Waven Schlepp

Waven Schlepp, 83, of Great Falls, a lifelong resident of northcentral Montana, died Sunday at Peace Hospice, after a long illness.
A celebration of his life is 2 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel, followed by a reception at Schnider Funeral Home. Private family burial of ashes will be at a later date.

Waven was born March 29, 1926, to Manuel and Christina Schlepp, at the home on the family farm north of Brady, delivered by his Aunt Hannah. He was the ninth of 10 children born into the family. He grew up on the family farm and attended school in Brady, where he developed a lifelong interest in music and sports.
After graduating from high school, Waven spent a few years in the Brady and Conrad area, working on the family farm, at a gas station and in a hardware store. During this time, he met a nurse from eastern Montana named Carol Rabe. Waven and Carol were married Oct. 14, 1950, in Plevna, Mont. They continued to live, work and start a family in Conrad; then moved to Windham to operate their own family farm and ranch in 1955. There they raised cattle and wheat on a small productive piece of property. With an acquisition of an additional farm, they moved from a cattle operation to raising sheep. The family remained on the farm until 1972. Several years later, Waven and Carol divorced, though they remained friends throughout the years.
Through the years in the Windham and Stanford communities, Waven was involved in various clubs, activities and interests, assisting in 4-H clubs and county fairs, and community hall events, including regular dances, card games and town basketball games. He served on school boards for Windham and Stanford schools, coached basketball for Windham school and ran for county commissioner. A lifelong camper, he and his family always enjoyed the opportunity to go camping in the South Fork of the Judith River, which became one of his favorite places to go.
After farming, Waven had brief experiences in feed sales, janitorial work, retail sales and handyman work. He moved to Great Falls and lived there the rest of his life. During that time, he met and married Judy Vallance Joramo. They settled in Great Falls and had a happy marriage together for more than 25 years.
In Great Falls, he continued to expand his music interests, joining with the Treasure Statesman, a barbershop singing organization, and performing through the years. A song was never far from his heart and voice. He dearly loved to sing. Family was most important to Waven, and he was very proud of his grandchildren. Family and friends alike loved Waven's open heart and keen sense of humor.
Survivors include his wife, Judy Schlepp of Great Falls; sons Mark (Jackie) Schlepp of Choteau and Kelye (Judy) Schlepp of Belgrade; daughter Karlene (Jerry) Swenson of Belgrade; stepchildren Erik Joramo of Great Falls, Seth (Crystal) Joramo of Vaughn and Wendy (Shayne) Carter of San Antonio, Texas; daughter-in-law Jayme (Kevin) Van Dyken of Bozeman; sister Esther Sutherland of Conrad; grandchildren Casey Schlepp and Karl Schlepp, Jessica (Gerry) Higgins, Mike (Esther) Schlepp, John Schlepp, Matt Schlepp, Shelby Carter, Erin (David) Bratsky, Katy Schlepp, Tyler VanDyken, Alicia Bop and Emma Joramo; two great-grandchildren, Karyss and Christina; and numerous nieces and nephews, and many close dear friends, including Carol Reed and a special young man, Colin Bruno.
Waven was preceded in death by a son, Dennis; his parents; brothers Albert, Emil, Leonard, Howard and Willard; and sisters Selma, Ella and Clara..
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Peace Hospice, 1101 26th St. S., Great Falls, MT 59405.
Condolences may be posted online at www.schniderfuneralhome.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.