Charles L. Eidel

World War II Army veteran Charles L. "Chuck" Eidel, 90, of Seattle, a former Great Falls resident, died Saturday at his home of complications from a fall in March.
Visitation is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Schnider Funeral Home. A continental coffee hour is 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, prior to the 10 a.m. funeral Liturgy. Burial will take place in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Chuck passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 5, 2010, at his home.
Chuck was born July 29, 1919, in Hinsdale, Mont., the eldest son of Philip and Olive Eidel. He often talked about his early childhood, which included working on the ranch alongside his father and brothers. He could still name his elementary school teachers and had lots of memories of attending Red Butte School, south of Great Falls. Chuck graduated from Great Falls High School and earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Montana.
He enlisted with his friend Harry in the Army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Some months after basic training, Chuck was chosen for Officer's Training School in Colorado. He was deployed to the Pacific in May 1945 and was on his way to active combat when that theater of the war ended.
It was while he was in Colorado that he met and later married his wife of 49½ years, Marie. She was the sister of a fellow officer and Chuck was smitten from the first time he saw her. They married in April 1945 and moved to Montana after the war and a brief time living in Denver. Marie passed away in November 1994, closing the book on the many chapters of their life together.
The move to Montana facilitated Chuck's return to ranching and he and his brother Jack spent the next 25-plus years as partners on the "Home" south ranch in the Eden area, and the Eidel Feedlot west of Great Falls. Due to medical reasons, Chuck retired from ranching in 1976.
He certainly didn't retire from life, however! During the next 16 years, he devoted his time to serving on the Cascade County Tax Board, and to the fun and demands of the business he ran with Marie, "Merrie Antiques." He was also a great person to count on if you needed a helping hand, a good laugh or someone to make fun of on the golf course.
Chuck and Marie were both very involved in Holy Family Parish and Ursuline Academy. In the 1950s, he made a score of trips to the Belt area to locate Christmas trees for the school's holiday fundraiser. He worked every Tuesday evening for 11 years helping to run the bingo club that raised money for the school and the nuns. The nuns loved Chuck; they always had a list of things that needed doing and he never turned them down. Chuck also worked very hard helping Marie and others start the successful Antique Show held for many years at Holy Family Church.
He and Marie had three children, Bill (Coleen) who preceded him in death; Jan Halbakken (Steve) and Tom Eidel (Sheela). He is also survived by his seven grandchildren: Tom, Charlie, Brian, Dan, Doug, Jeff and Kathryn. He had the pleasure of nine great-grandchildren, knew each of them well and followed their young lives with interest and love. Chuck is also survived by his brothers Jack Eidel (Betty deceased) and Phil Eidel (Myra). Numerous nieces and nephews from many of the western states have traveled to/within Montana over the last many years to visit with him; he truly enjoyed each and every one of those visits.
In 1992, Chuck and Marie moved to Seeley Lake and it was there that they spent the final two years of their married life. Chuck really loved that area and he continued to live there until the summer of 2003, when his health necessitated a move to Seattle to live with his daughter.
Chuck was gentle, kind, stubborn, loyal and fun. He was a great baker, a French-toast maker, and a margarita mixer extraordinaire He was an unparalleled neighbor and friend; he loved golden retrievers, little babies, the New York Yankees and unsharpened pencils. He believed in God, Montana and the rest of the U.S.A., in that order. He loved every member of his family deeply and he treasured his friends.
It would please Chuck very much if you remembered him with contributions to the Children's Neuroblastoma Foundation (https://www.nbhope.org); Ursuline Academy, 2300 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59401; or an aid organization of your choice.
Condolences may be posted online at www.schniderfuneralhome.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.