HAVRE DAILY NEWS
Monday, March 6, 2006
==============================================================
Deaths
Dwayne L. "Kretch" Kretchmer, 81, of Havre died Friday morning, March 3, 2006,
at his home of natural causes. A prayer vigil service will be held at 7 p.m.
Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church with his funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Friday,
also at St. Jude Catholic Church. A full obituary will follow.
-End-
HAVRE DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 2, 2006
==============================================================
DWAYNE KRETCHMER
|
|
Dwayne L. Kretch Kretchmer, 81, of Havre
died peacefully Friday, March 3, 2006, at his residence of natural causes.
A prayer vigil will
be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church. After the prayer vigil,
a social gathering will be held at the Elks Club. Dwayne's funeral service will
be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church with the Rev. Robert D. Grosch officiating. Burial with full military honors will
follow at
Dwayne was born
Oct. 17, 1924, in Oriska, N.D., to Math Kretchmer and Lillian Cota at his
Aunt and Uncle Crosby's home. His Uncle Crosby was his doctor. He attended
school in Oriska and graduated from Oriska Ramblers High School in 1942. Dwayne was involved
in all school sports, where he excelled in track and basketball. Upon
graduation from high school, Dwayne entered the
He met and married
Joy Corbitt. They had two daughters, Linda and JoAnn, and were later divorced. Dwayne moved to Havre in
the early 1950s and was employed by F.A. Buttrey as a
carpet layer. After four years of working for Buttrey's,
in 1954 Danny O'Neil, Les Freeman, Gordon Suk and
Dwayne purchased Bellands Furniture in downtown
Havre. In 1959, Dwayne and Dan were the two partners in a new store, Valley
Furniture. Dwayne met Lilly Gilbert and the couple were married Aug. 25, 1956,
in Kalispell. Lilly had three daughters, Deanna, Sandra and Jody. Their son
Matt was born in 1958 on his father's birthday.
Dwayne was a
community minded individual, who devoted many hours to his community and his
civic organizations. He was a member of the Havre Elks, fulfilling all the
chairs and serving as exalted ruler from 1964-1965, the Eagles, VFW, Optimist,
Lions, Rotary, Ducks Unlimited, Walleyes Unlimited, the
Dwayne, an avid
sports fan, always attended the Blue Pony and MSU-Northern basketball and
football games. He sponsored many sporting events. One of his favorite summer
sports was softball, especially fast pitch. He enjoyed playing cards,
especially pinochle and poker. In his spare time, Dwayne had many hobbies to
keep him busy, such as hunting, fishing, boating, working in his yard, bowling,
traveling, photography and collecting model cars and trucks. He also loved to
go dancing.
Dwayne was a
family orientated man who had a great devotion to his family and friends.
Whether it was spending time at any of the lakes or the mountains, Dwayne could
always be found outdoors. Dwayne always talked about his fond memories of his hunting
trips with the Evans brothers and of the Wood Tick Inn.
Dwayne
was preceded in death by his parents, Math and Lillian Kretchmer;
sister, Lorraine Laney; niece, Kathleen Swenson; daughter, Sandra Burrington; and son-in-law, James Pinski.
Dwayne is survived
by his wife of 49 years, Lilly Kretchmer of Havre;
daughters, Linda (Pat) Parker of Burnsville, Minn., JoAnn
Pinski of Great Falls, Deanna Hale of Havre and Jody
(Duane) Skoyen of Chinook; son, Matt (Rose) Kretchmer
of Havre; brother, LeRoy (Bonnie) Kretchmer
of Shasta Lake, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and several
nieces and nephews.
Memorials in
Dwayne's honor may be made to the Havre Elks Scholarship, P.O. Box 910, Havre,
MT 59501 or to VFW Post No. 497, P.O. Box 497 Havre, MT. 59501.
Services and
arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine
Funeral Home.
-End-
GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE Wednesday, March 8, 2006
=============================================================
Dwayne L. 'Kretch'
Kretchmer
HAVRE - Dwayne L. "Kretch" Kretchmer, 81, a Navy veteran, retired Havre businessman
and community leader, died of natural causes Friday at his home in Havre.
