William "Uke" Ukrainetz

William Uke Ukrainetz, 89, of Great Falls, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 2, 2015.No services are planned, but there will be a celebration of his life at a later date. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Schnider Funeral Home.Billie, as his mother called him, was born into simple Ukrainian stock in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His father was a coal miner and his mother (Baba to her grandchildren) was a housekeeper. He grew up attending Ukrainian schools until grade 4 when he enrolled in English speaking schools. Billies nickname became Uke which would follow him for the rest of his life. To earn extra money for the family, he would collect glass milk bottles for a penny apiece.When he went to work for a local sporting goods store, Uke was finally able to afford a used pair of skates. That would impact his life farther than anyone could ever expect.After finishing grade 12, Uke enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy, serving aboard the minesweeper HMCS Medicine Hat as a radio and Morse code operator. His tour took him from Halifax to the Bahamas and beyond, clear to Australia. After the war ended, he returned to Lethbridge and learned of a hockey recruiting camp in Ottawa. He boarded the train with several other well known players from the area to see how he stacked up. During the camp, he was contacted by the New York Rangers and several other teams. He also found out that there was a fledgling team forming in Great Falls, so he turned down the Rangers offer and headed back home. According to the contract offered him, the pay would be better in Montana. And he could still play softball, too!Uke and several other players soon found themselves in Great Falls, playing for the Great Falls VFW Hornets at the Civic Center. There he met the lady that would steal his heart. She, Lois Westdal, was a figure skater and daughter of a writer/pressman at the Great Falls Leader. The spunky defenseman and the graceful figure skater were married in 1947. He was working in the sports department of Murphy-McClay Hardware at the time.Uke and his father-in-law, Alvin Westdal, decided they would open sporting goods store of their own and Ukes Sports came into being. While he still played hockey, selling became a lifestyle that would affect his life forever. Uke learned the importance of being honest and generous, doing much of his business on trust and a handshake. During the years he owned the store, there was no state high school association; schools bought their own equipment for whatever sports they participated in. He came to know all the coaches in all the high schools in the state. If there was a fire or other catastrophe at any school, he would outfit them with whatever gear they needed. If a coach needed shoes for a particular player, they often came free of charge. He even got his private pilots license to better reach the most remote of the state schools. At the same time, Uke applied for and became a citizen of the US in 1953.His love of hockey and his team, now the Great Falls Americans continued to be a force in mens senior hockey. In the 1954-1955 season, when a team from New York claimed they were the senior mens national championship team, the coach and owner of the Americans sent them a telegram stating they couldnt claim that title because they hadnt beaten the Americans from Great Falls. With the gauntlet thrown, the tough team from the west headed to New York. Although it wasnt a sweep, the Great Falls Americans came home with the National Senior Mens trophy. and the legacy began of producing a hugely popular and favored sport in Great Falls.Uke began to take an interest in art in the late 1950s. Because of his travels across the state, he would often hear of a fledgling artist who may need some sporting gear, or just need money to help their family. Trades were involved initially, then, outright purchases. Soon the art collection began to spread to finer and more well known and prominent artists. He met with other collectors and formed bonds that lasted until his passing. Notable among those were Gary Schildt, Bob Scriver, Stan Lynde, Ace Powell, Bill Ohrmann, Walter Seltzer, and countless others. In the mid 60s he came up with the idea of commissioning many of those artists to draw or sculpt figurines of school mascots that he could sell to the schools. National Porcelain came into being with the first ceramic decanters, Collegiate Cologne. Although the cologne wasnt that great, the idea caught on. Working with Lewis and Clark Distilling in Helena, Uke commissioned Gary Schildt to design the first liquor decanters he would make. There were initial problems, and the casting proved a challenge. After switching to porcelain instead of ceramic, he also helped