Ronald "Ronnie" Budeski

Ronald Ronnie Eugene Budeski, 85, of Great Falls, was called home by the Lord, Friday morning January 23, 2015, while he was peacefully sleeping.Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Schnider Funeral Home. A vigil service will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. The funeral liturgy will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2015 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.Ronnie Budeski was born October 21, 1929, in Great Falls, the son of William Budeski, from Poland, and Marie Ann (Vodarski) Budeski, from Niagara Falls, NY. Ronnie married Janice Jan Nardinger in 1950. Jan was the love of his life; they fell in love at first sight when he was 15 and Jan was 14. Ronnie joined the United States Marine Corps shortly after they met, and they were engaged the day he was honorably discharged. He lied about his age at 15 to join the United States Marine Corps, and he served during and after WWII in the Pacific Theater, spending most of his time in Hawaii and Midway.Hard work and devotion to his family and the Catholic faith were his lifelong distinctions. His working life began at Odegards Gas Station as a teenager; after their marriage, he worked at the Great Northern Railroad, and later as a carpenter for Nick Kalafat, a trade learned through the GI Bill, which provided valuable skills which he applied throughout the rest of his life. In 1954, he went to work at the Great Falls Tribune the day his fourth child was born; he worked in the press room 37 years until his retirement in 1991.Over the years, Ronnie and Jan, along with their six children, purchased repossessed properties, refurbished them, and rented them out until he sold them, years later. They also built 5 beautiful homes using his finishing skills mostly in oak and custom oak staircases in the Fox Farm area; they were living in a home he built.He was an avid outdoorsman with a passion for fly fishing, with flies he tied, on the Missouri River and Bean Lake. He treasured elk hunting trips to Wisdom, MT with his friends, his horse Rocky, and trap shooting. He took delight in teaching his children and grandchildren how to hunt and the art of fly fishing. The family also enjoyed many camping trips to Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, Swan Lake and Blackfoot River in Lincoln. They enjoyed swimming, hiking, cooking outdoors and of course fishing together.The Catholic faith was the center of Ronnie and his familys life, as he and Jan saw to it their children attended Catholic school. There wasnt a night he didnt sit in his chair, say the Rosary, and pray for his children and wife. Much of the time Ronnie and Jan prayed together. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Ronnie had a very strong presence and deeply cared about his family and everyone in his life. The family truly hopes that the moose license that Ronnie applied for annually, but never received for 24 years, will be awaiting him in heaven!Ronnie is survived by his loving wife Janice Catherine (Nardinger) Budeski; six children: Roxanne Stout of Stevensville, Gene Budeski of Livingston, Lynda (Jim) Monroe of Great Falls, Sandi (Kent) Brick of Mandan, ND, Chris (Sandy) Budeski of Bozeman, and Heidi (Frank) Jacobson of Colorado Springs, CO; grandchildren include: Scott Stout, Anna Stout, Travis Mitchell, Jamie Orr, Jarrah Monroe, Jennifer McGrew, Jichole Hagen, Elizabeth Owens, Emily Brick, Katherine Budeski, Sarah Budeski, Curtis Jacobson, Justin Jacobson; plus 11 wonderful great-grandchildren, with one on the way.