William A. Rammer

1925 - 2019

William A. Rammer

GREAT FALLS - William "Bill" Arnold Rammer, 93, of Great Falls, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on Saturday, April 13, 2019.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Bill was born on April 25, 1925 in Antigo, Wisconsin to Arthur and Addis (Turney) Rammer. He graduated from Antigo High School in 1943. After graduation, he joined the Army Air Corps (now US Air Force) where he piloted a single engine craft from 1943 to 1946 in World War II. After being honorably discharged, he returned home and graduated from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Meteorology. He went to work in Washington, D.C. from 1955 to 1973 where he worked as an analyst, forecaster and eventually a supervisor at the National Meteorological Center. He came to Great Falls where he went to work as the Meteorologist in Charge at the Great Falls Weather Forecast office from 1973 to 1981 when he retired. He then became the joint owner of Northwest Weather Associates in 1981 retiring in 1991.

He married Shirley Zander in 1952 in Madison, Wisconsin and together they raised a family of five girls and five boys. He was an extraordinary husband and father.

He was chairman of the board of the Cascade County Housing for the Developmentally Disabled and president of the Association for Retarded Citizens. He was a member of the Montana Wilderness Association and the Missouri River Flyfishers (MRF) and became editor of the MRF River Reporter newsletter from 1983 to 2006 and treasurer of the MRF from 1989 to 2006. He volunteered at the Fish Wildlife and Parks Visitor Center. He was also a citizen advocate for the developmentally disabled in our Great Falls community, as well as a volunteer income tax preparer for low income families with Tax Help Montana. He was a regular blood donor with the American Red Cross donating over 15 gallons of blood for the program.

Bill loved fly fishing, tennis, hiking and kayaking in his spare time.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughters Mary Rammer of Great Falls, Janet (Jim) Paulsen of Montana City, Joan Rammer of Stuart, FL, and Jean (Ken) Rioux of Hilton Head Island, SC; sons David (Patrice) of Kona, HI, Andrew of Great Falls, Michael (Ariana) of Hawthorne, FL, Steven (Peggy) of Nashville, TN, and Paul of Oakland, CA; sister Margaret Ballard of Dayton, OH; brother Michael Rammer of Oshkosh, WI; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents; daughter Catherine Kopp; and grandson Brent Rammer.

Memorials in Bill's name may be made to Quality Life Concepts Endowment Trust Fund, 215 Smelter Ave NE, Great Falls, MT 59404.

Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.