A prayer vigil is 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church, followed
by a gathering at the Elks Club. His funeral is 11 a.m. Friday at St. Jude,
followed by burial with military honors in
Dwayne is survived by his wife of 49 years, Lilly Kretchmer
of Havre; daughters Linda (Pat) Parker of Burnsville, Minn., JoAnn Pinski of Great Falls., Deanna
Hale of Havre and Jody (Duane) Skoyen of Chinook; a son, Matt (Rose) Kretchmer of Havre; a brother, LeRoy
(Bonnie) Kretchmer of Shasta Lake, Calif.; 12
grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Dwayne was born Oct. 17, 1924, in Oriska,
N.D., to Math Kretchmer and Lillian Cota, at his Aunt and Uncle Crosby's home. His Uncle Crosby
was his doctor. He attended school in Oriska and
graduated from Oriska "Ramblers" High
School in 1942. Dwayne was involved in all school sports, excelling in track
and basketball.
Upon graduation from high school, Dwayne served in the
He met and married Joy Corbitt. Two daughters,
Linda and JoAnn, were born of the marriage. He and
Joy later divorced.
Dwayne moved to Havre in the early 1950s and was employed by F. A. Buttrey as a carpet layer. After four years of working for Buttrey's, in 1954, Danny O'Neil, Les Freeman, Gordon Suk and Dwayne purchased Bellands
Furniture in downtown Havre. In 1959, Dwayne and Dan were the two partners in a
new store - Valley Furniture.
Dwayne met Lilly Gilbert and the couple married Aug. 25, 1956, in
Kalispell. At that time, Lilly had three daughters, Deanna, Sandra and Jody.
Their son Matt was later born in 1958, on his father's birthday.
Dwayne was a community-minded individual who was very active in
community and civic organizations. He was a member of the Havre Elks,
fulfilling all the chairs and serving as Exalted Ruler from 1964-1965. He was also
a member of the Eagles, VFW, Optimist, Lions, Rotary, Ducks Unlimited,
Walleye's Unlimited, The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the American Legion,
and served as past president of the Montana Retail Association.
Being an avid sports fan, Dwayne always attended the Blue Pony and
MSU-Northern basketball and football games. He sponsored many sporting events.
One of his favorite summer sports was softball, especially fast pitch. He
enjoyed playing cards, especially pinochle and poker. In his spare time, Dwayne
had many hobbies to keep him busy, such as hunting, fishing, boating, working
in his yard, bowling, traveling, photography and collecting model cars and
trucks. Dwayne also loved to go dancing.
He was a family-oriented man who had a great devotion to his family and
friends. Whether it was spending time at any of the lakes or the mountains,
Dwayne could always be found outdoors. Dwayne always talked about his fond
memories of his hunting trips with the Evans brothers and the Wood Tick Inn.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Sandra Burrington;
a son-in-law, James Pinski; his parents, Math and
Lillian Kretchmer; a sister,
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions in
Dwayne's honor may be made to the Havre Elks Scholarship, P.O. Box 910, Havre,
MT 59501; or to the VFW Post 497, P.O. Box 497, Havre, MT 59501.
-End-
...................
HAVRE DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 2, 2006
==============================================================
DWAYNE KRETCHMER
|
|
Dwayne L. Kretch Kretchmer, 81, of Havre
died peacefully Friday, March 3, 2006, at his residence of natural causes.
A prayer vigil will
be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church. After the prayer vigil,
a social gathering will be held at the Elks Club. Dwayne's funeral service will
be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church with the Rev. Robert D. Grosch officiating. Burial with full military honors will
follow at
Dwayne was born
Oct. 17, 1924, in Oriska, N.D., to Math Kretchmer and Lillian Cota at his
Aunt and Uncle Crosby's home. His Uncle Crosby was his doctor. He attended
school in Oriska and graduated from Oriska Ramblers High School in 1942. Dwayne was involved
in all school sports, where he excelled in track and basketball. Upon
graduation from high school, Dwayne entered the
He met and married
Joy Corbitt. They had two daughters, Linda and JoAnn, and were later divorced. Dwayne moved to Havre in
the early 1950s and was employed by F.A. Buttrey as a
carpet layer. After four years of working for Buttrey's,
in 1954 Danny O'Neil, Les Freeman, Gordon Suk and
Dwayne purchased Bellands Furniture in downtown
Havre. In 1959, Dwayne and Dan were the two partners in a new store, Valley
Furniture. Dwayne met Lilly Gilbert and the couple were married Aug. 25, 1956,
in Kalispell. Lilly had three daughters, Deanna, Sandra and Jody. Their son
Matt was born in 1958 on his father's birthday.
