Cecil Charles Schend, 81, died of natural causes Tuesday March 31, 2009, at his home.
Cremation has taken place and his prayer vigil service will be 7 p.m., Thursday, April 2, 2009, at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel, and his funeral Mass will be 2 p.m. Friday, April 3, 2009, at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church with Father Robert D. Grosch officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery in the Calvary Section. Memorials in Cecil’s honor may be made to the St. Jude Catholic Church, Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Diabetes Association and American Heart Association. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home. Cecil was born Feb. 4, 1928, in Havre, Mont. To Joseph and Ellen (Trulson) Schend. He was raised south of Havre in the Bear's Paw Mountains and attended country school at Eagle Rock. Cecil worked for various farmers, at the Sugar Beet Factory in Chinook, as a driver for Gamble Robinson Wholesale, at the Montana Highway Department and at Heltne’s Service Station. Cecil also owned and operated the general store in Hays, Mont. He married Georgiann Cuerth on Jan. 21, 1954, in Havre. In 1953, he went to work for the Great Northern Railroad as an engineer and retired after 37 years on May 1, 1990. Cecil enjoyed his work as an engineer on the railroad. He was an excellent mechanic and was skilled in many crafts. He built their home on Wilson Avenue in 1957 and always worked in the yard and kept up with the maintenance of the house. He loved automobiles and animals. He was very friendly and could talk to anyone. He enjoyed his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Cecil was a member of the Blue Horizons and the BLFE and UTU unions. He is a lifetime member of the Eagles and a member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Jude Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Genevieve (Ray) Leonard, Helen (Lynn) Deppmeier and Grace (Dave) Armstrong; and one brother,Edward Schend. Cecil is survived by his wife Georgiann Schend of Havre, Mont.; his children, Anita Bergman of Helena, Mont., Joe (Barb) Schend of Havre, Mont., Dean Schend of Las Vegas, Nev., and Susie Schend of Havre, Mont.; four grandchildren, Tera and Chris Donaldson and Melissa Gaines and Jordan Schend and eight great-grandchildren.
