Donald D. Bolog, 87

Donald D. Bolog, longtime Flathead Valley pharmacist, “went peacefully to Heaven” on Nov. 13, 2012. A much-loved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Don will be sorely missed.

Cremation has taken place, and a memorial service for family will be held at the C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell in late June.

Donald was born to Ruth (Warthen) and Mike Bolog on his mother's family homestead in Round Butte on April 11, 1925. In 1941 the Bologs moved to Deer Lodge where Don completed high school.

Always ready to serve, Don enlisted in the Army and served with the 66th Division of the Black Panthers. His company was on board the SS Leopoldville when it was hit by a German torpedo on Christmas Eve of 1944. Seven hundred sixty-three soldiers perished that night in the frigid waters of the English Channel. Don was among the 1,437 men who survived.

From France, his company made their way to Salzburg, Austria, where Don met and married Charlotte (Gyorffy) in 1945. Together they raised four children, Donn, Wes, Leonard and Sue. (They were later divorced.)

 After returning to the United States, Don graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the University of Montana in Missoula. Soon after graduation, Don was called once more to serve his country in Japan during the Korean War. He served as a medic to wives and children of military men, directed the motor pool, and served on the adjutant general's court martial board.

In 1955, Donald moved his family to Kalispell and ran his own drug store, the Kalispell Rexall Drug Company on Main Street and was also a consultant to the Flathead County Nursing Home. After 22 years in business, Don sold the drug store to Rosauer’s and joined their pharmacy department where he served customers for another 10 years. Besides being a full-time pharmacist, Don also ran a small cattle ranch west of Kalispell.

In 1978, Don was awarded the prestigious A.H. Robins Bowl of Hygeia for outstanding community service in pharmacy. Don's community service involved his church, the Kalispell Lions Club, Masons and the Kalispell Police Department, just to name a few. He gave his time and resources to many causes and individuals every year.

In 1984, Donald married Patricia Bolton Sanders in Libby. Three years later, Don retired and the two of them spent many happy years enjoying family, camping, fishing and hunting together. In 1989 they made a move to Alaska and lived in Palmer, raising a beautiful garden and exploring their new frontier. In 1994 another move took the Bologs to Buffalo, Wyo., where they enjoyed another five years of camping and fishing with grandchildren.

They returned to the Flathead Valley and made their home in Bigfork until 2011. Most recently a final move took Don and Patti to Port Angeles, Wash., to spend more time with family.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, and sister Gloria.

He is survived by his wife, Patti; sister, Velma; and brother, Mike Jr. He also leaves his sons, Donn, Wes and Leonard; and daughter, Sue. Also surviving are his stepchildren, Terri, Todd and Tricia, and their spouses. Grandpa Don loved and guided 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Don was always busy doing some type of work as he believed that the key to health was keeping busy.

“As he makes his journey to Heaven and meets his Heavenly Father, something he said a short while ago seems very fitting, ‘There's so much to do. It feels like opening the Montgomery-Ward's catalog, and there's just so much there!’”