Wallace Harold Jeppesen Meissner

Wallace Harold Jeppesen Meissner

CHESTER —age 43, our brother, uncle, & friend, left us with no warning or good-bye on Friday evening (June 26th, 2015) at his home in Great Falls.

He was born Wallace Harold Jeppesen on August 16th, 1971 in Chester, MT. "Wally", as he was affectionately nicknamed, was the youngest of four children born to Harold Jeppesen and Gladys Agnes Sindt. He was raised on the family ranch just south of the Sweetgrass Hills in Liberty County. Unfortunately, Wally didn't get to meet his older brother, Wes, who was killed in a car accident in 1969. And he was just a toddler when his father, "Jepp", died suddenly in 1975.

Good news happened in 1976, when Wally's mother, "Shorty", married a neighbor, George Meissner. The three of them moved to the Meissner Ranch 23 miles north of Chester, where Wally grew up. George & Wally became "best-of- buddies", so George adopted him. Wally proudly took the Meissner name as his own.

Wally received his formal education in Chester. He participated in football during his high school years and graduated from C.H.S. in 1990. Wally continued his education at Northern Montana College in Havre for a year, then returned to the Meissner Ranch to work with his father & uncle. Soon after, Wally married Susan Thompson and they started to make their life together on the Meissner Ranch. In 1998 Wally was involved in a life-threatening 4-wheeler accident, which resulted in severe medical problems with long-term debilitation. Consequently, his marriage ended in divorce. Shortly after that, Wally moved back to the Jeppesen Ranch. Wally was devastated by the deaths of his uncle Frank in 1996 and his father George in 1997, but he was hit with a final blow in 2009, when his loving mother passed away.

Even though Wally struggled with many challenges due to medical limitations and numerous surgeries these past 17 years, he still remained active in life. He enjoyed being an entrepreneur and built "A-1 Mini Storage" in Great Falls from scratch with a business partner. Wally also became interested in the manufacture of a specialized hiking boot, and became an investing partner in the Kenetrek Boot Company in Bozeman. In addition he remained an active partner with his siblings in the Jeppesen family ranching operations near Chester.

In 2014 Wally became critically ill and spent 53 days in the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, MN. He was at "death's door" several times, but due to the unrelenting care & love of Dr. Nataliya Razumilava and many prayers from all across the country, Wally miraculously survived. Wally returned to Montana on June 18th with a renewed "twinkle in his eyes". In January of 2015 Wally purchased a condominium in Great Falls so he could be closer to his family, physicians, & medical services. He recently traveled to Hawaii with special friend, Jen Anderson, and enjoyed a wonderful vacation. He seemed to be doing well and appreciating his new found life - until his sudden & untimely death on this past Friday evening. Wally's family wants to express their sincere thanks to Dr. Nataliya and the Mayo Clinic, whose excellent care afforded them an additional year of "bonus days" with their loving brother/uncle.

Wally was baptized at the Trinity Lutheran Church north of Lothair; his god-parents are Sonny & Karen Scalese. He was confirmed at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester.

Wally was an avid M.S.U. Bobcat football fan. He was not only a season ticket holder, but also a tailgater and member of the Bobcat Club. He enjoyed treating family & friends to Bobcat home games by offering them his extra tickets.

Wally loved to hunt and was a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. His home was decorated with many trophy heads & antler mounts of animals he had bagged over the years. He also enjoyed fishing and was always eager to take friends to his favorite "fishing hole" on the Jeppesen ranch.

Wally was an avid reader; he especially enjoyed historicals. On his recent trip to Hawaii he visited the Pearl Harbor Monument and was humbled & honored to meet a 99-year-old survivor from the attack on the Arizona. The man shared a lot of history related to this special "day of infamy" - Wally was enthralled.

Wally had many other interests. He enjoyed working in his yard & garden. He liked to sing in the shower. He enjoyed his collection of antique oil lanterns. He loved to play an internet game called "Trivia Crack". He enjoyed the years he played adult softball in the Chester League. He was a fan of all Florida Gators sports teams. He loved "March Madness" and looked forward to the annual NCAA Calcutta auction. He enjoyed cooking and loved to share his meals with family & friends. He always had candy in his pick-up to share with friends & passers-by. He loved his family dearly, especially his nephews & nieces, and always had ice cream bars, twizzlers, & other treats available for them.

Anyone who knew Wally knew that he was not only a gentle man, but also a gentleman. He was always kind, caring, & considerate to everyone he encountered. The world has lost a special soul…

Wally is survived by his sister, Pam (John) Seidlitz of Great Falls; his brother, Ken Jeppesen of Great Falls; 3 nephews, Rylan Jeppesen of Great Falls, Jeff (Jen) Seidlitz of Great Falls, and Jeremy (Jenna) Seidlitz of Billings; 2 great-nieces, Mary & Emily Seidlitz; uncle, Hales Scalese of Galata; aunt, Jean Orr of Elko, NV; uncle, Paul (Arlene) Meissner of Chester; aunt, Margaret Meissner of Chester; special brother, Ty Rockman of Great Falls; and special nephew, Wes Rockman (his brother's namesake) of Brownwood, Texas.

Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m. Thursday (July 2nd) at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester. Following burial in the Chester Cemetery, a reception will be held in the church fellowship hall. Visitation will be at the Rockman Funeral Chapel in Chester all day Wednesday (July 1st). Memorials may be offered to the Trinity Lutheran Church (north of Lothair) or donor's choice.