Charles Ray Quimby, 89
Charles Ray Quimby passed away at his home in Kalispell on Aug. 26, 2008, at the age of 89, of natural causes, with his friend, companion and wife of 66 years, Geraldine, at his side. He was born Aug. 11, 1919, to Charlie Jared Quimby and Ollie (Thomas) Quimby in a log cabin behind the East Glacier Inn in Glacier National Park.
His mother's midwife was a Blackfeet by the name of Mrs. Hyde. Ray always went by his middle name so his was not confused with his dad's name, Charlie. He was an only child and his 'family' was his dad, uncles and logging crews in the various horse logging camps and the mills around the Flathead Valley. Consequently, he grew up working the large draft horses of the time. He traveled the valley with his favorite uncle, Steve 'Stud Horse' Quimby, and his two infamous stud Percherons, Nig and Silver.
One of Ray's first 'paying' jobs, as a young boy, was shaving the ice on Lake Five in the wintertime for the Great Northern Railroad, using his uncle's two big horses. Ray went to grade school and one year of high school in Columbia Falls, but to make ends meet for him and his dad, he was forced to work full time and get his education in the real world.
Ray married Geraldine Fothergill of Kila on Dec. 26, 1941. They tried their luck at logging, farming and ranching, but the lure of big machinery, like the big horses and big money, took him into construction.
He and his family traveled extensively throughout the Western United States and Canada, helping erect the steel transmission lines. He was sought after by the major construction companies for his expertise as a crane operator. In his 27 years of construction he had a perfect safety record. Because of that record, he had a work crew that followed him wherever he went. At one time he operated the largest wheeled crane on the West Coast and thus, this career of construction allowed him to be a great provider for his family.
Ray's nurse, at the time of his passing, wrote in his log, 'Ray went to the heavens. He now can walk with the Great Horses and Cowboys that range in the sky.'
Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Ollie Quimby.
He is now survived by his wife, Geraldine Quimby, of Kalispell; two daughters, Rae Ann Quimby of Oregon City, Ore., and Connie Westerholm and husband, Jay, of Astoria, Ore.; one son, Alan Quimby, of the Half Moon Ranch in central Montana; four grandsons, Shane, Jared, Gerritt and Jason; one granddaughter, Desiree; six great-grandsons and five great-granddaughters; one sister-in-law, Irene Loveless, of Libby; and a nephew, Dennis Loveless, of Helena.
A private family interment was held at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for Ray's family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and sign Ray's guest book.