Charles 'Charlie' Albert Druesdow, 95
Charles ‘Charlie’ Albert Druesdow, 95
Charles “Charlie” Albert Druesdow died Nov. 7, 2015, at the age of 95, surrounded by his family.
Charles was born March 30, 1920, south of Brockton, Montana, on a homestead on Charley Creek to parents Herman G. Druesdow and Laura G. Whitney Druesdow. He attended Armstrong Public School two miles from his boyhood home. He started working at age 14 on a haying crew. The crew lived in a sheepherder’s wagon and Charlie was the stacker.
On Dec. 18, 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a radio and control tower operator and mechanic. On July 1, 1942, his unit was sent to the Caribbean to train for the “War in the Atlantic.” They searched for submarines and on one occasion his convoy was hit by German subs in the Atlantic, but they prevailed. He was discharged in 1945.
After the war he began a series of jobs building roads and working in the timber industry. Notable projects included the construction of the Hungry Horse Dam and rebuilding and paving the road from Eureka to Canada.
He met his wife of 66 years, Shirley Owens, while she was working at Woolworths in 1948. They were married Aug. 8, 1949, and had three children, Michael, Susan and Sherry. Some of their favorite childhood memories were summers spent on Swan Lake and other locations where their father worked.
On May 25, 1968, Charlie was severely injured in a car accident which took his sight. He spent seven months in VA hospitals in Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Fort Harrison in Helena. He later attended blind schools in Bozeman and American Lake, Washington.
The accident may have taken his sight but it did not take his spirit. One of his goals was to live to be 113 and he kept active throughout his life. Charlie liked to visit and talk politics, the economy and share stories about hunting and working in the woods. He could remember every logging road in the Flathead Valley and recount how to get to his favorite hunting spots. He loved playing his guitar and country music. He spent countless hours making recordings for all his friends and family. His favorites included Boxcar Willie, Hank Williams and Marty Robbins.
He always enjoyed going out for breakfast at Nickel Charlie’s or Sykes’ and was quite the charmer with the waitresses. His grandchildren will always remember the special nicknames that he gave each of them and chatting with him about his long rich life. He was an inspiration proving that with hard work and determination one can overcome the hardships in life.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters and one brother.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley; his sister, Virginia Bickle; his three children, Mike and Zina Druesdow, Susan and Andrew Tweet, and Sherry and James Miller, all of Kalispell; seven grandchildren, Andrea, Charles and Michael Druesdow, Lisa and Mike Kawauchi Druesdow, Melissa Tweet, Mindy and Dominic Glenna and McKenna Miller; and two great-grandchildren, Cody Moats and Isaiah Glenna.
“We love you, Poppy!”
A graveside service will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, at C. E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery followed by a reception at Sykes’.
His family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Montana State Veterans Home in Columbia Falls and North Valley Hospital in Whitefish. The loving care and concern Charles received is greatly appreciated.
Donations can be made to the Montana Association for the Blind, Leila Proctor Braille Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 465, Helena, MT 59624; or simply take a moment to sit and appreciate the beautiful scenery that surrounds you, in Charlie’s memory.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for the family.