William Bane 'Bill' Swanstrom, 81
William Bane “Bill” Swanstrom passed away March 5, 2017, in Great Falls.
Bill was born in Pecatonica, Illinois, on Oct. 8 1935. The son of Barney and Daisy (Bane) Swanstrom. Growing up on the family’s farm in central Illinois, Bill was given his first tractor at the age of 6, this began a lifelong love of tractors. He was literally a walking encyclopedia of all things concerning tractors and later heavy equipment, as well. Being raised on a farm in the 40s , Bill loved all aspects of farm life and animal husbandry, raising and showing livestock at county fairs. In high school, Bill was an officer in the FFA chapter, an opportunity that he took very seriously.
After graduating from high school in DeLand, Illinois, in 1953, Bill enlisted in the United States Air Force, undergoing basic training , at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas. He would later be stationed at McGhee Tyson airbase in Oakridge, Tennessee. Bill was a flight line mechanic on F-86 Sabre fighter jets, as part of the 355th Fighter Group.
While in the U.S. Air Force, Bill was in Colorado for training, and met his future wife, Sandra Jean Thornton, there. They were married on Jan. 29, 1956. From this union, four children were born — Ken , Karla, Kris and Kara.
The promise of good work and good wages on Libby Dam, convinced Bill to move his family to McGregor Lake in the spring of 1970. Bill bummed a ride to Colorado with a couple buddies and then rode the train to Montana. He shared a 16-foot camper with his brother-in-law, at Happy’s Inn. Both men were gainfully employed at the dam. While at Libby Dam, Bill operated one of the cement cars that went back and forth on the dam trestle. By the time his family arrived in the spring, four months later, Bill had secured housing at McGregor Lake.
After work on the dam was finished, Bill would alternate between work in Libby, as an equipment operator and multiple stints in Alaska on the Alaskan Pipeline, working primarily at Prudhoe Bay. Bill started a small logging outfit, with his son, in 1976. The mid 1980s found Bill driving his own log truck and hauling for loggers around the valley. While working a short-term log hauling project in August after the fires of 1988. Dad discovered he was one of those that needed more sun in the winter, than the Flathead Valley can offer. He and Sandra pulled up stakes and moved to Fort Benton. Where he would reside, until his passing.
Sandra suffered a stroke and passed away suddenly in February 2001.
This beautiful town in Eastern Montana offered the promise of small town life, and sunny winters. Until his retirement, Bill worked as a crane operator on jobsites all over the West, using Fort Benton as home base. While shopping for groceries in Great Falls, Bill met Sue Himebaugh. They were married in 2005.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sandra and his grandson, Weston Cartwright.
He is survived by his wife Sue. His children, Kenneth of Kalispell, daughter Karla and husband (Robert Cartwright) of Kalispell, daughter Kris and husband (Steve Kelly) of Fort Benton, daughter Kara Kaltschmidt of Renton, Washington; stepdaughters Nysha Himebaugh of Portland, Oregon, and Taya and her husband (Dave Anderson) of Great Falls.
Bill is also survived by 11 grandchildren and his sister Suzanne of Wisconsin and his brothers, Steve in Florida and Oscar in Kentucky.
Service will be held at 11 a.m. March 9, at the Community Bible Church, Fort Benton. Bill will interred at Signal Point Cemetery in Fort Benton, overlooking the Missouri River.
Memorials are suggested to the Dedman Foundation of Fort Benton or the charitable foundation of your choice.