William Griffin, 83

William Griffin, 83, a longtime Trego resident, passed away of natural causes Saturday, July 8, 2006, at HealthCenter Northwest in Kalispell.

He was born July 2, 1923, in New Lyme, Wis., the son of William and Adelight Griffin. He was raised in that area and attended schools.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a torpedo man stationed in Piney Point, Md.

After the war, he and another young fellow came to Montana for three summers and worked for the U.S. Forest Service, and then worked winters at home in Melrose, Wis. He came to Montana to stay in 1951 and lived in Trego while working for the U.S. Forest Service for which he was an equipment operator for the next 33 years.

He married Rose Fortine in Montana and she passed in 1965. He remarried Peg O'Donald and she passed away in May 1993. He remarried Norma Nelson in July 1998 and she survives him at the family home in Trego.

He enjoyed guns, and reloading guns, hunting and fishing, and all of the outdoors. He also enjoyed working on old tractors.

He belonged to the Melrose, Wis., American Legion and the Eureka Masonic Lodge AF & AM No. 93.

Survivors include his wife, Norma, in Trego; a daughter, Cheryl Staley, in Lawrenceburg, Ky.; two sons, Edward "Butch" Griffin in Eureka, and Bryon Dean Griffin in Stryker; four brothers, Jim, Ernest, Leo and Joe; and a sister, Helen; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two stepchildren; and five stepgrandchildren.

Two brothers preceded him in death, Oscar and Raymond Jr.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish. Funeral services with Masonic Rites will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment with military rites provided by the Veterans of the Flathead will be at Glacier Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Kalispell.