Wayne Allan Whitehorn

Wayne Allan Whitehorn, 97, passed away on June 27, 2020. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, at O'Connor Memorial Chapel. A reception will be held at the Whitehorn Homestead at 620 Whitehorn Ln, Floweree, MT 59440. Please RSVP your parties number if you intend to attend, no later than September 5th by email to: DWINMT@HOTMAIL.COM, OR as a phone call to (406)590-9677, please leave a voicemail. Current Suggested Precautions as regardsCOVID-19, Are Strongly Recommended and Encouraged for all attendees, but it is the at the discretion of the Attendee, as is the responsibility for their choice, whether to follow the guidelines or not. Wayne was born on September 8, 1922, to Chester and Georgia (Hathaway) Whitehorn 17 miles north of the Great Falls, Montana on the family homestead. He was the fifth of nine children. He grew up on the homestead, enduring the bitter depression and dustbowl years of the 30’s at the impressionable age of 8. He attended Benton Lake Primary School and the Fort Benton High School, graduating in the spring of 1940. He enlisted with the Army Air Force on October 31, 1942, and was trained as a flexible artillery waist-gunner for B-17’s at McCarran Field outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. He excelled at this and subsequently trained thousands of young men that came through to do the same.In 1944, he received new orders, and he ended up the AAF base Wide-Awake Field located on Ascension Island. Some months after the war ended, he was honorably discharged, a Sergeant, on March 30th, 1946 at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin and was home soon after. Once home, he put away his uniform, put on blue jeans and a t-shirt, and for the next 72 years proceeded with his family to build a first rate farm. During those years, Wayne married twice, Patricia Eulalie Toole was his 1st, and gave him 2 children, Eulalie Natalie and Daniel Joseph. Eulalie married James R. Thibert and they had 5 children;William Collin, Jarred Allen, Allana Dru-Jade, Elise Marie and Randi Chase, who in her turn married James Romanchuk. They have subsequently had one child, Ryleigh Emmerson. Tragically, Eulalie passed away in 2016, the victim of a heart attack.The son, Daniel Joseph, married Sherry Anne Tyler and subsequently they had a son, Daniel Wayne, in 1987. Daniel Wayne married Trisha Thompson in 2011.They in turn had a daughter, Madison Grace, in 2011.Sadly, Patricia, Wayne’s wife was killed in a car accident in 1982.Awhile later, Wayne started seeing Nia Marie Wiley, his Arthur Murray Dance Instructor from the 50’s.They wed soon after. Nia came with 2 step-sons, Wiley Randall Hoffmann and Shane Bruce Hoffmann.Wiley married Lisa Suzanne Rossman in 1985, and had 2 children, Ashley Marie and Taylor Bryce. Shane Bruce, Nia’s younger son married Maria Beatriz Pons Puig and they had three children; Samantha Beatriz, Isabella Marie and Shane Bruce. After many years of companionship, Nia succumbed to cancer in 2012. Wayne finally and reluctantly retired at the age of 94, although he often came out of retirement if he could lend a hand. When his health truly began to fail, he retired for good to his home where he remained, with the assistance of his son and loved ones until the end. On June 27th 2020 at 2:40pm he quietly breathed his final breath. Wayne’s interests were varied. He enjoyed photography, dancing using computers. He was also a long-time member of the local Elks Club and served on the Fort Benton School Board. He loved children, doted on his grandchildren and was smitten by his great-great-grand daughters.He often would spend hours if not days at the Metal Lathe or woodshop creating truly unique and wondrous gifts for them.He also took great pleasure in hosting members of his extended family and friends, enjoyed traveling to family reunions and in his later years traveled extensively with his 2nd wife, filling photo albums, scrapbooks and dvds by the score. These were the precious treasures of their wanderlust, recording forever the beauty they discovered and fellowship with those the met or traveled with on the way.Wayne was a kind and generous man with a keen intellect, a giving heart and a strong sense of family. He often would help those in need. His trusting spirit and faith in the basic goodness in people often spurred those very people to strive to be worthy of his assessment. He is sorely missed and the world a poorer place. Wayne was the last of his pioneering generation, having outlived his parents, eight brothers and sisters, several of his children, grandchildren, great-grand child as well as many nieces and nephews. He is survived by Donna Lee Elliot, Daughter of Bernice, Carol Ann Covill and Laurel Kate Romine daughters of Wallace, Sharon Irene Meyer, Rita Gayle Neilson, daughters of Virginia as well as nephew Gerry Arthur Wiederhold. Clara’s daughters Vicki Lou Deck and Terri Lynn Anderson. Stanley’s daughters Becky Lynne Jourdonais, Vicki Sue Peterson and Wendy Ann Whitehorn, and sons Brian Dane and Earl Gordon. Elva’s children Jeanne Lucille Turner, William Keith Gessaman, Janet Irene Haugen and Michael Donald Gessaman and finally Georgi-Anna Meier, daughter of Iris. In direct lineage, he is survived by his Son, Daniel Joseph Whitehorn of Floweree.Also his stepson Shane Bruce Hoffmann of Mexico City.Honorary close family members include his great-nephew Joshua Gordon Whitehorn of Floweree, to whom he has acted as grandfather for many years and who has taken a diligent and loyal interest in seeing that Wayne was always comfortable.A special young woman that Wayne unofficially adopted as his daughter at a time she was in sore need of the loving support of a father; Karyn Jean Bresson of Great Falls.Karyn in her turn put forth all her considerable love, creativity, skills and smiles to the task of keeping her new father in good comfort and spirits. And Cathy Tadej Thomas of Fort Benton has earned both his thanks and love, as she donated a great deal of her time, effort, heart-felt compassion, tears of empathy, pleasant demeanor, sincere love and unceasing assistance in caring for Wayne these past 2-1/2 years.