Dwayne was a
community minded individual, who devoted many hours to his community and his
civic organizations. He was a member of the Havre Elks, fulfilling all the
chairs and serving as exalted ruler from 1964-1965, the Eagles, VFW, Optimist,
Lions, Rotary, Ducks Unlimited, Walleyes Unlimited, the
Dwayne, an avid
sports fan, always attended the Blue Pony and MSU-Northern basketball and
football games. He sponsored many sporting events. One of his favorite summer
sports was softball, especially fast pitch. He enjoyed playing cards,
especially pinochle and poker. In his spare time, Dwayne had many hobbies to
keep him busy, such as hunting, fishing, boating, working in his yard, bowling,
traveling, photography and collecting model cars and trucks. He also loved to
go dancing.
Dwayne was a
family orientated man who had a great devotion to his family and friends.
Whether it was spending time at any of the lakes or the mountains, Dwayne could
always be found outdoors. Dwayne always talked about his fond memories of his hunting
trips with the Evans brothers and of the Wood Tick Inn.
Dwayne
was preceded in death by his parents, Math and Lillian Kretchmer;
sister, Lorraine Laney; niece, Kathleen Swenson; daughter, Sandra Burrington; and son-in-law, James Pinski.
Dwayne is survived
by his wife of 49 years, Lilly Kretchmer of Havre;
daughters, Linda (Pat) Parker of Burnsville, Minn., JoAnn
Pinski of Great Falls, Deanna Hale of Havre and Jody
(Duane) Skoyen of Chinook; son, Matt (Rose) Kretchmer
of Havre; brother, LeRoy (Bonnie) Kretchmer
of Shasta Lake, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and several
nieces and nephews.
Memorials in
Dwayne's honor may be made to the Havre Elks Scholarship, P.O. Box 910, Havre,
MT 59501 or to VFW Post No. 497, P.O. Box 497 Havre, MT. 59501.
Services and
arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine
Funeral Home.
-End-
THE BLAINE CO. JOURNAL NEWS-OPINION Wednesday, March 8, 2006
=====================================================================
DWAYNE KRETCHMER
|
|
Dwayne L. Kretch Kretchmer, 81, of Havre
died peacefully Friday, March 3, 2006, at his residence of natural causes.
A prayer vigil
will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church. After the prayer
vigil, a social gathering will be held at the Elks Club. Dwayne's funeral
service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church with the
Rev. Robert D. Grosch officiating. Burial with full
military honors will follow at
Dwayne was born
Oct. 17, 1924, in Oriska, N.D., to Math Kretchmer and Lillian Cota at his
Aunt and Uncle Crosby's home. His Uncle Crosby was his doctor. He attended
school in Oriska and graduated from Oriska Ramblers High School in 1942. Dwayne was involved
in all school sports, where he excelled in track and basketball. Upon
graduation from high school, Dwayne entered the
He met and married
Joy Corbitt. They had two daughters, Linda and JoAnn, and were later divorced. Dwayne moved to Havre in
the early 1950s and was employed by F.A. Buttrey as a
carpet layer. After four years of working for Buttrey's,
in 1954 Danny O'Neil, Les Freeman, Gordon Suk and
Dwayne purchased Bellands Furniture in downtown
Havre. In 1959, Dwayne and Dan were the two partners in a new store, Valley
Furniture. Dwayne met Lilly Gilbert and the couple were married Aug. 25, 1956,
in Kalispell. Lilly had three daughters, Deanna, Sandra and Jody. Their son
Matt was born in 1958 on his father's birthday.
