Wallace E. Mac McCulloch, 91

Wallace E. Mac McCulloch, 91, passed away Aug. 29, 2010, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell. He was born in Staples, Minn., Aug. 20, 1919, to George and Anna McCulloch. Wallace s mother died when he was 4 years of age. In 1925 his father moved to Livingston and married Mary Evert. Wally graduated from Dawson County High School in 1937. He lettered in basketball and football. His father worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad and Wally went to work for them as a boilermaker s apprentice after high school graduation. In February of 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Force. He served in the 12th Tow-target Squadron in California until transferred to the Dutch Indies. He was discharged as a master sergeant in December of 1945. In 1949, he graduated from Bemidji State College in northern Minnesota. He received his master s degree from Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo. Wally s first teaching position was in Idaho Springs, Colo., in 1949 and in 1951 he became the auto mechanics teacher at Flathead County High School. During his tenure at FCHS, he started a local boys club that was active in repairing and redistributing children s toys at Christmas. He later was a charter sponsor of VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America). He served as president of the Montana State Vocational Association and was a member of the Governor s Vocational Advisory board for six years. In 1977 he retired from teaching. After retiring, he stayed busy building four houses and fine furniture for his family and friends. He loved the challenge of figuring out how something was done or put together, and made all the pieces for a spinning wheel, a tea cart and a muzzle loader just to see if he could. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and served as a deacon, trustee and president of the congregation. He sang in the church choir and was a member of a barbershop quartet. In 1975 he, with his wife, Olen, served in the mission field for two months in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa. He was involved with training mechanics who kept the mission vehicles running. On their return to the States they visited their daughter, Colleen, in Okinawa, thus circling the globe. It was the first of several trips to foreign ports. In later years they spent their winters in Borrego Springs, Calif. He loved his family, hunting, fishing, golf and his workshop. When in high school, Mac wrote the motto for the class yearbook of 1937, If you must hammer, build something. The family deeply appreciates the thoughtfulness of their friends and staff at Buffalo Hill Terrace. He is survived by his wife, Olen, of 66 years; his sister, Kay Brumbaugh, and her husband, Gaylord, of Spokane; his daughters, Margie and Larry Simpson of Kalispell, and Colleen and Hugh T. Greenway of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; his grandsons, David and Ann Lee Simpson of Asheville, N.C.; and Michael and Heidi Simpson, and great-grandchildren, Alexander and Olivia, of Boise, Idaho; John Greenway of Macon, Ga., and William Greenway of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Funeral services for Wallace will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, with burial at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery. There will be no visitation. The family suggests donations be sent to The Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, P.O. Box 8087, Billings, MT 59108-0807, or Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 603 South Main St., Kalispell, MT 59901. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Wallace s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and view Wallace s tribute wall.