Dale Witty, 72
Dale Witty, 72, of Buffalo, Wyo., passed away early Monday morning, July 14, 2008, at his home south of Buffalo, surrounded by his wife and children. A celebration of life for Dale will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, July 18, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds community building in Buffalo, with Pastor Marty Rostad officiating. A dinner will be served following the ceremony. A private family interment will take place in the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana.
Donations may be made in Dale's name to the Dale Witty Memorial Fund, c/o Adams Funeral Home, 351 N. Adams Ave., Buffalo, WY 82834.
Dale Ivan Witty was born on April 25, 1936, in Oswego, to Teddy and Edith Witty. As a young boy he moved with his family to Columbia Falls, where he grew up and went to school, graduating from Columbia Falls High School in 1955.
After high school he worked for Al Green at the Philips 66 station in Columbia Falls. He was married on May 3, 1957, to Haroldeen "Deanie" Leighty and they made their home in Columbia Falls.
Dale went to work for Will Warner in 1963 as a log sawyer, where he began his lifelong passion of logging. In 1969 a logging accident persuaded him to begin one of the first confined hog operations in the Flathead Valley. They raised hogs until 1975, when he started hauling gravel for Schellinger Construction.
In 1978 they moved to Trego, and Dale went back into the woods as a logging contractor. In 1983 they moved to Sheridan, Wyo., where he was a woods boss for Bear Paw Logging. In 1987 Dale went to work for Buckingham Lumber as their primary logger.
They moved to Buffalo in 1995, and in 1999, Dale became an over-the-road trucker for Natrona Transfer and Storage. He retired in 2001, but continued his love of timbering by milling lumber for his friends and family. Dale continued living in Buffalo until the time of his death.
He was president of the Montana Pork Producers and was nominated for All-American Pork Producer in 1971. Dale was a 4-H leader, and a 1st Sgt. and nine-year member of the Montana National Guard. He taught gymnastics at the Trego School, was a member of the Old Time Fiddlers and was a member of the Spruce Beetles Band that played for many community events.
Dale loved spending time with his family and being in the woods. He led a very colorful and adventurous life, and will always be remembered for his way with a chain saw or a story, and for his endless devotion to his wife Deanie.
He is survived by his wife, Deanie; two sons, Mike Witty of Buffalo, and Monte and Kathleen Witty, also of Buffalo; and three daughters, Susan and George Schmidt of Whitefish, LeAnn and Stephen Wood of Oakley, Calif., and Carmen Witty and her fiance, John Christian, of Clearmont, Wyo. Dale was also blessed with seven grandchildren.