LAWRENCE HOFELDT obituary

CHINOOK Lawrence E. Hofeldt, 81, of Chinook died at Sweet Memorial Nursing Home on Saturday, May 26, 2007, due to natural causes.

His memorial service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. in Zion Lutheran Church with burial following with military honors in Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Lawrence was born in the Bear Paw Mountains to Henry and Alvinia (Struve) Hofeldt on March 29, 1926. While he spent most of his life in the Bear Paws, he attended schools at Lloyd and Chinook. He entered the U.S. Army in World War II and fought in Germany and France. When he returned from the war, he was not quite 21. Although he had a down payment, he couldn't purchase land until his 21st birthday. Lawrence took to ranching in ways that retained some of the bygone era. While others were baling, he continued to stack loose hay using the mower, dump rake, farm hand and the pitch fork. Trailing cattle was a family activity enjoyed from the seat of a saddle, except for Lawrence, who had the pickup seat. His cattle were his friends and they knew his pickup and would come running. Lawrence was an avid reader and loved to study and read about history all kinds of history. Lawrence was preceded in death by his parents; son, Gregory Hofeldt; siblings and inlaws, Hilda (William) Drugge, Roy (Helen) Hofeldt, Christine Miller, Ben (Ruth) Hofeldt and Margaretha Hofeldt, who died at age 7. Survivors include his sons, Bruce Hofeldt and Dwight (Carol) Hofeldt of Chinook; daughters, Barbara (Don) Gerten of South St. Paul, Minn., Pamela (Dale) Boespflug of Havre, Carolyn (Steve) Babcock of Cut Bank and Virginia (Jonathan) Sanders of Temple, Texas; his loving companion of many years, Amy Belle Smith, and her four children; 33 grandchildren and stepgrandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren stepgreat- grandchildren; brothers, Paul (Doris) Hofeldt and Hans (Mary) Hofeldt of Chinook; and brother-in-law, Harold Miller of Chinook.