Wayne Waarvik Sr, 88, of Richland MT passed away Monday, October 26, 2020 of natural causes at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow MT.
Public viewing will be held Friday, October 30 from 8:00 – 5:00 and Saturday, October 31, from 8:00 to 12:00. A private family service was held due to the current Covid circumstances.
Wayne was born in Lustre Montana on May 30, 1932 to Isak and Christine (Nelson) Waarvik, the youngest of 5 children. He attended the Cottonwood school along with his siblings, Mildred, LeRoy, Raymond and Lincoln through the 8th grade. Horse and sleigh ensured they never missed a day even in the winter. Wayne started high school in Opheim, staying at a boarding house. He transferred to Nashua for his Junior and Senior years, graduating in 1951. In Nashua he fell in love with basketball and was a proud team member of the Nashua Porcupines, winning the first State Class C championship in 1950. Wayne attended college at MSU Bozeman before returning to work on the family farm.
Wayne’s father, Isak, homesteaded the current farm in 1916 and in 1947 bought all 5 children 5 registered Hereford heifers, originating his love for the breed. In 1956 Wayne bought his first Line 1 bulls and began his career raising Hereford cattle. Wayne bought part of the farm in 1972 and began raising Line 1 registered Herefords, specializing in breeding bulls. The highlight of Wayne’s Hereford career was in 1980 when he sold 8 pairs and a bull to a ranch in Texas, and 70 head of bulls and heifers to ranches in Mexico. His tremendous efforts and lifelong achievement were recognized when he was named “Hereford Man of the Year” by the Montana Hereford Association in 2000. Wayne fully retired in 2017, bringing a close to the great era of Wayne Waarvik Herefords.
Over the years there were many challenges and some great stories associated with Wayne Waarvik Herefords. Once Wayne broke his pelvis, at calving time no less. He quickly mastered the use of his temporary walker and insisted on going outside. Finding calves that needed doctoring in the barn, he pinned them against the wall with the walker…it worked quite well.
Wayne had the gift of gab, and if he talked to you long enough, he almost always found a connection to someone he knew. Of course, he couldn’t resist inviting any new-found friend out to visit the farm. On one trip to visit Debbie Dawn in Virginia, he got to talking to another passenger in Minneapolis.
The other passenger enjoyed talking to him so much, he paid to bump Wayne up to first class so they could finish their conversation.
Wayne was a proud full-blooded Norwegian and even traveled to Norway to see where his parents were raised and meet his extended family. Raised with a love of dancing, there wasn’t a dance floor in northeast Montana that Wayne’s boots didn’t grace. Locally, he was a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, the Sons of Norway, Elks Club, served on the Northwest Farm Credit board of directors for many years and was a charter member of the Pleasantview Roping Club. In recent years he spent winters in Yuma Arizona with his partner, Peggy Lingelbach, dancing and playing cards with their numerous friends.
Wayne is survived by his partner, Peggy Lingelbach; 6 children: Roger (Ruth), Karen, Daryl (Deb), Wayne Jr (Tracey) and their mother Thelma Leraas Bjorklund, all of Glasgow; Debbie Dawn (Darryl) Keating and her mother, Marian Burchak Ludlow, all of Manassas VA; Robert (Jill) of New Braunfels TX and his mother Lorel Crockett Holmes of Derby Australia. 11 grandchildren: Kristen (Landon Holte) and Sarah (Russell) Waarvik, Brendan (Dubraska) and Mikayla Waarvik, Amanda Powell (Adam) and Trevor (Darcie) Waarvik, Isaac and Nora Keating, Christian (Ahna), Jonathan and Sierra Waarvik; 7 great grandchildren: Tristan Powell; Gage, Mason and Gentry Waarvik; Arian Bytyqi; Carter and Henry Holte; nephew Rocky (Michelle) Long; great-nieces: Christy (Sam and Brooklyn) Kushner and Jessica Long.
Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, siblings and grandson Karston Wayne Waarvik.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held in the spring of 2021.
“I want my ashes spread at the ranch, that’s where I started and that’s where I’ll end.”
Service Schedule
Visitation
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday October 30, 2020
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Avenue South 909 8th Avenue North
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Visitation
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Saturday October 31, 2020
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Ave. So.
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Celebration of His Life
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday June 22, 2021
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Ave S
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Reception
12:30 p.m.
Tuesday June 22, 2021
Glasgow Elk's Lodge
309 2nd Avenue South
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Service Schedule
Visitation
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday October 30, 2020
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Avenue South 909 8th Avenue North
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Visitation
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Saturday October 31, 2020
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Ave. So.
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Celebration of His Life
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday June 22, 2021
Bell Mortuary
701 2nd Ave S
Glasgow, Montana 59230
Reception
12:30 p.m.
