Obituary - Rodney Lynn Reitan

Rodney Lynn Reitan, 73, of Havre, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2015, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes.  

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2015, at the Havre Assembly of God Church with Pastor Ken Ross officiating. Interment will follow in Highland Cemetery.  

Rodney's family has requested that memorials be made in his name to the Avionics Department of Mission Aviation Fellowship, Attn: Donor Services, PO Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653, with "MAF Nampa hangar maintenance department" on the memo line, or to the charity of the donor's choice.  

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements. Please visit Rodney's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at http://www.hollandbonine.com.

Rodney was born on March 16, 1942, in Malta, Montana, to Melvin and Alice (Reed) Reitan. He was raised on the family farm north of Saco, graduating from Saco High School.

Following graduation, he entered Northern Montana College and then entered the U.S. Air Force, serving for four years.  

In 1968, he married Bonnie Wessel in Rapid City, S.D., and the couple's marriage was blessed with two children. Following their marriage, Rodney attended Miltonvale Wesleyan College in Miltonvale, Kansas, and the University of South Dakota in Springfield, South Dakota.  

They made their home in Mitchell, South Dakota, for four years, and then moved to Havre to teach at Northern Montana College. A few years later, Rodney took a one-year sabbatical to obtain his master's degree in technology from Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, and then returned to Havre to continue teaching at Montana State University-Northern.

In 2000, he was selected to receive the Golden N Award by his students. He was honored by this selection and considered it a high point in his teaching career. The same year, Rodney retired, and continued to fill his time helping people. He taught at Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City, S.D. for a year, and volunteered with Mission Aviation Fellowship, repairing equipment.

Rodney enjoyed traveling, spending time with his family, flying his Piper Tri-Pacer plane, ham radio and antique cars. He was a wonderful engineer and a jack of all trades. He was a member of the Montana Pilots Association, the Ham Radio Club and the Big Sky Auto Club.

Rodney was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Alice Reitan, and his brother, Duane Melvin Reitan.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Bonnie Reitan of Havre; his children, Sarah Marie (Ryan) Powers of Boise, Idaho, and Nathan (Karen) Reitan of Grand Forks, North Dakota; his grandson, Anton Powers; and his stepgrandson Wesley Dillon.