Wayne O. Roseth

Wayne O. Roseth passed away at his home on June 30, 2019. He was 88. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 10, at 11 a.m., at New Hope Lutheran Church (3125 5th Ave S., Great Falls, MT 59405), followed by a lunch at the church. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Wayne leaves behind his wife of nearly 62 years, Dorothy of Great Falls; daughters, Paula (Marty) Schultz of Bozeman, Carrie (Dave) Lee of Great Falls, and Leslie (Tom) Hill of Seattle. He also has six grandchildren, Tyler (Erin) Schultz of Eagle River, AK, Garrett (Jessica) Schultz of Bozeman, Ethan Lee of Great Falls, Morgan (Jake) Knutson of Playa del Rey, CA, Connor (Megan) Schultz of Ennis and Lauren Schultz (Jake Forsman) of Spokane; and seven great-grandchildren. Wayne was born May 30, 1931, in Great Falls to Oscar and Loretta Roseth. He graduated from Great Falls High School in 1949 (Go Bison) where he enjoyed school and sports activities. He was active in the Boy Scouts, achieving his Eagle badge. His fondest memories of scouting were taking the train to Camp Rotary in Monarch in the early 1940’s. (Little did he know then that he and Dorothy would later purchase a cabin on the Camp Rotary Road in 1966 that became the family’s favorite gathering spot for fun and relaxation). After graduating from high school, Wayne enrolled in college at the U of M. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and also the Alpha Kappa PSI Business Honorary. He graduated in 1953 with a Business Administration Degree and was also commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. He remained a loyal Griz fan and he and Dorothy attended the Griz football games for decades. After graduation, he received orders for Germany and served there for two years as an Armored Infantry Artillery officer as a Platoon Leader, Exec Officer, and Company Commander. He made some very good friends while serving overseas and remained in touch with them for the remainder of his life. He returned to Great Falls upon discharge from the Army and joined the family oil business – Roseth Brothers – later known as Roseth Oil Co. After his dad and uncle retired, Wayne became the president of Roseth Oil. As an Exxon Distributor, he sold oil products to local farms and ranches, commercial customers, and service stations/convenience stores. He served as a director for both the Western and Montana Petroleum Marketers Associations. He also served on the Exxon Distributor Advisory Committee. He and Dorothy attended many gatherings across the country for this organization which allowed them to make many new and lasting friendships. He was a member of New Hope Lutheran Church and served on many committees. He was a member of the Great Falls Lion’s Club for 50+ years and served as president. He enjoyed serving on the board of directors for the History Museum. He has life memberships in the Cascade Lodge, Scottish Rite, Algeria Shrine and Lodsen Lodge, Sons of Norway. He enjoyed the Sons of the Pioneers and, the monthly meetings of the Round Lot Investment Club. He was loved by all who knew him and had countless friends, many of whom were childhood chums. Mostly, he enjoyed getting together with family and visiting with Dorothy, the girls, his grandkids and great grandkids. He loved to take the grandkids to Snyder Drug in his famous 66 Mustang each time they received a good report card. There were a lot of milkshakes consumed over the years! The family extends heartfelt thanks to the caring staff at the Grandview for their special care of him while he was there this spring and to Liz O’Connor, Nurse Practioner, and Dr. Alrich Gray who provided excellent care to him for many years. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Wayne’s name may be given to the History Museum (422 2nd St S., Great Falls, MT 59405) or New Hope Lutheran Church at (3125 5th Ave S., Great Falls, MT 59405).