Donald Orlando Redding, 86

Donald Orlando Redding, of Columbia Falls, "went home to be with the Lord" on Aug. 27, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 86 years old. Born on Dec. 23, 1922, in Leoti, Kan., he was the son of Orlando and Mabel Redding.

He grew up in Kansas on a farm during the Depression years. When he was 24, he became one of the early traveling custom cutters who harvested wheat from Texas clear up into Montana. During this time he met his wife-to-be, Marjorie Anderson, and they were married on May 10, 1950.

They first lived in Martin City, then Whitefish and finally in Columbia Falls. Don participated in the building of the Hungry Horse Dam. Upon completion of that, he participated in the construction of the Anaconda Aluminum Plant where he became employed until his retirement in 1986. While he worked at the plant full-time, he also moonlighted as a farmer in his spare time on 80 acres of land he purchased outside of Whitefish.

Upon retirement, he narrowed down his farming into one acre at their new home outside of Columbia Falls. He went from farming wheat, barley or alfalfa to growing dahlias which brought him blue ribbons at the county fair. Everything he grew was blue ribbon quality, even his lawn. A neighbor once said that Don Redding could put a two-by-four in the ground and grow a tree out of it. Don also had a great love for woodworking and had a special knack for creating his own tools. He loved building cabinets, furniture, toys, and in his later years, became especially fond of making pens out of rare woods.

Don was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and was a dedicated member of the Fellowship Alliance Church where he was seen as a greeter every Sunday morning. Don enjoyed good friends and good conversation and had many stories to tell. We will miss our laughs at his stories.

Don is survived by his wife, Marjorie, of 59 years; son, Tracy, and Ann, of Issaquah, Wash.; daughter, Jackie Burrell and Rick, of Columbia Falls; and three grandchildren, Andrew, Stephen and Emily Redding. He is also survived by four sisters, Eileen Schwindt and Hallie, and Helen Jay and Clifford of Garden City, Kan., Edith Stout of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Phyllis Jean Harding of Portland; and one brother, Robert Redding and Mel, of Napa, Idaho. He also leaves behind his beloved dachshund, Heidi.

A viewing is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, at the Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls. A funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Fellowship Alliance Church in Columbia Falls, with interment to follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Great Commission Fund through Fellowship Alliance Church in Columbia Falls, Frontier Hospice, or the Humane Society.