Bill Edmisson, 89

Bill Edmisson, 89, an oilfield engineer from Rollins, died on Aug. 13, 2010, of natural causes. He previously resided in Shelby and Cut Bank. A funeral memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, at Whitted Funeral Chapel in Cut Bank. A gathering of family and friends will follow at the home of Randy and Lisa Edmisson, 333 Sixth Ave. S.E., Cut Bank. Survivors include four sons and five daughters-in-law, Billy and Debbie of Denver, Randy and Lisa of Cut Bank, John and Julie of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Bryan and Linda, and June Smiley of Newport News, Va.; nine grandchildren, Tammy, Paul, Jennifer, Jessy, Joshua, Shelly, Briana, Amy and Tiffany; and six great-grandchildren, Dristen, Aspen, Quentin, Anneliese, Sierra and Laiya. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dee; two sons, Michael and Patrick; and one grandson, Tim. Bill s father worked in the oilfield and traveled across the western United States as new fields opened up. As a boy, Bill traveled with his parents everywhere from Wyoming to New Mexico. He followed in his father s footsteps, and as a young man began working as a roughneck on oil rigs. Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and later was transferred into the newly formed Air Force. He acted as a tail-gunner in B-17 flying fortresses, flying 23 missions in the European theater with the 332nd Bombardment Squadron. During the Korean Conflict, he was recalled to active duty and used his knowledge of machine guns to help refurbish old planes used in World War II so they could be used in Korea. Bill married Delores Byrne in Kansas in 1946. He continued to work in the oilfield as he and Dee raised a family of six boys. His boys recall fondly taking family vacations to visit Bill s parents on their peach orchard in Colorado. He supported his family by working as a perforator in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. During his oilfield career, he formed Jetco Logging Co. in Cut Bank. As their boys grew up and moved away, Bill and Dee made their home in Cut Bank and later in Rollins. Bill enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing, and spending time with family. He loved musician Herb Alpert. Whenever a new Herb Alpert album came out, it was the perfect birthday or Christmas gift for him. Bill was a member of the American Legion and the Elks Club. Memorials are suggested for the Glacier Care Center, Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cut Bank or the donor s choice. Condolences may be submitted to www.whittedfuneralchapel.com.