John Samuel Roseland, 82

John Roseland died at home in Kalispell on Sept. 12, 2012, four years after his diagnosis of throat cancer.

John was born Dec. 7, 1929, in Hartley, Iowa, the second child of John Tobias Roseland and Floy Aurit Roseland. He was called Jack by family and school friends. He attended elementary and high schools in Clear Lake, Iowa, where he excelled in football, sailing and water skiing. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the University of Iowa.

In 1948-1949, he was a gold miner, trapper and dog musher at Tanana, Alaska.

John served with 8th Army Headquarters, Far East Command from 1951 to 1953 and was awarded the Korean Service Medal. After his service, he graduated with a degree in pharmacy from Drake University where he belonged to Kappa Psi pharmaceutical fraternity.

He married Elizabeth Jane Doolittle in Luverne, Minn., in 1951.

John practiced pharmacy in Iowa and Montana, retiring in 1974 with the sale of Roseland Drug in Lewistown, where he served two terms as post commander of the VFW.

He and Liz took time off to sail in the Florida Keys and Bahamas on the sloops Ciao and Wild Goose before returning to Montana to build and operate John's Drive In at Troy, which they sold in 1980. John and Liz built their retirement home on the Kootenai River in Troy where they lived happily until Liz's passing in 2000.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth; his parents; and brother, Joseph Roseland.

He is survived by his brother, Robert Roseland, of Des Moines, Iowa; sister, Patricia Carrell, of Clovis, Calif.; daughters, Kristine Roseland and Walt Wolf of Vashon, Wash., and Jennifer and Garry Hefty of Manhattan; son, John “Rosey” and Lisa Roseland of Thorne Bay, Alaska; grandson, Morgan Hefty, of Manhattan; and his dear companion, Marlys Barr, of Kalispell.

By the express wishes of the deceased, there will be no memorial service.