William "Bill" Messenger

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Bill Messenger breathed his last at 2:52 A. M. February 17, 2022 in his Missoula home circled by his beloved wife of 53 years, Donna, and some of their children - just the way he wanted to hike his final journey. It is fitting that for what turned out to be his last 18 months, he had returned to the Montana of his birth. Favorite days of his childhood Bill could be found in his signature overalls, exploring barefoot along Birch Creek outside Dillon, where his dad operated a small sawmill. He liked to tell about how great being one among ten siblings was, because they had enough people to play a full football game. While the occasion is sad, the time was right. At 92, this man who had embraced life with his whole body and exuberantly canoed rivers, could barely move any longer and was burdened by Alzheimer’s. He decided to die on his own terms, refusing his morning oatmeal, and once he made up his mind there was rarely any changing it. Bill could be as stubborn as Pedro the burro, the one designated to carry some of the load for taking his young family into the wilderness; his older kids and their cousins report that Pedro was not above sending you a kick in the butt when you tried to make him do something he wasn’t inclined to. Bill could lose his temper with the best of them when the baler broke down in the July hayfield, but the strongest curse that generally passed his lips was, “Oh poppycock!” Bill hated to lose at cards, horse shoes, pond hockey, capture the flag and any other game you invented on the spot. At the same time his large heart beat for his siblings, children and wife – the delights of his life. He also got attached to the dogs, cats, pigs, steers, and, most especially, the milk cows, that he called by name and sometimes sang to about “The pretty little dear who lived uptown,” or “Bill Grogan’s Goat. ” He taught himself how to sail boats, build houses, dig ponds, patch old cars and heavy equipment together to keep them chugging long after most would have tossed them into the junk heap. He occasionally bought the prescribed auto part at Napa, but more often was able to find something that could work at the salvage yard. Baling twine, duct tape and scraps of wire served him well. Good luck to the poor soul who needed to find a tool in his shop; a child of the depression, he held onto every bolt and tool just in case…. While Bill grew up loving playing games with his siblings, it was attending Centralia High School (Class of ’47) that he discovered he also enjoyed and excelled at organized sports. It tickled him to know that the bamboo pole vault record he set while attending Centralia Community College would never be broken after the advent of the fiberglass pole. He completed his Physical Education degree at Washington State University and immediately started a teaching and coaching career that spanned 27 years and went from PeEll, Washington to Fort Collins, Colorado. Throughout those years his favorite sport to coach was gymnastics, and no one was exempt from his lessons – from his younger siblings to friends, and especially his own nine children – Vickie, Patti, Debi, Mike, Penny, Dennis, Tony, Lori and Eric.  Bill’s adult life began when he married Lillian Viles. They worked hard together so he could finish college and eventually he found his dream job teaching P. E. at Centralia High School.  Bill and Lillian had five children that grew up in a gymnasium, while Bill coached and refereed.  He learned to ski and mountain climb in those years and everything he learned he took home to teach his children. Their divorce was traumatic for the family. Bill met Donna Kludt when they coached together at an outdoor gymnastics camp near North Bend, Washington in 1967. He liked to say that he fell in love with this green-eyed beauty and then spent the rest of his life trying to keep up with her – a task not for the faint of heart. Their shared passion for teaching movement to young people as well as living a rural, mountain farm life anchored them. Their first big move as partners took them to Ft. Collins, Colorado, where he got a job at Jean Irish Elementary School. They bought property in the foothills of the Rockies and built a kit home alongside Redstone Creek. All visitors were engaged to mix concrete, pound nails and make themselves generally helpful… and then treated to pond relays, kick-the-can and singing around the campfire.   Backpacking trips with Bill stand high on the list of good memories for those lucky enough to have gone with him, even when, or especially when, everything that went wrong did. He never could stand staying on the trail or any marked route for very long. His “shortcuts” were famous (whether on foot or in a car) as they usually took at least double the time of the regular route. You always knew that a trek with him would involve navigating terrifying scree chutes, mountain tops, and lakes not yet named on the map because who would think to try and get there. He was happy for all comers to join in the fun, and would wake first to light the campfire.  Upon retirement from teaching in 1979, Bill fulfilled another life dream by becoming a full-time farmer-rancher at Donna’s family’s home place near Kamiah, Idaho. Those five years were rich in hand labor and family, but were rough on the wallet. The family resettled onto ten acres south of Coeur d’Alene, Donna was hired by that school district, and Bill invested in a backhoe to establish Bill’s Hoe and Blade. Finances remained tight and they lived in a two-room “bungalow” for twelve years before finally having saved enough to build the log and river-stone home that Bill designed. He, Donna and their extended family and friends built the entire place, and their later grandchildren grew up loving every corner of it.  All Bill’s children remember especially his easy playfulness, and generosity with hugs and snuggles in his lap for bedtime stories. He didn’t learn to freely say “I love you” until later in his life. At that point he seemed determined to make up for lost time and would often tear up while telling people how much he loved them. Words were never Bill’s strong suit, but if you took the time to know him, his expressive face helped him communicate everything he needed to. The family invites any who wish to celebrate Bill Messenger’s life to gather in Missoula, Montana on Saturday May 7th, 2 P. M. at The Orchard Homes Country Life Club (2537 S 3rd W). Dinner will be served following the program. You are welcome to help by bringing a potluck dish, but regardless there will be plenty for all. Following dinner, any who wish to continue reminiscing and being together are invited to a campfire at daughter Lori’s nearby house. Bring your musical instruments and stories to share with his grandkids (numbering 60 these days). In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Partners in Home Care Hospice / 2673 Palmer Street Suite 201 / Missoula, MT 59808 or Alzheimer’s Association MT Chapter / 3010 11th Ave. North / Billings, MT 59101. For any who want to attend, Bill’s celebration of life but cannot physically come, we will offer zoom attendance at the following link – Topic: Bill Messenger Celebration of Life                  Time: May 7, 2022 02:00 PM America/Boise Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web. zoom. us/j/88501975847?pwd=cU5YdlFRWEIvU2NjR0pueXRvMXJsQT09  Meeting ID: 885 0197 5847 Passcode: 879033

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William "Bill" Dean Messenger

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