Manny Haiges, 87

Manny Haiges, 87, a former resident of Kalispell and West Kootenai, passed away in Rocklin, California, on May 11, 2021.

He was born in Pennsylvania, spent three years in the Marines and then went to Montana after seeing the movie "Red Skies of Montana." He became a smokejumper during the summers and Grizzly at the University of Montana. While there, he played baseball for the Grizzlies and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. In 1960 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Engineering degree — a five-year program and the first of its kind. After attending the Colorado State University in Fort Collins, he received his Masters in Watershed Management degree, then on to the University of British Columbia where he studied for his Ph.D. in Urban Regional Planning degree.

In 1970 he returned home and taught at the University of Montana and then developed the Surveying Program and taught at Flathead Valley Community College when it first opened. During this time he also had his own business as a land surveyor and enjoyed flying his Mooney all over the country while going to horse shows with his daughter and baseball games with his son.

Manny spent the last 20-plus years at his summer home in the West Kootenai.

He is survived by his daughter Lisa and her family in Colorado, his son Rick and his family in Missouri, and his partner in life for the last 23 years, Sandra, who resides in California. Manny was always seen with his pal Kootenai, a golden retriever, then Cruiser, his yellow lab, and in the end his new pal Sammy, a 6-month-old golden retriever.

Graveside services will be held at the C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell, Friday, June 11, at 2 p.m. All who knew and loved Manny are invited to attend.