ARCHIE ANDERSON obituary

CHINOOK - Archie Anderson, 84, died Monday, Jan. 17, 2005, at the Sweet Memorial Nursing Home in Chinook.

A graveside service and burial with full military honors will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Highland Cemetery in Havre with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating.

Archie Anderson was born in Wishek' N.D.' on March 9, 1920, to Anthony (Anton) Anderson, whose family came from Norway, and Emma Pudwill, whose parents emigrated from Danzig, Russia. Archie grew up with five siblings. The family didn't make much money, so the children learned to work at an early age.

The family later moved to Chinook, where they had a small farm and their father also herded sheep. When Archie and his brothers and sisters were in school, they were boarded out to people in town in order to attend school. Otherwise it would have been too hard to travel to town to go to school on a regular basis.

Archie worked for about six years as a truck driver. For about one year he operated his own contract hauling business, hauling heavy freight, including houses, both locally and long distances. He hauled iron from Montana to California, and produce on the return trip to the Hi-Line. Archie also worked as a bartender in Chinook.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 18, 1942, and was honorably discharged in 1946. Archie served in Ireland, England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany.

Archie came back to Chinook and learned the refrigeration business. He met Helen Chagnon from Havre, and on Feb. 19, 1950, they were married in the St. Jude's Catholic Church in Havre.

Archie went to work at Angstman Motor in Havre as an auto body repairman. Archie bought the old Bob's Drive Inn in Havre and together with Helen started Archie's Auto Body Repair. He retired in the early 1990s.

In his retirement years, he was able to devote the majority of his time to his first loves - fishing and hunting. Archie would not just go fishing for a few hours. He often would leave between midnight and 6 a.m. on Thursday and not return home until late Sunday night. Archie had a million hunting and fishing stories, and loved to tell them to anyone that would listen. He once said that if he had an apple and a candy bar in his pocket, that's all he'd need to survive in the mountains.

Archie handcrafted many things, from birdhouses to ice houses to wood stoves. He also devoted much time to yet another passion, gardening. Archie especially enjoyed little children. He loved to teach them things and tell them stories.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; an infant son, Lester, and another son, Raymond of Havre; sisters, Louella Fitzgerald of Portland, Ore., Thelma Hellem of Kalispell; and brother, Chester, of Glasgow.

He is survived by a daughter, Paula Reynolds of Havre; son, Allen, of Burbank, Calif.; sister, Laverna Moore of Portland, Ore.; brother, Anthony, of Las Vegas; four granddaughters; five great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Sweet Memorial Nursing Home of Chinook.