CHARLES HALE obituary

Charles W. Hale, 87, of Havre died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004, at a Billings hospital of natural causes.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Jude's Catholic Church. Burial will be at the Highland Cemetery followed by a luncheon at the St. Jude Parish

Center. Viewing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Home for family and friends.

Chuck was born on Oct. 3, 1916, at Waverly, Ill., to Ronald and Golda (Emmery) Hale. He attended school at Waverly. The family spent its farming for three summers in Jordan. His father resigned from the CB&Q Railroad in Waverly and went to work for the Great Northern Railway in Cut Bank in the signal department. Chuck went to school in Cut Bank. He attend high school at Gildford and graduated from Gildford High School in 1933. Throughout his high school career, Chuck maintained an A-plus average and never had to take a final exam. He held the high school pole vault record of 11 feet 3 inches and the 100-yard record at 10.0 seconds.

Chuck went to work for the Great Northern Railway in 1934.

On Nov. 4, 1935, he married Mary Josephine Thennis at Gildford. She died on Jan. 8, 1983. In 1936, Chuck started as a signalman helper. In 1946, he bid a job as a signal maintainer at Blackfoot and moved his family there. In 1954, he was promoted to signal testman and moved his family to Whitefish, where he worked until 1966. In 1975, he was promoted to signal superintendent and moved to Havre. He retired in 1976.

In 1984 at Havre, Chuck married Violet Cline and they lived in Havre. She died on July 6, 1992.

On Aug. 20, 1993, he married Deanna Scofield at Elko, Nev. They lived in Havre.

Chuck enjoyed hunting and fishing. He had a passion for boxing and was an avid sports fan. He watched Tuesday and Friday night boxing most weeks with his brother-in-law Matt. He enjoyed visiting with his wife's elderly family about old times, stories and events.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and two wives.

Survivors include his wife, Deanna Hale of Havre; son, Charles R. (Janice) Hale of Kalispell; daughter, Robert J. (Bernie) Garrett of Crystal Aire, Calif.; brother, Ronald Hale of Payette, Idaho; sister-in-law, Delores Sauby of Kevin, the last living member of the Thennis family; seven grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 510 First Ave. N., Room 114, Great Falls, MT 59401.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Holland & Bonine Funeral Home.