Reynold John Unger
Reynold John Unger passed away on Tuesday, February 16th at the age of 80 at his home in Polson, MT. He was surrounded by family, and died peacefully after battling cancer. He was born January 22, 1930 in Poplar, MT the 4th of six children to John and Minnie Unger.
Reynold graduated from Savage High School 1947. In 1954 he married Sylvia Joanne Martinson in Kalispell. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 – 1956 and was stationed in Germany. After discharge from the Army, he returned to ranching in Polson and later continued ranching in Plains, MT, Huntington, OR and Vale, OR. In 2001 he returned to Polson to retire.
Reynold enjoyed visiting with family and friends, fishing, playing pinochle, traveling, and he always had a joke to tell. He had a life-long interest in 4-H that started in childhood and continued throughout his ranching life. He was also a member of the American Legion and VFW. His faith in God was the center of his life and he was active in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church as a council member and an elder for over 50 years.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Minnie Unger, and brother Lawrence Unger.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sylvia Joanne Unger, and five children, Elaine (Bill) McLean, Karen Nunn, John (Sandra) Unger, Paul (Kristen) Unger, and Sandy (Tim) Webb; three sisters Marie Leivestad of Cartwright, ND, Martha Kroemer of Billings, MT, and Rosalia Skaar of Sidney, MT; a brother Edward (JoMay) Unger of Polson, MT, along with 16 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and numerous cousins, aunts, nieces and nephews.
Visitation for friends and family will be held on Friday, February 19, 2010 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Grogan Funeral Home, Polson. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, February 20, 2010, 11:00 AM at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church with Rev. M. Kaarre officiating. Interment with military honors will follow at Lakeview Cemetery, Polson.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, 1608 2nd Ave. W., Polson, MT 59860, or Partners Hospice, www.partnershomecare.org. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. The staff at Grogan Funeral Home, Polson, considers it a privilege to care for the family of Mr. Unger.
So sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Hold on to the memories, they will give you much joy in the years to come.
Hello, I want to let you know how much Reynold meant to me.. A father, a mentor, and a friend. I always will treasure my time with him. His eyes always had a kindness and loving nature to them. My daughter Kori has his eyes.. so each time I see her, I see her Grandpa. Thank you Reynold for being a special person to me.. I will miss you dearly… Love always, Diane
God Bless the Unger Family. Peace be with you as Reynold joins our Father in Heaven.
Aloha Paul and family,
Our condolences go out to your family as you go walk through this season of loss. Our Lord Jesus is a God of all comfort and will comfort you during this time. My family will be praying for you and your family.
On behalf of the Abrams family we are Sorry to read of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. May Gods comfort surround you during this time.
I grew up with your family and became best friends with Sandy. Reynold was a good man and will be missed by all. We share so many memories of the nights us kids would watch TV and our folks would play cards. I consider those great memories to never be forgotten.
Paul and Family,
The greatness of a leader can be measured by the greatness of his family, you have one awesome family and we are proud to be associated with you. You have our deepest sympathies with the loss of your Dad and we will always be there for you and yours. Our prayers are with you and the family during this time of loss.
We are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Hang on to the good times and memories to help get you through.
Kelley, John and Alex Land
We are very sorry for your families loss of such a great man, but know that you will once again be together again with him in Gods presence. Take care and well see you soon.
I did not have the privilege of meeting Reynold personally. I know of him through his son, Paul, whose life is statement enough of the quality of man his father, Reynold was. He was clearly a giver, leader in his church, mentoring through 4-H and valuing people. He made his departure with dignity. God’s blessings on you, his dear family and friends, who will miss his strength-giving presence. His legacy will be felt in your lives and those you influence in the manner that he did.
Comfort to you…
Jon Strain
(formerly of Lewistown and Hamilton, MT and son of a MT cattle rancher)
So sorry to hear of Reynold’s passing. I certainly looked up to him and admired him as a boy and young man attending St. Paul when the church was still in Pablo. He always had a smile on his face and joke to tell. My prayers are with your family.
Thinking of all of you at this time. Faith, time and friends help heal our wounds. Take care.
I only met him a couple of times when I was working for Paul and I am sure Paul gave me his name when he introduced his dad. But he was my elder and I responded with “Mr Unger”. I remember his rancher/farmer grip when he shook my hand. He didn’t break it, but could have. Karen and John, I know that I have met you, Elaine and Sandy I am not sure. But my prayers will be with all of you and your families.
