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Richard H. Fretheim, 95

| November 21, 2024 12:00 AM

Richard H. Fretheim died on Nov. 7, 2024, four days after his 95th birthday.

Dick was born on Nov. 3, 1929, to Clarence and Ann Fretheim in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the oldest of five children. When Dick was six, the family moved to Plentywood, Montana. In 1947 he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for three years, serving at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Clark Field in the Philippines; and Eta Jima, Japan. In 1950, he reenlisted, this time in the Air Force, for 18 months. In 1952, he enrolled in the University of Montana.

In 1955, he met Norma who was working at his home church in Plentywood. They were married on May 28,1956. Their honeymoon included a three-day stay in Glacier National Park which would from then on continue to play a significant role in their lives. That same year he graduated with a BA in history and an ROTC commission. After two years of active service, he returned to the University of Montana to obtain a teaching certificate. His first teaching post was in Winifred, Montana, "teaching all social studies, 1 class of general business, part-time library and substitute school bus driver." After two years, they moved to Elbow Lake, Minnesota, for his first full-time library job, and then three years later to Kalispell.

For six years in Kalispell, Dick and family spent much of their time in Glacier National Park, as well as significant time hunting and fishing in the surrounding area. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve with the rank of captain on Feb. 23, 1968.  

In 1970 the family moved to Federal Way, Washington, where Dick was the librarian at Decatur High School. While living there, the family took advantage of the outdoor activities in the area, hiking, camping, and fishing, as well as an annual pilgrimage to Glacier National Park.

In 1978, Dick and Norma had an opportunity to return to the Flathead Valley when he took a position as a librarian in Columbia Falls where they lived for a brief time before moving to Kalispell, remaining there upon retirement.

Retirement allowed him to focus on his other interests and activities. He was deeply involved with genealogy and family history, including researching, traveling to Norway, and publishing an index of "Norske i Montana." He was a Golden Member of the Sons of Norway. Dick and Norma were lifelong members of the Lutheran Church. He served on church councils in many of the congregations they joined as they moved about the country.

In 2019, Dick and Norma moved to Ellensburg, Washington, to be near their daughter.   

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Norma Jean Fretheim, and his brother Neale.

He is survived by his sisters, Diane and Karen and brother, Scott; his three children, Kristin Fisher, Erik Fretheim, and Peder Fretheim; his nine grandchildren, Kim, Ellen, Corrie, Gustav, Emil, Anna, Emma, Madeline, and Arthur; and his four great-grandchildren, Asher, Penny, Dean, and Juliet.

A memorial service will be held at the Sons of Norway, Fritjov Lodge in Stanwood, Washington, at 1 p.m. on Nov. 29, with a reception to follow.