom. He was baptized into the Faith Lutheran Church and confirmed. He was an active member and a strong believer in the Lord all his life.
As a boy he attended school in Palermo and enjoyed spending his spare time with his black horse, Neg. He also enjoyed fishing in the White Earth Creek, something that he loved his whole life. As a young boy he was sensitive to his mother and loving to his baby sister, Ginger, who has always held a special spot in his heart. With his brothers, Sonny and Bud, he just wanted to have fun, which makes for great stories when the family gets together.
As a young man he went to work for the Great Northern Railway.
On Sept. 13, 1949, he married Lorraine Rice in Tioga, N.D. They were married for 37 years before her passing on May 17, 1987.
Babe was transferred to Whitefish to work on the Western Fruit as a refrigeration mechanic. There he raised his family of five children on a farm south of town where he raised black Angus cattle. The farm has always been a special place of gatherings on weekends and holidays. All his nieces and nephews held the farm special in their hearts for all the summer vacations spent with Uncle Babe.
Babe was a loving husband, a caring father and a patient grandfather who loved each grandchild in his own special way.
He was preceded in death by his father Carl; mother Pauline; his wife Lorraine; brothers, Sonny and Bud; and grandson, Brett.
He is survived by his sister, Ginger and husband, LeRoy Schmidt; son, Gregory, and wife, Mary Ann, and their children, Karl and wife,Margaret, Amanda, and Greg's sons, Trevor Motichka and Shane Lidstrom; son, Claude, and wife, Linda, and their son, Tyrell; son, Jodie, and wife, Mary, and their daughters, Samantha and Sarah; daughter, Kathy, and husband, Randy Schellinger, and their sons, Matthew and A.J.; and daughter, Heidi, and husband, Mike England, and their children, Aaron, Sarai and Zachary; care giver, Donna Morris, and her husband, Dave; great-grandchildren, Tel, Josey and Quinn Motichka, and Grace Lidstrom.
Babe was loved and will be dearly missed by his family and many friends.
Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. today, Nov. 16, at the Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish. Burial will follow at the Glacier Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Kalispell. A reception will follow for friends and family to celebrate his life at Christ Lutheran Church.
Memorial donations may be made to Christ Lutheran Church Sunday School.