William F. "Bill" Bertrand
On September 30, 2009 we lost a loving husband, a dad, a grandpa and
a great-grandpa.
Bill was born June 5, 1930 to Arnold and
Adelaide (Keller) Bertand in Miles City. He attended Sacred
Heart Grade School, Custer County High School, and graduated from
Gonzaga University in Spokane. After serving in the U.S. Army
from 1952-1954, including service in Korea, he married Patricia
Hayes in Walla Walla, Washington, on October 9, 1954. Their
union was blessed with five children.
Bill was very active in the Knights of Columbus, Council # 1259,
holding all offices through Grand Knight. He spent many years
as an officer in Central Heights Little League, and served on the
board of directors of Lake Hills Men’s Association. Bill was
also an officer in the Billings Bowling Association, served as a
league secretary for over 30 years, and was elected to the Billings
Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2000, his family
was named the Montana State Bowling Family of the Year.
As a charter member of the Pryor Creek Golf Club, he especially
enjoyed the Wednesday’s Pryor Creek Seniors, and playing golf every
weekend for over 30 years with his son, Ed.
For many years, Bill worked in the office at Hi-Ball Contractors,
and later retired from JE Williams Trucking in 1997.
He was an obsessive Chicago Bears and New York Yankees fan and was
especially proud of the Gonzaga basketball team.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Mary Rita.
Those left to love and remember him include his wife of 55 years,
Patricia; sons, John (Marteann), Ed (Diane), Ted, and Elliot (Kim)
all of Billings; daughter Therese of Washington state;
grandchildren, Chris (Amber), Robert, Ashley, and Haley;
great-grandchildren Jacob, and Isla Grace; and brother Jim (Mary
Jean) all of Billings.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Fiddler
and RiverStone Hospice, particularly to Ricky and Manny.
Cremation has taken place. Vigil Services will be held at 7:00
P.M., on Sunday, October 4, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary. As
Bill was a charter member of St. Pius X Church, Memorial Mass will
be held there at 10:00 A.M., Monday, October 5. Rite of
Committal with military honors will follow at Calvary Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to RiverStone Hospice, St. Pius Endowment, St.
Vincent de Paul, or the charity of one’s choice.
Bill’s wish was to be remembered as a quiet man who loved his wife,
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Remembrances
Please leave your name and remembrance in this public guest book. Your comments will be shared on this page and forwarded to the family.
To the William Bertrand Family--
It is with deep sorrow to learn about Bill--we just played Seniors w/ Bill a couple of months ago and he was lamenting that he was not putting well or contributing to our team--he said he's been on winning teams the previous weeks--and I mentioned that his putts were right at the hole and they would start dropping and they did and we won! It was always a pleasure and an honor to play golf with Bill and Ed over the years--one year we had Ed play with our team at Peter Yegen and I always marveled at his demeanor--Bill and Ed both taught me how to behave on the golf course!
God Bless Bill Bertrand and the Bertrand Family.
Respectfully,
Clark Swan