Ivan D. 'Sie' Houser

Ivan D. 'Sie' Houser

Ivan D. "Sie" Houser, 94, died Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, at Northern Montana Care Center, of natural causes. At his request cremation will take place and his memorial service will be held 3 p. m. Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Pastor Cleve McSwain officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Highland Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Ivan's honor may be made to the Havre Senior Center, 2 W. 2nd St., Havre, MT 59501 or to Van Orsdel United Methodist Church. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home.

Ivan D. Houser was born Nov. 6, 1916, the son of Jess and Mina Houser in Derby, Iowa. The family moved to Absarokee two years later where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1935. He worked as an automobile mechanic in Absarokee and Colorado for a few years, then spent several years with the Northern Pacific Railroad and worked at the Bremerton shipyards before joining the Army in 1942. He was a message center chief with the 107th Signal Co. He held the rank of staff sergeant and served in the European Theater of operations. After his discharge from the service, he settled in Columbus where he married Margaret Harlan on June 22, 1947. He worked as an electrician wiring houses for a few years before going to work for Montana Power Company in 1949. He was a member of the Congregational Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Loyal Order of Moose and was a Master Mason in Stillwater Lodge 62. He was active in Boy Scouts, where he served as Cub Scoutmaster and assistant Scoutmaster in Absarokee in his earlier years and assistant Scoutmaster in Columbus. He also held a private pilot's license. For Montana Power Company, he worked as a meter reader, a ground man and a gas serviceman before being transferred to Havre as a dispatcher. He retired from Montana Power on Dec. 31, 1981.

His hobbies included bowling, fishing, hunting and shooting pool. In Havre, Ivan "Sie" was a member of the Eagle's Club and the Havre Senior Citizens.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters.

Ivan is survived by his wife of 64 years Margaret "Marge" Houser of Havre, Mont. ; his children, Robert Houser of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Larry (LuAnne) Houser of Clancy, Mont., Nancy (Dave) Boderick of Benton City, Wash., and Karen Houser of Missoula, Mont. ; four grandchildren, Travis McKay of Seattle, Wash., Ben (Sarah) Westdorp and their two children, Judah and Ian of Loveland, Colo., Daniel Houser of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Amy (Trevor Purcell) Houser of Great Falls, Mont.

The family would like to thank all of the pool players who helped Sie, especially Jim O'Leary. You were all a precious blessing to his life.