Virgil Hammerschmidt

CUT BANK/PHILIPSBURG - Virgil Hammerschmidt, 65, a retired railroad employee, farmer and community volunteer, died of a heart attack Feb. 3 at his home in Philipsburg.
A vigil service is 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Margaret's Catholic Church in Cut Bank. Funeral Mass is 10 a.m. Monday at St. Margaret's, with burial in Crown Hill Ceme-tery. Whitted Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Virgil was preceded in death by his wife, Christie; and his parents, Edward and Pauline Hammerschmidt.
He is survived by his sisters, Vivian Ann Appelhans and family of Hoxie, Kan., and Virginia Dinkel and family of Hays, Kan.; his brothers, Valerian Hammerschmidt of Hays, Kansas, Vernard Hammerschmidt of Mason, Tenn., and Verlin, Valeri and Vernon Hammerschmidt and families, all of Victoria, Kan.; brothers-in-law Vernon Anderson and family of Shelby, Mont., Robert Anderson and family of Seattle, Joe Anderson and family of Helena, Mont., and John and Vicki Nanini and family of Philipsburg, Mont.; Virgil's many nieces and nephews; and all of his loving friends and family in Montana and Kansas.
Virgil was born in Hays, Kan., on May 11, 1944, to Edward and Pauline (Braun) Hammerschmidt. He attended school and spent his younger years in Victoria, Kan., and on a farm in Ellis County. It was through his large, loving family that Virgil developed a deep and never-ending passion for the Catholic faith. In 1966, Virgil decided to head north with Julius Pfeifer and his custom harvesting crew, where he truly found the love and passion for farming and ranching. Fate al-lowed Virgil to settle in Cut Bank, Mont., and meet the love of his life, Christie Anderson. They were married on Oct. 16, 1971, at St. Margaret's Catholic Church in Cut Bank. They made many friends and had numerous happy memories in their time together.
Virgil worked on the railroad for more than 25 years and spent most of his free time helping out at the Pfeifer farm. He thoroughly enjoyed camping in Glacier National Park, visiting family and traveling with Christie. Together, they were extremely proud of their accomplishments in the AA program and encouraged others to do the same. Virgil was very saddened by the death of Christie in 2001, but he had many close friends and family to rely on. In his later years, Virgil was able to retire from the railroad and pursue his passions in life: farming, spending time with family, and volunteering at the Catholic Church, the Senior Citizens Center, the Food Bank, and in any and everyone's lives he could make easier. Virgil was able to sense when people needed help and a smile put on their face. He would always provide a joke as he had many to choose from. What-ever anyone needed, Virgil always seemed to have just the thing on hand. One of the most admirable things about Virgil was that he found a way to take what he had in order to give someone else the world. Virgil was seen as a "gen-tle giant" by those who were blessed to know him. He never judged a person, instead he treated everyone with the same kindness whether you were the bishop or someone homeless he took in.
Virgil's other favorite pastimes included adventures with his buddies John and Lyle, telling jokes, assigning nicknames, any type of project he came across, old movies, going to fairs, collecting cans, collecting knickknacks pertaining to trains and farming, and most of all, spending time with his family. Virgil was a very proud employee of the St. Margaret Catholic Church in his later years, and he eventually retired from there in September 2009. He decided to spend his retirement in Philipsburg, Mont., with his family, and so enjoyed his time over the years with Sean, Ryan, JJ, and Jenadee. Virgil truly found the peace he needed and met new and genuine friends in Philipsburg. He was able to pursue his passion of volunteering and for the Lord by getting involved at St. Philip's Catholic Church.
Virgil was a person who taught us all a lot about ourselves and life, and will truly be missed. Simply through his actions, Virgil displayed his sincere and selfless Christian character and got the most fulfillment out of his genuine love and passion to help others. The gift Virgil gave each of us by knowing him will con-tinue to be passed on, as his life was an inspiration and testament to us all.
Condolences may be posted online at www.whittedfuneralchapel.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.