William 'Bill' Ernest Marks

William "Bill" Ernest Marks, 85, passed away from natural causes on Saturday, May 10, at Valley View Home in Glasgow, Mont.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church in Saco, followed by interment in Grandview Cemetery in Saco.

He was born March 11, 1929, at home east of Saco. He attended school at Saco up to the 10th grade. His father had a heart attack and Bill needed to tend to the family farm full time.

He met Christina Ellen Mix in the fall of 1947. They were married Dec. 29, 1948, in Glasgow. From that day on he called her his sweetie.

He went to work for MDU in April of 1949 at a small gas rig. Their first child, Ernest, was born in March, 1950, so Bill went to work for Taylor oil rigs and moved the family to Harlem, Mont.

As the rigs moved, so did the family, living all over Montana and Gillette, Wyo. In February, 1963, he suffered a massive heart attack from working too hard. He moved the family to Havre, where he completed a two-year electronics degree.

In the spring of 1965, he started working as an electric motor man for Glasgow Electric. In 1972 he went to work for Stumvoll Electric, and eventually gained his Master Electrician license. He retired from Stumvoll Electric in 1992.

He and Tina raised eight children. Their families are Ernie and Cindy Marks of Homedale, Idaho, Patrick of Boise, Idaho, Betsy and Leon Quaring of Cataldo, Idaho, Connie and Doug Goodwin of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Cheryl and Neil Bruce of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Carol and Rick Robbins of Glasgow, William and Pam Marks of Glasgow, and Christopher and Joy Marks of Beecher, Ill. Bill and Tina were also blessed with 26 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

He was a devout member of the Catholic Church. He was a Knights of Columbus member. He loved his family. He and Tina enjoyed square dancing and made many great friends for life. Bill always had a story to tell, and loved helping anyone he could.

He is widely known in Valley and Phillips counties in Northeast Montana as a person who would always be there to help others, especially with electrical problems. Bill's electrical troubleshooting and repair skills are already missed. He will be remembered as a loving, caring and competent contributor to our society. He is now free from the pain and strife of this world. We are happy for him and celebrate his new freedom.

Bell Mortuary of Glasgow is in charge of arrangements.