Tuesday June 22, 2021
Glasgow Elk's Lodge
309 2nd Avenue South
Glasgow, Montana 59230
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Wanda Dale says
Dear Waarvik family. Just want you all to know how sorry I am to hear of your dads passing. I hope your chance to celebrate his life is a blessing to all. He sure had alot to be proud of, and that is all due to you kids, in deepest sympathy…
Wayne Lersbak says
When my father Ole came to this country in 1931 from Norway he landed at the Waarvik farm. One of his duties was to babysit Wayne and his siblings. Ole learned to speak English from the kids while teasing him
They teased me when I was growing up. That is where I learned how to tease.
Wayne from time to time would try to teach me how to milk cows but I never did learn. Many hours of the day were spent playing catch and practicing for baseball games at the Ossette ball diamond.
Much of my time over at the Warwick’s was learning how to do farm work. Every night before going to bed a 5 gallon bucket of vanilla ice cream was brought out, scooped into a dish with chocolate syrup. I certainly looked forward to that event.
Wayne asked me to help him put sheetrock inside the house that he was going to live in when he got married. I recall we got one sheet up on the ceiling and for whatever reason started laughing so hard that we dropped the second sheer and it broke. I don’t know who or how the sheetrock was finished.
After Christmas in 1952 I rode back to Nashua with Isaac driving, me sitting in the middle and Wayne on the passenger side. The heater was turned on high because it was storming and cold and all that heat was coming right at me. I never said anything, but thought I was going to die.
That was the year Wayne’s basketball team won a state championship.
Lisa Garsjo Thievin says
Anytime I would run into Wayne I always knew there would be some good laughs!
My sympathies to all of you Waarvik children. May happy memories of Wayne give you peace.
Butch and Ardith Kegel says
The Warrvik Family, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Our families have shared some good memories through the years as neighbors. Peace be with you at this time.
Larry and Ardith Kegel says
The Waarvik Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Our families have shared some good memories through the years as neighbors. May peace be with at this time.
Wayne and Shirlee Brillhart says
Great Memories with Wayne! Happy Trails with those Herefords on the other side Wayne!
Shirley Ball says
Sincere sympathy to the Waarvick kids and families and to Peggy. I have known Wayne since way back in high school, – I was at Glasgow for the basketball game they won that sent them off to the state tournament where the team took first place. Most of those team mates passed before him, hope they are having a reunion. RIP Wayne
shayne brandt says
Waarvick Family, Many years Brandts have branded with your family & been neighbors with you. Always enjoyed visiting & having a beer with Wayne. I hope were he is going there are Herford cattle & many dances to go to. He will be missed.
Roger and Laura Wagner says
Our hearts go to all the Waarvik family. We knew Wayne through the Hereford Association and many years of visiting. He is remembered as a fun and warm person. A good one has been lost.
Myron and Alice Redfield says
So sorry to Wayne’s family and friends.
STEVEN and JEANNIE MINER says
Wayne was always a friendly person and a great neighbor. So sorry to lose him as our friend and neighbor.
Dean Lingelbach says
To all of the Waarvik family. I am greatly saddened by the loss of Wayne. Thank you for sharing him with my mom and the rest of the Lingelbach family. I thoroughly enjoyed my time that I got to spend with him. Especially jabbing each other about the Cats and the Griz. Wayne will always have a special place in my heart and mind and will be missed greatly. We lost a truely good man.
Dean Lingelbach
Curt Cochran says
The first time I met Wayne we visited for 10 minutes and found out we had mutual friends all across Montana. Our neighbor ranch Ericksons in the Helena Valley raised registered Herefords.Wayne had sold bulls to them and I raised a heifer thru 4 H breeding program from one of his bulls. A few years later I ran into Wayne and Peggy at the East Helena rodeo, it was like we were old friends. He was as true Montanan that there ever was. Love you guys, Curt
Rick McGarvey says
I remember Wayne coming into the Nashua Drug store for vet supplies back in the 50’s and 60’s. Always left with a homemade ice cream cone. Nice guy with a great smile.
Sharon Engle says
Sincere Sympathy to the Waarvik family, Wayne was a good guy, fun to work with when he was on the Board of Directors of the Montana Hereford Assn.
Christy Kushner says
Great Uncle Wayne is my favorite of Grandma’s brothers. Grandma and Uncle Wayne often talked on the phone; they would share stories on how proud of their families they were and what exciting things were coming up. Both Uncle Wayne and Grandma loved to dance; it must be in our blood.
We used to take road trips to Montana to see the farm when I was little. Great Uncle Wayne was a legend amongst cattle farmers, a man full of love, life, and family was his everything.
As an adult, I followed in the same tradition of going back to the farm and took my family to see the homestead. We often stayed at the family farm or in Glasgow. Uncle Wayne lived with Peggy, and their relationship seems so perfect. They did everything together, laugh, joke, shopping, take us to see the calves, and so much more.
Uncle Wayne was a tough, stubborn, and genuinely a wonderful person. We will miss you.