So sorry to hear of this loss of a very good person. We thougt so much of him.
Elaine, Bill, Sylvia and all of Reynolds family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time. Cherish the memories that Reynolds made for you and with you and remember he is in a far better place, free from the pain that he had. Peace be with you all
I am so sorry for your loss.
Knowing members of the Unger family for the past 29 years, Lori and II hope we can have as much positive influence on our children as Mr. Unger has had on his children.
We are so sorry for your loss. If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to call.
Go bless all of you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
We are sorry to hear of your loss. Loosing a parent makes one feel vulnerable…but your husband and father is certainly in a better place now, and giving everyone directions on how to raise cows up in heaven, and beating everyone at cards. God Bless you all.
Our heartfelt sympathy for your loss.
I very much enjoyed your dad’s joyous spirit and the job he did in raising the sons that I know.
Dear Joanne and family
We are sorry to hear about Reynold. We feel bad that it has been so long that we have seen each other. We won’t be able to make it to the funeral but our thoughts and prayers will be with you. God bless and comfort you and your family. Love Fran and Geneva
I just heard. He was so good to Gil’s folks when they had their losses and problems. I will never forget him out there mowing the lawn before Dad’s funeral. Good men like him are rare.
I JUST HOPE THAT I AM HALF THE MAN MY GRANDPA WAS. JUST TELL PEOPLE THE WAY IT IS AND THAT THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE EASIEST BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE TO MAKE IT UP.
Mom, Butch and I are remembering all of you in our prayers. We all have such precious memories of Uncle Reynold and we look forward to seeing him again one day along with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May He comfort each one of you in this difficult time.
So sorry for your loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sandy and Family – you are in our thoughts and prayers. We are so sorry for the loss of your father! Love, Scott and Christine
Please accept our sincere and heart felt condolences. I have such fond memories of your family while living in Plains, Mt.
Beth, Tom,Kimberly,Chris,and I send our love and condolences. I have many fond memories of Uncle Reynold and was truly blessed to be his niece. May God give you comfort and peace during this time of loss. We will all miss him.
Dear Joanne & Reynold Unger Family,
Our condolences to you at this sad time. I know that Reynold touched many people in a most positive way. We remember him most fondly and it was a privelege to be his friend over so many years. God bless your family and Thank You to Karen for giving me a chance to speak with him this past week before he left.
Reynold was a true Christain and showed it by his example. He was so good to my parents, especially in their declining years. Please accept our prayers at this time of great loss and find peace through Jesus Christ. Love, Gil and Joanne Mangels
Dear Joanne & family,
I know what a sad time this is for you, but also that you have a strong faith and belief that will see you through. I have enjoyed not only being friends with your family and Reynold, but being your cousin–a very special relationship. Reynold was very special, and will be missed very much.
Sincere condolences from me and from my sons David & Jeff.
Aletha
Joanne and Famiy,,
We want you to let you know how sorry we are to learn of Reynold’s death. We are sending our love to you and keeping all of you in our prayers. Reynold was a good friend and we will always remember him and his “jokes” and how he enjoyed a good laugh. We admired that he truly was a man of faith Reynold was a very strong man and survived more than most of us will experience in a lifetime. Now he can rest in Jesus and we can remember him with love and be reassured that his faith in the Savior has assured that he will live in Christ’s presence waiting for all of us to arrive.
We love you! Your Brother and Sister in Christ,
Dave and Annarae Schorzman
Sorry to hear about Reynolds. Hoped to get there to see him before he passed. God Bless all of you. Will be thinking of you.
We pray that you will embrace God’s strength and comfort to get you through this difficult time. We are so greatful for our visit with him and thinking of Reynold will always bring a smile to our face. He was a dear man who touched many lives on this earthly walk and we look forward to meeting him again.
Love,
Carol and Don
I remember Reynold saddling a horse for Elaine and I to ride. He said watch out on your return because this horse really likes to run back to the barn. He was right – it was quite memorable.
God Bless your family.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love so much and my heart goes out to you. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
I am sorry for your loss. Reynold raised a wonderful family. This is such a difficult time. Please know that I am thinking of you all.
Sincerely,
Mary
I will miss Reynold and the many jokes and stories that he e-mailed to me. I also have fond memories of the visits with your family. Certainly, so many years with a wonderful husband and father will bring many happy memories to you all in the years to come.
Love and sincere condolences,
Aletha