Walter A. Hill

HAVRE - Walter A. Hill, 79, a retired railroad engineer, died of cancer Friday at a Havre care center.
His memorial service is 2 p.m. Tuesday at the First Lutheran Church in Havre, followed by a luncheon at the church. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Holland & Bonine Funeral Home of Havre.
Walt is survived by his wife of 48 years, Helen Hill of Havre, Mont.; sons Jon (Yvonne) Hill of Missoula, Mont., Daniel Hill of Cheyenne, Wyo., and David Hill of Austin, Texas; daughters MaryBeth (Ken) Kohl of Anaconda, Mont., and Beverly (Roger) Sabbot of St. Paul, Minn.; a brother, Franklin (Joyce) Hill; a sister, Rachel (Gene) Naaze; his grandchildren, Jennifer "Jeny-Jump-Up" (Patrick) Tveraa, Ryan "Bunker" Hill, Ericka Wyrwas , Benjamin Hill, Cassie, Mathew Kohl, Thomas (Amanda) Kohl, Marianne (Caleb) Schaeffer, Kyle Sabbot and Katie (Ahmed) Shalaby; six great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and many friends.
Walter passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer on Friday, Nov. 7, 2008.
Walter was born Sept. 30, 1929, to Bertina and Byron Hill in Lustre, Mont. He was raised in Nashua, and attended school there. As a young man, he worked moving houses and for Amarada Oil Petroleum Co.
In 1951, Walter married his first wife, Jane, and they had four children. They later divorced. He married Helen Wersland on Nov. 29, 1959, and they had one son. They would have celebrated their 49th anniversary later this month.
On July 15, 1953, Walter hired out with the Great Northern Railroad. Walter was employed by Burlington Northern for 40 years, retiring on Oct. 23, 1993.
Walt enjoyed spending his summers at the farm in Nashua, working on and repairing anything with a motor. Walt loved spending time having coffee with friends (his coffee buddies) in Havre and Nashua, spending time with family and friends, telling stories and, especially, spending time with his dogs. In his final year, Walt spent a lot of time transporting cars with Ron Hanson across Montana, which he enjoyed very much.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers.
Memorial contributions in Walter's honor may be made to the Gift of Life, P.O. Box 7008 Great Falls, MT 59405; Hi-Line Sletten Cancer Center, c/o NMHCF, P.O. Box 1231, Havre, MT 59501; the First Lutheran Church, 303 6th Ave., Havre, MT 59501; or to a memorial of one's choice. Condolences may be sent to the family at 848 7th St., Havre, MT 59501.
Condolences may be posted online at hollandbonine@q.com and/or gftribune.com/obituaries.