Funeral Service: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. at the Evangelical Church in Circle, MT
Interment: Private at a later date
On a fresh spring day, April 20, 1919, God gave life to Joseph Frank Wittkopp and after 88 productive and eventful years, He took him home to join family and friends Jan. 3rd 2008. Born to August B. and Helena (Hillebrand), on the ranch in Circle, Montana, he started his life as caretaker of the land and livestock at an early age. He loved the land and livestock and ranching was his life, as he started herding sheep at a young age with a faithful dog as helper and companion and a rifle to ward off coyotes. To those who knew Joe well, his retelling of days of his adventurous youth and young manhood were always enjoyed. As Joe said in his own words, when diagnosed with the cancer he battled for 16 years, Ive lived a good life. You cant ask more than that. He was fortunate, to be able to live life as he wanted and was content with what he had.
December 3, 1951 Joe married his life partner of 56 years, Elaine Eris Wilhelm. Together they had 5 children, Jere, Jenice, Joe James, Jeanette, and John.Like all who grew up during the depression, he learned how to make much out of what he had. Sales of milk, cream, and pork supplemented his income and as a young man he mined coal to find extra cash for things his family needed such as a washing machine to make his mothers life easier.
Joe was generous and quick to help family and friends. His service during WWII was to maintain his brothers farms while they served in the military and he continued to help with his labor and loan of equipment and machinery to his brothers, sister, in-laws, and friends throughout his life.Ranching may have been Joes vocation but as a self-taught mechanic, he enjoyed the challenge of maintaining, repairing and rebuilding his equipment and machinery. Over the years, you could see him sitting on an overturned bucket outside his shop, planning and dreaming about new innovations for he truly had an innovative spirit. He would find solutions for problems he tackled by inventing a new way for it to work. Out of a tractor/truck for hauling mobile homes, he created a truck with a hoist and wide box for hauling loose hay so he could dump a ready made haystack He welded fold out steel hay racks of his own design for his sons semi trailer and he built a straw catcher for his first combine before these were in common use.
His parents, brothers Carl, Auggie, sisters: Magdalene, Aggie and many friends precede Joe in death.
He is survived by his wife Elaine; brother Frank (Janet); children: Jere (Patti), Jenice, Joe James (Marita), Jeanette, John (Shanda), Grandchildren: Jolene Martin (Joe), Jeff, Jacob, Shayne (Ann), Brian, Russell Kolpin, Raymond Kolpin, Leanne Kolpin, Brandon, Michael, Nicholas, Dominic, Terryn Fugere, Nicolle Fugere; great grandchildren James Wittkopp & Josephine and Johanna Martin. Also sister and brother in-laws Myrna and Martin Thompson, brother-in-law Allen Wilhelm as well as friends and acquaintances he made over the years.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, January 8, 2008 from 1:00-: 8:00 pm Clayton Stevenson Memorial chapel In Circle, Montana. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at Evangelical Church in Circle Montana at 10; 30 am. Private family interment will take place at a later time. Condolences may be sent to the family by visitingwww.stevensonandsons.com.Should friends desire, memorials may be made as one chooses.
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