Bill Treece

Bill Treece, 84, passed away April 13, 2015, at the Mountain View Manor in Eureka.  He was born on April 8, 1931, in Duncan Okla., to Douglas and Bertha Treece. He just celebrated his 84th birthday. Bill spent his early years in Duncan, graduating from high school there. 

After graduation, he moved to North Dakota to work with his former boss from Oklahoma doing well pump servicing. It was there that he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War for 18 months. Tech Sergeant Treece was awarded the Korean War Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, United Nations Service Medal, The Republic of Korea’s Korean War Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Overseas Service Stripes, Presidential Unit Citations, and miscellaneous unit certifications and awards as a crane shovel operator and engineer equipment mechanic, and was honorably discharged in June 1954. 

After serving in the Army, he went back to Oklahoma; however, there was no work there. He then went to North Dakota to work but didn’t like the work or the climate. He was told that Montana was the place to go and he could make money just by hooking logs and dragging them to trucks to be loaded, so he and a friend headed to Eureka for work, where he lived with Keith and Jr. Burgess. It was here that Bill met Dolly (Agnes) Roberts in a restaurant that he frequented. She wasn’t sure what to think of him at first, as he always showed up at the restaurant with a carload of kids. However, she soon found out they weren’t his kids, that he just loved children and so the courtship began. Bill and Dolly were married on April 7, 1956, in Sandpoint, Idaho, and they just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. They were blessed with seven children including two sets of twins.

Bill lived the remainder of his life in Eureka. He worked in the woods as a loader and skidder, and ran heavy equipment building roads. His welding abilities were known throughout the valley. He was also a heavy equipment mechanic for Fred King and Donny Pluid. When he wasn’t working he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Together they went camping, boating, fishing and hunting, and made trips to Oklahoma, Carlsbad Caverns and Mexico. Bill especially loved fishing up the North Fork. He was also a bowler in his younger years and enjoyed photography and woodworking. Bill was also known for making his famous hamburger soup and his special recipe will live on forever.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Theo, Lorene and Thedis and brothers Otis and Mutt, along with his two oldest children, Toni in 1997, and Douglas in 2006, and a very special sister-in-law Ruby Cummings Treece in March 2015.

Bill is survived by his wife Dolly of Eureka; daughter Karen (Dave) Helmrick and her children Sara, Jeremy and Craig of Troy; son Kevin (Jaci) and children Jordan, Jaden and Taylor of Kalispell; son Keith (Diane) and children Cole, Samantha, Melanie and Clay of Kalispell; and twin daughters Loralee Jo (Rod) Treece and children Cebren (Amber) and Trent of Kalispell and Luann Treece and Madison of Santee, Calif., along with Toni’s children, Justin (Ana) Walker, Kyle (Maria) Walker, Charity (Todd) Townsend and Xyane (Stephanie) Vredenberg and Doug’s children, Brittiney (Josh) Treece Cosgrave, Kayla Treece and Dani Treece; 11 great-grandchildren; Lucas, Alaina and Jared Townsend, Aiden, Liam and Elise Walker, Olin Walker, Trinidy Nelson, Torianna Cosgrave, Piper Treece, Ciara Treece, and great-granddaughter to arrive in June; special neighbor, Joyce Hudson, daughter-in-law Shelly Treece and sisters-in-law, Fay Miller and Shirley Roberts Butts, all of Eureka;  nieces, Jovie Hathcock in California, Nancy Treece, Finley Minter in Oklahoma, Karla, Deb, Becky, Pam, Shelley in Montana and Sherry in Washington, three nephews, Harold (Judy), Roy Edwin and Wayne (Linda) in Oklahoma.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 1 p.m. at the Tobacco Valley Cemetery with full military honors.  A reception will follow at Riverstone Lodge (North of Eureka).  Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home in Eureka.  Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.