Claire (Bud) Wendt of Kalispell, age 87, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on March 13, 2015. Bud was the third of three children born to Max and Clara Wendt on April 4, 1927, and has made the Flathead valley his home his entire life. On March 26, 1950, Bud and Alice Isom wed and together had four children, and remained married for almost 65 years, until his passing.
Bud graduated from Flathead High School and went on to work a variety of jobs before he settled on his final occupation as a commercial deliveryman for Dairygold, where he worked for over 30 years. In the late 50s he took over the 80 acre farm that his father Max homesteaded. During planting and harvest season, it wasn’t unusual for Bud to be up at 4 a.m. to deliver milk, and then come home and work the farm until late in the evening.
Due to physical limitations, Bud did not serve in the military but, while others were away at war, he helped many families in the area with their farming and was always eager to serve is community here at home.
Bud served on the school board and was school clerk for the Fair-Mont-Egan school district for a number of years.
Bud loved to fish, hunt, and go camping. Many summer weekends were spent with his family, friends and their families camping at the many lakes in northwest Montana, fishing, playing cards, and sharing good times. You could often find containers of night crawlers in the refrigerator next to the milk ready for the next fishing trip.
Church on Sunday was often followed by a “Sunday drive” to see how other farmer’s fields were doing and talking about who lived where, who had originally homesteaded the property, and noting any property improvements that were being made, or fishing for salmon on Flathead River.
Bud was also an avid card and board game board player- especially dominos. No one wanted to be the position of following his card hand or move on the , as often the poker -faced player would lead you to believe he had nothing, only to have the winning play which he quietly celebrated with a sly smile.
Bud would keep everyone awake through these long games with his wonderful gift of storytelling. He loved to share stories of growing up in the Flathead Valley. He had an excellent memory, which made for detailed stories about Kalispell and its history.
Bud spent many summer days with his grandchildren in the garden. They would sit on a stool in the garage afterwards and snap the ends of the green beans or sort through raspberries for jam. Bud always encouraged the girls to “sample” the fruits and vegetables before bringing them inside for Alice.
After retirement, Bud enjoyed weekly get-togethers at Sykes with his childhood friend John Alton and others, playing cards and having coffee. When he wasn’t carousing with his friends, he loved his after-retirement jobs of driving mint trucks for neighbors during the harvest, and working with his tools. He was quick to give a smile and a wave as he often rode his mower, tending to the lawn.
Bud was known for his quick wit. He often had a joke to tell with a straight face and scaring all the girls in the family by suddenly pretending he was going to bite you when you got close to brush a hair from his face or to whisper something to him.
Bud is preceded in death by father Max Wendt, mother Clara Wendt (Nordtome), step-mother Grace Wendt, and sister Helen and brother-in-law Clarence Counsell, and is survived by wife [cw1] Alice Wendt (Isom;) son E. Wayne and his wife Judy, children Sid and Judith; son Michael and his wife Julie, children Cassandra and Ashley; daughter Cheryl Wood and husband Jim, children Josh and Autumn; Connie DeCunzo and husband Jason, children Tessa and Isabella; and nuerous great grandchildren.
Bud was a loving and generous man, who treated all his step grandchildren as though they were his own, and welcomed all new family with open arms.
Grave side services will be held at the Glacier Gardens Memorial Cemetery on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., followed by an open house at the family home, 710 Egan Road, Kalispell, Montana from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.