TONY POLICH obituary
HELENA - Tony Polich, 92, died Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005.
A chapel service was held Sept. 16 at Hagler-Anderson Chapel. Military graveside honors were presented by the Lewis & Clark Veterans Council at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison.
Tony was born March 3, 1913, in Roundup to Tony and Draga Polich. He attended school in Roundup after which he joined the CCC.
He started working for Buttrey Food Stores on Jan. 2, 1935, until he was drafted in 1942. Tony served in Hawaii and Okinawa during World War II. In Layte, he was honored to be part of the 711 Tank Battalion. He was discharged in February of 1946 and returned to Havre. Tony worked as assistant supervisor of Buttrey's Foods. He traveled all over the state of Montana as part of his job, never staying in the same place for long. In 1950, he moved once again to manage the Buttrey Store in Helena.
After several years of driving back and forth to Havre, he finally convinced Erma Anderson of Havre to marry him. They married Aug. 9, 1952, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Helena and adopted their daughter, Linda, in October of 1956. Tony loved being a father more than anything and took every chance he could to dote on her.
In 1964, he left Buttrey's to continue his work at the Garden Spot.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling and spending time with family and friends. He filled his days with work and family. His love of horses caused him to buy two of his own and ride around with his family. He dressed up every year for the Stampede Parade and won the best cowboy award. During the summer, he spent countless hours in the yard with one of his favorite hobbies: gardening.
He retired in 1976, but continued to be active in the community and around the house. He served as director in the Helena Chamber of Commerce, chairman for the Class C state basketball tournament and the 1977 National High School Rodeo. He was an active participant in the DAV and Elks.
Tony was preceded in death by his daughter, Linda in 1994; his mother, Draga; father, Tony; brothers, Emil and Albert; and sister, Elise.
Survivors include his devoted wife, Erma; granddaughters, Janelle (Chris) Hamper and Shelley (John) Allen of Helena; four great-granddaughters; special niece, Gail Hansen (Steve Meredith) of Helena; sisters, Helen Lynch of Shelby, Evelyn (John) Shea of Butte, Rose Mehelich of Butte and Steffie Toshoff of Billings; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be sent to the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, P.O. Box 5715, Helena, MT 59604.
