WILLIAM FRANCIS WELCH obituary

William "Bill" Francis Welch, 76, of Havre died of natural causes Saturday, May 5, 2010, at his home.

Visitation will be held at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Home from 11 a.m. to 5

p. m. Thursday, June 10. Bill's funeral Mass will be 1 p.m. Friday, June 11, 2010, at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, with Father Pete Guthneck officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery.

A potluck memorial gathering will be held at the family residence at 1202 McKinley Ave.

Condolences may be brought or sent to 1202 McKinley Ave., written memories and stories would be especially treasured.

Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home.

Bill was born in Michigan,

N. D., on May 30, 1934, to Francis and Pauline Welch. He received his early schooling near the family farm in Lakota, N.D., in a one-room school house. He and his sister, Annie, rode on horseback to school. After moving to Montana, he attended Havre schools and Northern Montana College.

He served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958 stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas, where he fell in love with his future wife, Leila Peters. They married Jan. 2, 1960, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Havre, then lived in Great Falls for the next couple of years before moving back to Havre, with their first daughter, Melody Lea. Over the next few years, Bill and Lee were blessed with two more daughters, Karla Marie and Arlyce Pauline.

He and a partner established Hi-Line Roofing and Siding in 1964, but he eventually became sole proprietor and a master roofing contractor in his 44 years of running the business. What started as a simple seasonal shingling operation grew to be one of the most successful roofing enterprises serving the northern half of the state. He served for several years as president of the Montana State Roofing Association. He also belonged to the Elks and Eagles lodges and the Knights of Columbus.

Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and time spent with family and his many friends. Some of his most treasured times were spent at the family cabin at Hungry Horse.

Adventures in later years included fishing trips to Alaska, business trips to New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro, and a trip to China.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Pauline Welch.

He is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Lee; his sister, Anne Marie (John) Gallus of Butte, Mont.; his daughters, Melody (Phil) Hoover of Bozeman, Mont., and Karla Reithmeier and Arlyce Crawte, both of Bainbridge Island, Wash.; 10 grandchildren, Jared and Joshua Fisher, Ryan Reithmeier, Sarah, John Taylor, Rachel, Christian and Michael Hoover, and Chae and Skylar Crawte; two great-grandchildren, Noah and Jacob; cousins John (Anna) Brumley, Kenneth Brumley, and Dick, Bob, Sharon and Mike Nault, among other cousins; numerous nieces and nephews; and a treasure box full of friends, not the least of which has been his devoted "right hand," Kay Riska.

His family and friends will greatly miss him and remember him for his love and care, hard work, great generosity and mischievous sense of humor. All their lives are richer because he lived and laughed and loved.