Obituary - Alan O. Schubert

Alan O. Schubert, formerly of Great Falls, MT, passed away peacefully among the love of family on the evening of April 1st in Billings, MT.

He was born on May 15, 1930, to Oliver W. and Marie (Roth) Schubert in Chinook, MT. Alan was the oldest of a combined family of twelve siblings.

Alan, known to many as "Bud," attended school in Chinook, graduating from Chinook High School in 1948. When his family moved temporarily to Utah during WWII to support U.S. troops by working in a munitions factory, Alan and his brother Ronnie were sent back to Montana on a train, to work as cowhands on a ranch - two young boys doing "mans' work."

At age 15, Alan began his career at Buttrey Foods cleaning floors, and as a box boy in Chinook. He later became a butcher and ran the Meat Department, moving to Havre and in 1971 to Great Falls. When Alan retired from Buttrey Foods at age 55, he was the vice president of the Meat Operations at corporate headquarters in Great Falls. Alan was honored for his 40 years of service to Buttrey's, where many of his co-workers were life-long friends.

It was also at Buttrey Foods in Havre where Alan met a young woman working as a secretary in the office and they both attended Northern Montana College. Alan married Joyce Marie (Hovee) in Havre on August 24, 1952. They celebrated almost 64 years of marriage and were blessed with four children: Stana, Mark, Steve and Gerane. The Schubert family also welcomed two foster babies and a foreign exchange student, Woon Taik from South Korea.

Proud to be in the Montana Army National Guard, Alan served as a tank commander alongside four of his brothers. Alan was on the City Council in Havre and was an active member of Our Savior Lutheran, and later at Faith Lutheran Church in Great Falls.

Faith, family and friends were everything to Alan. The Schubert Family Reunion on the Fourth of July at Beaver Creek Park outside Havre was one of Alan's favorite things. He also loved fishing and camping with his brothers at Duck Lake, and cruising and waterskiing on the Missouri River with family. Alan was an avid tennis player for years, and enjoyed walking for exercise.

Not one to slow down after retiring from his office job, Alan started a sprinkler installation and maintenance business (J & A Enterprises), which he continued until he was 85. Retirement allowed Alan and Joyce the opportunity to travel with Friendship Force, visiting numerous locations around the world and hosting fellow members in their home in Great Falls. They were also fortunate to spend their winters first in Mesa, and later in Sun City West, AZ where they enjoyed the pleasant weather. After enduring the difficult loss of their daughter Stana, Alan and Joyce became devoted Hospice volunteers in both Great Falls and Arizona, helping families and loved ones for over 20 years.

Alan is preceded in death by his parents, brother Everett, his beloved wife, Joyce, and daughter Stana.

He will be deeply missed by the family he leaves behind, including sons Mark of Red Lodge, Steve of Billings and daughter Gerane of Billings. Stana's son Alan Birdwell of Boise, ID, and daughter Jennifer (Steve) Belcourt of Pampa, TX, along with numerous grandchildren, great- and great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins; brothers Ron (Myrt), Jack and Larry (Skip) of Havre; sister Shirley (Garth) Tams and brother Cliff (Norma) of Covina, CA; brother Gordon (Marge) of Ulm; sister Mary Lou Tilleman of Bozeman; brother Kenneth (Evelyn) of Chinook; sister Penny (Henry) Hofeldt of Columbia Falls; and sister Debra (Gordon) Moes of Big Sandy.

The family would like to thank the caring and compassionate staff at Butterfly Homes Assisted Living in Billings, Beartooth Billings Hospital in Red Lodge and Stillwater Hospice.

Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of Alan's life will be held at Faith Lutheran Church, 1300 Ferguson Drive in Great Falls on Friday, May 17th, at 11:30 a.m. followed by a reception in the church hall.

The family requests memorials be sent to the McLaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Peace Hospice of Montana (in Great Falls), or a charity of your choice. McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls, MT is a center for neurogenetic research on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other degenerative nerve diseases.