the factories he was dealing with develop a method of triple glazing the inside to insure against leakage. During this time he also designed all of the Lionstone and Lewis and Clark decanters, where area artists sculpted or drew the pieces, which were then sent to China or Japan for production. Uke also supported the CM Russell Museum by supplying pieces for the first art auction in 1969.Uke sold the sporting goods store in the early 70s, and began marketing his decanters on a national scale. In 1974, a dockworkers strike nearly bankrupted him when a large Max Factor order sat on the docks for weeks. He was forced to sell his beloved cabin on Smith River. Uke contacted a distilling company in Cincinnati, and was soon on his way for another re-invention of himself. While working for Hoffman Distilling, Uke designed and promoted the infamous Mr. Lucky decanters. Forty three different Mr. Lucky figures, in numerous sizes were manufactured, in addition to hundreds of decanters for other companies. He soon developed a reputation as the Bottle King.During this time, a long time friend, Senator Mike Mansfield, contacted Uke to become a part of the first trade mission to China. As most of the decanters were being made in China and Japan, and he had already travelled there many times, it was a distinct honor to represent his country, company, and Montana. The trade mission was a success and opened doors for other companies who also needed porcelain decanters/figurines for their products.When Hoffman changed ownership, Uke took a job at McCormick Distilling in Kansas City. His first decanter was an Elvis figurine, which sold faster than supplies could be met. Many other decanters followed and when he finally retired from the corporate decanter business in the early 90s, he had produced over 1900 different decanters/figurines for over 18 major distilling companies. Through all this, his most cherished collection were all the letters he saved from such notables as Norman Rockwell, Sen. Mike Mansfield, MT. Govs. Stan Stevens and Thomas Judge, Jimmy Dean, Harley Brown, Bob Morgan, and hundreds of artists from across the country.In 1977, after returning from a trip to China with Lois, they were invited to spend the weekend with friends up at Lindbergh Lake in the Swan Valley of Western Montana. While attending an open house of properties at the outlet of the lake, and looking at what was available for sale, Uke decided to put a deposit down on Lindbergh Lake Lodge, which was privately owned. The owner gave him one month to decide, but it was Lois who told him that hed better buy it or hed be sent packing!Many of his friends from Great Falls already owned property on Lindbergh, so weekends were spent visiting friends that he couldn't see during the week. New traditions were initiated, including the daily Happy Hour on the deck. Uke felt it was his job to make everyone laugh, and he did it very well. His favorite past-time was telling stories of all his travels and adventures around the world, every one with a humorous tone. He worked with Lois to bring the history of the Lindbergh Lake Lodge and the Swan to the attention of the National List of Historic Places, where it is now listed. The lodge and the lake rejuvenated him, tested him in the winters, and relaxed him when he needed it. It was a place of family, friends, and fun. All because of his desire to succeed, not at the expense of others, but due to his determination. His friends could be from any culture, status, or ethnicity. His neighbor, Liz Clairborne and her husband Art Ortenburg once commented that they enjoyed his honesty, and made them feel at home. He treated them like any other neighbor. The happiest event at Lindbergh occurred when the 4 kids surprised Uke and Lois with a well planned and well attended 50th Anniversary party.After his hospitalization in November, he was still designing decanters, making the nurses and doctors laugh, and loving the company of his family and friends. He was generous to a fault, dedicated to his wife even after she passed, and still wished to travel abroad. He passed quietly with family at his side.Hes skated his last shift, and is now headed to the locker room.He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Sofia Ukrainetz, and his eternally loved wife, Lois.Bill Uke Ukrainetz is survived by his sister, Kay Larsen (Lethbridge, AB), son, Ron (Echo) Ukrainetz, daughter Kaye (Dave) Muzzana, daughter Sue (Kerry) Johnson, and son, Terry (Amanda) Ukrainetz; 11 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. Memorials are suggested to the CM Russell Museum Acquisitions Fund, Upper Swan Valley Historical Society, the Great Falls Ice Foundation, or a charity of your choice.The family would love to hear your favorite Uke story. Please email them to ronukrainetz49@gmail.com.