Bruce N. Pfrimmer, 76
Artist and retired railroader Bruce N. Pfrimmer, 76, died suddenly Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at his home on Whitefish Lake. He was born in Great Falls on Dec. 1, 1932, to Robert and Lillian Pfrimmer.
When he was 7 years old, Bruce moved with his family from their ranch near Dupuyer to Whitefish, where he attended school. As a young man, he was well known as a hydroplane racer, as documented by a photo that hangs in the gallery of the Boat Club at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake.
He served in the Army during the Korean War, including duty overseas in Guam. When he returned home to Whitefish, Bruce married Carolyn Payton on June 15,1952. The two celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2002 with a large gathering of friends and family, including their three children, David, George and Jerrold.
Bruce had a 43-year career as a brakeman, first with the Great Northern and then the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. He worked both passenger and freight until his retirement in 1997.
After retirement, he was the engineer on his model railroad that ran around his dining room to the delight of his grandchildren, guests and much-loved budgie parakeets. Bruce also enjoyed playing with the many dogs he adopted and raised over the years.
Bruce inherited the Pfrimmer family's musical and artistic abilities, which he expressed through his singing and virtuoso whistling. He excelled at painting, selling many originals over the years that he created in his Citadel Studio at home. He recently completed a masterpiece he titled "Blue Bison."
His artistry won first place for several years in the Whitefish Christmas decorating competition when the family lived on Kalispell Avenue. Bruce used his woodworking and metal working skills to create figures for the decorations as well as toys for children in his family.
Bruce loved fishing and hunting with his brothers, sons, grandsons and nephew Fred, and loved nothing better than to rib his relatives about out-fishing them in various lakes and streams. He and Carolyn enjoyed several trips to Alaska during which he hunted and fished with his grandsons and son David.
In retirement, Bruce kept busy improving the family home on Whitefish Lake, which he had the vision to build in the late 1960s and early '70s, when others thought he was crazy for moving out to the middle of nowhere.
Over the years, he spent many happy hours enjoying the wonderful view with Carolyn and enjoying visits from his children, grandchildren and great-grandchild, Levi. He also enjoyed Louis L'Amour novels that celebrated the West.
He had hours of fun tinkering in his workshop with the tools he loved and window-shopping for more. He actually managed to build a working backhoe when he needed one to dig a ditch and then put it to good use maintaining the property.
Bruce loved working outside, which is what he was doing "when he was taken to his final home," for which he prepared by attending the First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish. He will be remembered for his friendly smile, kind and generous heart, and by his many works of art cherished by his friends and family.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Carolyn; sons, George and Jerrold of Whitefish, and David and his wife, Mindy, of North Pole, Alaska; grandchildren, Brianna of Whitefish, and Anna, Zachary and Mason of North Pole; great-grandchild, Levi, of Whitefish; brothers, Jack and wife, Emily, of Whitefish, Chuck of Rome, N.Y., and Don and wife, Gail, of Nashville, Tenn.; his nephew, Fred Chase, and wife, Candace, of Bigfork; and many other nieces and nephews across the country.
Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish. Services celebrating his life will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at the First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish, with burial afterward in Glacier Memorial Gardens. After services, friends and family are invited to return to First Presbyterian Church for a reception.