Kenneth Palmerton

Former Libby resident Kenneth Allen (Kenny) Palmerton, 55, of Mesa, Ariz., died on Sept. 12, 2005, at Galt. Calif., after a long battle with cancer.

He was born on Jan. 22, 1950, at Libby, to Clarence and Dorothy Palmerton.

Kenny grew up in Libby, attended Libby High School, and lived here as a young adult, working for Early Dawn Dairy, Williamson's gas station and St. Regis Paper Compnay.

He started working for Westmont Tractor at Libby as parts and service representative, transferred to Kalispell for several years, then to Missoula and later to a new store in Spokane.

When Westmont closed in 1981 Kenny came back to Montana to work for Pumnea Construction.

From 1985-1993 he worked at the Asarco mine.

He married Margaret Mack of Troy in 1984 and they were divorced in 1990.

He left Montana in 1993 to work for FNF Construction at Phoenix, Ariz., until 1999, when he began working for Rummel Construction.

Except for a brief time when he came back to Montana in 2002 to work at the Columbia Falls bark plant and for Stimson Lumber Company in Libby, Kenny stayed with Rummel Construction until illness forced his retirement in 2005.

Kenny enjoyed music, playing his guitar, was always the entertainer and comedian, and will be missed by his family and countless friends.

He was preceded in death by brother Richard Duane in 1948, his father in 1991 and his mother in 2000.

Survivors include three brothers and three sisters, Dan Palmerton and his wife Peggy, Portland, Ore.; Joanne Rosander and her husband Cisco, Portland; Darrel Palmerton and his wife Reenie, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Sherry Palmerton, Whitefish; Randy Palmerton, Libby, and Judy Bailor and her husband Claude, Kalispell, and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Monday at the Assembly of God Church in Libby with Pastor Frank Mack officiating.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until noon at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Mark Statford, Rod Rummel, Rick Rummel, Cliff Johnson, Brian Williams, Dan Torgison, Mark Decker and Brett Pumnea.

Local arrangements are by Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.