Charles 'Chuck' Otho Breeding, 86
Charles "Chuck" Otho Breeding, 86, passed away Thursday, April 23, 2009. Chuck was born on May 14, 1922, one of four children, to Charlie and Annie (Cutbirth) Breeding in Breckenridge, Texas.
Chuck worked in the oil fields and construction for a good portion of his life. He worked as a dozer operator and truck driver for Buddy Lawrence Construction, which took him to North and South Dakota in the early '60s. He later worked for Zook Brothers Construction and Heinz Construction on the new highway above Libby Dam, and then as a batch plant operator during the construction of the dam.
After the dam was built, he went to work for Nelson Brothers Logging. He ran a skidder and dozer for Nelson Brothers for a number of years before purchasing his first Peterbilt cab-over truck with a self-loader. He hauled for a number of local loggers before retiring in 1985.
Chuck met and married Mary Alice (Shorty) in Texas. They had two sons, Charles Jr. and Troy Dean, before divorcing.
Chuck met his wife, Pat, when he worked in the oil fields near Baker. They married in 1963 and moved to North and South Dakota, and finally back to Montana before arriving in Libby in 1965 with their three daughters. Pat passed away in September 1983.
He met and married Wanda Smith on March 21, 1985. After retiring from logging, he and Wanda ran the Town Pump in Kalispell for a short time before deciding to officially retire. They then spent a number of years fishing and camping with a camping club in Kalispell, and then later with good friends in the Libby area.
His parents, his brother Roy, sister Velma and her husband Fred, his sons, Charles Jr., and Troy Dean, and his second wife, Pat, preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Wanda, at their Libby home; his brother, Earl, of Odessa, Texas; his three daughters, Charlene and Marty Williamson of Troy, Susan and John Ague of Libby, and Elna and Dennis Rooney of Libby; three stepchildren, Danny and Lori Neff of Lewistown, Gary Neff of Kalispell, and Cathy and Dan Campos of Libby; as well as 16 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Chuck will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Schnackenberg and Nelson Funeral Home in Libby.