Harold Bud Dalen, 89

Harold Bud Dalen, 89, passed away on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell. He is survived by his wife, Ethelyn; and one son, Dr. Gary Dalen. He was born on August 20, 1920, in Watford City, N.D., to Arne O. and Berthine Marie (Anderson) Dalen. He moved to Whitefish at the age of one year, and attended school in Whitefish, graduating from Whitefish High School in 1938. After that, he worked for the Great Northern Railway at the round house in Whitefish. He joined the United States Army in 1942, and served as a railroad engineer in the 759th Engineer Battalion. He began his service in Algiers, North Africa, and hauled munitions and supplies to the front lines in the European theater of operations. He hauled munitions for The Battle of The Bulge . It was a grueling task, where he was without sleep for several days and nights. When he finally got to bed at 2300 hours, he thought he had not slept, because the clock was still at 2300 when he awakened, but he had slept for 24 hours. After three years of service, he finally came home to the bride he had married just before leaving in 1942. She was Ethelyn Torgerson, and they were married for 67 years. He went to work for the Great Northern Railway after the service and retired as an engineer in 1981. His hobbies included fishing and camping. He enjoyed reading and read the Bible from cover to cover several times. He enjoyed his friends and would go to coffee in the morning to visit with them. He especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bud was preceded in death by a son, Buz Dalen, of Albany, Mo.; by a brother, Ole Dalen, of Franklin, W.Va.; and two sisters, Mary Collier of Coulee City, Wash., and Minnie Pike of Whitefish. He is survived by his wife, Ethelyn; one son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Gary and Annette Dalen of Whitefish; four grandchildren, Dr. Paul and Janelle Johnson of Great Falls, Erik and Jennifer Retz of Whitefish, Dr. Jeff and Jenny Dalen of Kalispell, and Jim Dalen of Whitefish; nine great-grandchildren: Dalen Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Diana Johnson, Denae Johnson, Kaleb Retz, Parker Retz, Ben Dalen, Scotty Dalen, and Luke Dalen; a sister and brother-in-law, Arlene and Ken Field of Kalispell; a sister-in-law, Sugar Dalen of Franklin, W.Va.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services for Bud will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, at the Christian Center/Assembly of God with Pastor Robert Ross officiating. Visitation will be from noon until 5 p.m. on Monday in the Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home. Burial will be in the Glacier Memorial Gardens. Bud's favorite charity was A Ray of Hope, P.O. Box 5407, Kalispell, MT 59901. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Bud's family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and view Bud's tribute wall.