Dwayne was a
community minded individual, who devoted many hours to his community and his
civic organizations. He was a member of the Havre Elks, fulfilling all the
chairs and serving as exalted ruler from 1964-1965, the Eagles, VFW, Optimist, Lions,
Rotary, Ducks Unlimited, Walleyes Unlimited, the
Dwayne, an avid
sports fan, always attended the Blue Pony and MSU-Northern basketball and
football games. He sponsored many sporting events. One of his favorite summer
sports was softball, especially fast pitch. He enjoyed playing cards,
especially pinochle and poker. In his spare time, Dwayne had many hobbies to
keep him busy, such as hunting, fishing, boating, working in his yard, bowling,
traveling, photography and collecting model cars and trucks. He also loved to
go dancing.
Dwayne was a
family orientated man who had a great devotion to his family and friends.
Whether it was spending time at any of the lakes or the mountains, Dwayne could
always be found outdoors. Dwayne always talked about his fond memories of his
hunting trips with the Evans brothers and of the Wood Tick Inn.
Dwayne
was preceded in death by his parents, Math and Lillian Kretchmer;
sister, Lorraine Laney; niece, Kathleen Swenson; daughter, Sandra Burrington; and son-in-law, James Pinski.
Dwayne is survived
by his wife of 49 years, Lilly Kretchmer of Havre;
daughters, Linda (Pat) Parker of Burnsville, Minn., JoAnn
Pinski of Great Falls, Deanna Hale of Havre and Jody
(Duane) Skoyen of Chinook; son, Matt (Rose) Kretchmer
of Havre; brother, LeRoy (Bonnie) Kretchmer
of Shasta Lake, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and several
nieces and nephews.
Memorials in
Dwayne's honor may be made to the Havre Elks Scholarship, P.O. Box 910, Havre,
MT 59501 or to VFW Post No. 497, P.O. Box 497 Havre, MT. 59501.
Services and
arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine
Funeral Home.
-End-
......................
HAVRE DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 9, 2006
==============================================================
Business owner remembered as kind, dedicated.
Angela Brandt
Havre Daily News
abrandt@havredailynews.com
When Mike Evans thinks of Dwayne Kretchmer, the first thing that pops in his head -
kindness.
He cared about others and he'd do
anything for you, Evans said. If you were in need, he'd step up to the plate
and do whatever he could.
Kretchmer,
81, died March 3 of natural causes. A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at
the St. Jude Catholic Church.
Evans said one of his fondest memories of Kretchmer was the way Kretch
was there for his younger brother after Evans had moved out of his family's
home.
Every birthday, he gave my brother a
card with money in it. That continued after my dad's death. Dwayne was still
there with his birthday card, he said.
Evans met Kretchmer
through his father, Dave Evans, who owned Valley Furniture with Kretch. Mike Evans now owns the business,
along with his sister, Cathy Brown, and Kretchmer's
son Matt.
Not only is the large neon V on the
sign the same as when Kretchmer owned the store, but
the store's community spirit also remains the same, Evans said. He proudly
displays pictures representing the various local efforts the store supports.
Some pictures date back to the 1960s. Pictures of 4-H livestock the store
purchased hang alongside a framed newspaper clip about Kretchmer's
walk-a-thon for the Bigger Better Barn.
This is something Kretch and Dave started and we just continue, Evans said
while showing off the photos in the breakroom.
In 1954, Valley Furniture donated a
cedar chest to the 4-H queen, a tradition continued to this day. A thank-you
letter from one of the queens is part of the display showing the store's local
efforts.
Dwayne really got that going. The
fair and 4-H was a big thing for Kretch, Evans said.
Kretchmer
raised thousands of dollars to construct the Bigger Better Barn by doing a
walk-a-thon in 1984. He marched across
Evans said Kretchmer
walked most of the length alone, but his wife Lilly drove along and probably
walked a little bit, too.
He also has fond memories of hunting
and fishing with Kretchmer.
He was a very good shot, Evans
said. I think he just liked to get outdoors.
He said Kretchmer
liked to hunt pheasants, deer and elk.
Kretchmer
was a long-time member of the Havre Elk Lodge.
Bob Nieuwenhuyse,
two-time past exolted ruler of the Havre Elks Lodge,
met Kretchmer through the organization.
Even with all of Kretch's
many activities, he was exceptionally dedicated to the Elks, Nieuwenhuyse said. He inspired a lot of the younger Elks
to live every day in the service to their fellow man.
He was a true and gentle man, he
added.
-End-
