Obituaries

Charles Whitson

ST. IGNATIUS — Charles O. “Chuck” Whitson, 88, peacefully passed away at his home in St. Ignatius on Dec. 29, 2021, surrounded by family. Chuck was born on April 9, 1933, to his parents Lewis and Willien Whitson. Chuck was the oldest of five children, spending his childhood in Seminole, Oklahoma, with his beloved grandparents Tom and Mimi King.

Chuck attended high school in Seminole, Oklahoma, an athletic standout in football, track and field and basketball. His yearbook motto read “he’s tall, but he’s not in the clouds.” Chuck was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame for Seminole High School in 2006. After graduation, Chuck attended the University of Oklahoma on a basketball scholarship. During this time, many young men were being drafted into the armed forces. Despite being protected from the draft due to his university status, Chuck believed that joining the military was the right thing to do, so on Jan. 15, 1953, Chuck enlisted in the Army. He served for three years in active combat in Korea as a gun master, where he earned three separate medals of commendation. After he was honorably discharged, he followed his mother to Montana. He enrolled at the University of Montana and walked on to the University of Montana men’s basketball team and played one season.

Chuck soon discovered that law enforcement was his calling in life, so he attended academies in both Montana and Minnesota, graduating in 1961. He was a Montana Highway Patrolman for 27 years, retiring with the rank of sergeant. Under Chuck’s leadership, his detachment of patrolmen won the prestigious “Colonel’s Trophy,” an award given to the highest performing MHP unit in Montana.

Not willing to leave a life of public service, Chuck was elected as the Lake County Justice of the Peace and served three consecutive terms. He was highly regarded as a tough but fair judge, and, in his tenure, married over 200 couples. For years after he stepped down from the bench, people would seek Chuck out to thank him and tell him that their interactions with his court had forced them to straighten out their lives. After retiring from the court, Chuck found he was not quite ready for retired life and ran for Lake County Commissioner, where he served another six years.

A devoted public servant, Chuck was a member of the Polson Order of Elks, the Masonic Lodge, and the Shriners. Chuck was instrumental in the organization and fundraising for the East-West Shrine Football Game each year. He was quite proud of reaching fifty years of service with the Masons. He was always the first to offer assistance to anyone needing help, with fundraising, organization or good old-fashioned hard labor.

Chuck was an avid golfer and enjoyed hunting, fly fishing and had a brief stint raising llamas. In his down time, he loved watching his old Westerns. Chuck was a diehard supporter of the Montana Grizzly Football team. He was always ready with a smile and a bit of “walking around money” for the grandkids or for anyone who needed a hand.

Chuck married his first wife, Diane, in 1953 and their marriage produced two daughters, Wendy and Brenda. He married the love of his life, Maxine Brander, in 1995. He introduced Maxine to the game of golf and they enjoyed many golfing vacations and adventures together.

Chuck is survived by his loving wife, Maxine; his daughters, Wendy Whitson-Holzinger and Brenda Carroll; sisters, Patricia Hansen and Barbara (John) Daniels; grandchildren, Jamie (Norman) Newell (their children, Libby, Tori and Aiden), Austin Holzinger, Zannie (Daniel) Williams (their children Catelyn and Zachary), Nick Carroll (Ashley), and Haley Carroll (Wyatt); stepchildren, Shelly Brander (Dan) (her children Lukas and Elizabeth Lorentz), Stacey Brander (Kurt) (their sons, Flint and Ross McPherson) and Jeff (Jennifer) Brander (their daughters, Afton and Sydney Brander); nephew, Don Whitson and several other nieces and nephews; and his special dog, Sally.

The family is eternally grateful for the help given by Partners in Home Health Hospice Services,

with special thanks to Kathy Fink. Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Don and Ray Whitson. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in his name to the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Spokane. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memories and condoCharles Whitson lences may be sent to the family at: www.shriderthompson.com. Arrangements are under the care of Shrider-Thompson Funeral Home.

