Roland C. Childs

Roland C. “Rolly” Childs, 94, a resident of the Kootenai Valley for the past 68 years, died Nov. 9 at his home in Libby. A longtime employee of the J. Neils Lumber Company and later, with the St. Regis Company, he remained there until his retirement in 1984.

He was born at Vernon Center, Minn. to Leslie and Gladys (Fleming) Childs on June 1, 1920 and was raised and educated in Hill City and Grand Rapids, Minn.

Following high school, he served in the Civilian Conservation Corps until the attack on Pearl Harbor, when he entered the  Army Air Corps as an aircraft instrument technician with the 670th Bomber Squadron of the 416th Bomber Group.

He served in the European Theater during the air offensive in Operation Overlord and also served in Northern France, Central Europe, Rhineland and Ardennes.  Following the surrender of Germany, he was scheduled to go to the Pacific Theater with the Douglas A-26 group until the surrender of Japan intervened and he was discharged in October of 1945.

Rolly came to Libby in February of 1946 to visit his brother Lee and met and married Beulah Johnson Oct. 19, 1947. They made their home in Libby, raising three children. She preceded him in death in 1984. He married Beulah Price May 12, 1990; they made their home in Libby for the past 24 years.  

He was a 66-year member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, holding offices in both the local post as well as the state organization and served for many years as Honor Guard chaplain.

When asked about performing these honors for his peers from the Greatest Generation, he simply replied, “As comrade after comrade departs, we march on with our ranks grown thinner.”

Survivors include his wife Beulah; his children Michael Childs (Diann) of Condon, Leslie Spain (Bruce) of Ferndale, Wash., and Bonnie Schultz (John) of Chatteroy, Wash.; sisters Doris Lee of Roach, Mo., and Donna Tix (Paul) of Avon, Minn.; step-children Nancy Gab (Tom) of Libby and Bill Price (Midge) of Kuna, Idaho; niece Cathy Powell (George) of Libby; seven grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and 10 step-great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Nov. 14, at the United Methodist Church and interment with full military honors following at the City of Libby Cemetery.