URIEL MAY obituary

Uriel Ephraim May was born Aug. 8, 1914, at Lamberton, Minn. He was one of three children born to George and Rose (Evans) May. When Rose died in childbirth, George later married Anna (Schmidt) and Uriel gained another brother and sister. Uriel grew up in north-central Montana and received his early educat ion at the Connor and Grassy Butte country schools. He finished his schooling in Inverness, and graduated from high school in 1933. Soon after, he began working as a janitor at Columbus Hospital in Great Falls. In the late 1930's, Uriel took a job at a gas station at Kiowa Campground in Glacier Park. It was there that he began dating his sweetheart, Margaret Lorraine Carr. Uriel and Margaret were married Jan, 24, 1942, at Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church in Hingham. They made their home in Inverness, where Uriel worked as a janitor at the high school. In the fall of 1942, Uriel was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Corps. After a short military stint, he received his honorable discharge and returned to Inverness. In 1949 the Mays moved to Havre and raised their family of eight. Uriel was employed as a mechanic for 30 years, initially for Hill County and later at a local Ford dealership. After he retired in 1979, the Mays remained in their Havre home until their health began to fail. In 2004 they moved to Missoula to be closer to their children. The Mays were married 67 years when Margaret passed away on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24, 2009) in Missoula. Uriel's health was fragile; he continued to live at his daughter's home where he received loving care from family and hospice nurses. He died peacefully on Tuesday evening (Feb. 9, 2010), just one and one-half months following the death of his lifelong ma t e, Ma r g a r e t . Uriel was 95 years old. Uriel was baptized a n d c o n f i r m e d Catholic. He was a loyal member of St. J u d e T h a d d e u s Catholic Church in Havre where he was active in the Knights of Columbus. After moving to Missoula, the Mays were members of Christ the King parish. In their retirement years, the Mays enjoyed RV camping and were members of the Blue Horizon Good Sam Club. Uriel was an excellent woodworker who made many furniture, fixtures and birdhouses throughout the years. He loved tinkering and he could fix anything he could get his hands on, especially anything mechanical. For years he repaired hydraulic jacks and small motors as a sideline business. In his younger days, he enjoyed hunting and in this later years he liked to read (especially westerns and mysteries). Uriel was a dedicated husband, father and friend and will be missed by those who loved him. Uriel was preceded in death by his wife and parents, and by two daughters, Rose Macchia and Gail Polglase-Stevens; one son, Robert May; one granddaughter, Jodi Polglase; two sisters, Catherine Ann May and Dorothy May Lineweaver; and one brother, Nicholas May. He is survived by three daughters, Margaret Ritter of Dearborn Heights, Mich., Judy (Manuel) Lopez of Brookings, Ore. , and Denise May of Missoula; two sons, John May of Billings and Don (Kathy) May of Missoula; a son-in-law, John Macchia of Las Vegas, Nev.; a daughter-in-law, Sharon May of Havre; one brother, John May of Inverness; and many grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, nieces and nephers. Cremation has been completed. A joint memorial Mass for Uriel and Margaret will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Havre. Burial of ashes will follow at the Highland Cemetery. Arrangements are by Rockman Funeral Chapel in Chester.