Charles Whitson

Linda Browne

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Linda Marie Browne passed away on Nov. 7, 2021, in Salt Lake City, of complications during surgery. Linda grew up on Irvin Flats and attended school in Polson. She is survived by her son, Glade Jay Memmott of Salt Lake and her brother, Richard F. Browne of Missoula.

calendar

Wednesday, Jan. 12

Rural Fire District Board to meet

POLSON — The regular monthly meeting of the Polson Rural Fire District Board of Trustees will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Station number 1, 25B Regatta Rd. The agenda will be available on the Monday prior to the meeting at: lakemt.gov/prfd.

Friday, Jan. 14

Band of Drifters to entertain in Polson

POLSON — At 7 p.m. on Friday evening, Jan. 14, 2022, in the Polson High School Auditorium the group “Band of Drifters” will play modern American roots music. Their music draws from country, folk and blues traditions with an emphasis on original songs, done in the old style.

Wearing of masks is strongly recommended. Advance tickets are available online for $13 at our ticket outlets in Polson at First Interstate Bank and the Perfect Shot Tavern and in Ronan at Ronan True Value and Health Care Solutions. Single ticket will be sold at the door for $15. Go online at missionvalleylive. com for more information.

see extended calendar at www.valleyjournal.net

Friday, Jan. 28

Winter Film Festival on tap

POLSON — The Flathead Lake International Cinemafest begins on Friday, Jan. 28, at the Showboat Cinema.

Montana manufacturing poised to bounce back from pandemic

News from Paddy Fleming MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — Despite struggling with worker shortages, disrupted supply chains and increased shipping costs, Montana manufacturers fared relatively well during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic and could see a return to pre-pandemic activity this year, according to a new report released by the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University.

The 2021 Montana Manufacturing Report, which analyzes the results of a survey administered by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, concludes that “Montana manufacturing bounced back relatively quickly from the deep economic drop” starting in March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. The report also tracks Montana’s manufacturing sector against national trends in 2020 and assesses the impact of MMEC’s work.

Of the 140 manufacturing firms that responded to the survey reporting their activity in 2020: • 1/3 saw an increase in total sales and profits over the previous year, while 40% saw a decrease. • 59% kept their same number of employees, 16% increased employment and 25% reduced employment. • 58% did not reduce their production capacity.

“The strength of Montana’s manufacturing sector is a testament to the incredible hard work and commitment of our manufacturers,” said MMEC Director Paddy Fleming. “During an unprecedented and unpredictable year, they found innovative ways to keep their operations going and preserve jobs in their communities.”

The report estimates that, by the end of 2022, manufacturing employment should recover to pre-pandemic levels, but earnings “are less optimistic” and the “situation remains highly fluid” because of the continued emergence of new coronavirus variants.

“The survey confirms what we’ve all been hearing,” Fleming said. “Workforce and supply chain issues are the top challenges facing manufacturers and will continue to be the focus for our collaborative efforts to keep the Montana economy strong.”

In measuring the sector’s economic benefits to the state, the report notes that Montana manufacturing in 2020: • Grew to include more than 3,900 firms. • Had an output valued at more than $3 billion.

• Supported jobs with an average annual wage of more than $52k, or 11% above the state average of roughly $47k. • Grew at more than double the national average in terms of employment, income and output.

MMEC, which is housed in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, works with manufacturing companies to help them improve their operations. A team of manufacturing specialists offers oneon-one assistance with projects to assess their production processes, develop their workforce and leverage emerging technologies. The 2021 report analyzes input from 68 respondents who worked with MMEC during the previous year. Highlights include: • 63% of respondents said they relied exclusively on MMEC to recommend improvements to their operations. • Staff expertise was once again selected as the top reason for choosing MMEC. • Manufacturers’ average return on investment for fees paid to MMEC for their services was 82 to 1. • Survey respondents said that working with MMEC resulted in 310 new and retained manufacturing jobs and contributed approximately $2.2 million (directly or indirectly) to Montana individual income tax revenue during the previous year.

According to the report, since 2000 MMEC’s work has resulted in 6,496 new or retained jobs and $1.35 billion in retained or increased sales. MMEC’s work in 2020 had a return on investment for Montana residents tax dollars of 4.4 to 1.

This is the 25th year that MMEC has collaborated with BBER to produce the manufacturing report. The 2021 report can be found on MMEC’s website.

1/3 of responding manufacturers saw an increase in total sales in 2020

- MT Manufacturing Survey results

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