Harold Christian Ebaugh, 89
Harold Christian Ebaugh, 89, of Bigfork past away quietly of natural causes Friday morning, May 5, 2006, with family members at a care facility in Billings.
There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the Fifth Avenue Church in Havre. Also at 11 a.m. Monday, May 15, there will be a memorial service at the Assembly of God Church in Columbia Falls.
Harold was born Dec. 7, 1916, grew up, was educated and began his electrical career with his father, John Andrew, electrifying homes in Malta. He played sports and was very completive and was a good student. Harold experienced the Great Depression as a teenager and developed a strong work ethic and an honest, direct, friendly approach to life.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Harold was working for the Montana Power in Great Falls. He immediately was given essential personal status to maintain the power grid in Montana during World War II.
He married Hilda Eleanor Dragge 'Billie' in 1942 in Great Falls. They moved from Great Falls to Fort Benton to Havre with the Montana Power. In 1945, he answered a newspaper ad for the manager's job at the new rural electric co-op. He went in for the interview, let the board know he was the man for the job, and asked for more money then he thought they would pay. The board hired him in 1945, and he became the first general manager of the member-owned Hill County Electric.
He obtained low-interest loans from the Rural Electrification Administration in Washington D.C., began ordering materials, hiring employees, and building the electric lines that brought lights to the Hi-Line in 1947. Then in 1953, Harold was the force behind the formation of the Triangle Telephone co-op to bring telephone services to North Central Montana.
His wife, Billie Ebaugh, died in 1969.
Harold met Courtney Calver Stoken when she served on the board for InterBel co-op in Eureka. They married in June 1971. Harold continued as general manager until his retirement in 1984. Harold and Courtney moved to Bigfork to the home Courtney designed and they built on the Swan River by the Ferndale Airport.
Harold had a great love of flying and would go up with the barnstorming pilots as a youth. He received his pilot license in 1946 with Walt Hensley as his instructor. He later received his commercial license and low-flying waiver to continue patrolling power lines and transporting telephone men and equipment to remote service areas. He continued to fly after retirement from the Ferndale Airport.
During the years, he was very active in the state and national electric and telephone associations and served terms as president of both. He was active in the community, serving on the Hill County Airport board. He was involved in Kiwanis, the Elks, Eagles, the Masons, and the Lions. In Bigfork, he was involved with the airport board. He and Courtney enjoyed traveling in their motor home and later a fifth wheel, and visited Europe twice, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.
He is survived by his wife, Courtney; son, Jon, and Tina; daughter, Lana Semmens, and Tom of Las Vegas; stepson, Tom Gregoroff, and LuAnn of Laurel; sister, Ann Mae Kinkade, of Malta; grandkids, James, Mollie, Sarah, Amy, Joshua, Mark, Leisa, Michaela and Jared Ebaugh, Scot Semmens and Brandy Gregoroff; numerous great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandsons.