Wayne Haaglund

The last goodbye was the hardest one to say, but we had to bid a sad farewell to Wayne Gordon Haaglund on October 17, 2024.  He was 88 years old, just three weeks shy of his 89th birthday. 

Wayne remained in his own home right, except for a brief stay at the Edgewood Assisted Living Facility in Missoula Montana where he was at the time of his passing.

Wayne was born in Missoula on November 8, 1935 to Clarence Haaglund and Lucille Rossman-Haaglund.  Other than a brief time attending Franklin Elementary School after his parent’s divorced, he spent most of his childhood in West Riverside, attending Bonner Elementary School.  He was enrolled at Missoula County Public High School, now Hellgate High School, however he dropped out of school at the age of 17, in 1952, to enlist in the US Navy.

Wayne enlisted in the Navy Seabees (CB’s), Naval Construction Battalion as a large, bulldozer operator.  He was stationed in southeast Asia for most of his service.  His last duty station was at the former Naval Air Facility in Adak Alaska where he was honorably discharged on Nov. 7th, 1956. Dad received the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, but the one he was proud of was the award he received for being an expert marksman.  He moved back home after serving in the Navy, however he enlisted in the National Guard where he served until 1978. 

Wayne went on to work for the ACM Lumber Mill in Bonner, Van Evans and then Hoerner Waldorf Corp. which later sold to Stone Container Corp.  His job was very important to him, had a good work ethic and he valued the friendships that he made while working there.  He was able to retired from Stone in 1998 at the age of 62, however he remained close with his friends, long after retirement.

Wayne met Peggy Lynn Parmelee in 1958 and they were joined in marriage on November 27, 1959. They initially rented a house by Buckhouse Bridge and then moved to company housing in Bonner.   In the early 60’s they bought 15 acres and built the family home on the Big Flat.  Their union welcomed four children, James, William, Susan and Barbara.  The hardest chapter in Wayne’s life was losing his 6 yr. old son, Billy to a brain tumor in 1970.  Wayne and Peggy were later divorced in 1985.

As well as serving in the National Guard, he also helped with the 4-H program when he could.  Wayne enjoyed spending time with his family exploring the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, ghost towns and driving the backroads of Montana.  Oh, how Wayne loved his dogs!  There wasn’t a dog out there that he didn’t like and they liked him.  He was affectionately called the Dog Whisperer.   

Wayne was an avid collector of what he called “treasures” which was part of his “empire”.  He would joke about his empire, but seriously, if you needed some tool, piece of iron, etc. he usually had it!

When he walked somewhere he was always looking down at the ground.  He would jokingly say “you can’t find anything good while looking up”.   He would claim to be our poor old Dad and having to stretch his pennies.  He jokingly claimed that the only way he could afford wire was by stretching his pennies until they turned to wire.  Wayne was an honest, straight, shooting, modest man.  He was a good provider, believing in hard work, scrimping and saving.  All of the penny pinching that he did was done for his family. 

Wayne was born and raised during the heart of the Great Depression and then WWII.   The hardships he experienced in his life shaped his character and developed the strong, stubborn and resilient personality he had.  Wayne was a unique man, with an unspoken wisdom and an immense sense of humor.   He showed his love for his kids and grandkids in different ways, but we always knew that he loved us and would always be there if we needed him.  He never missed a play, band concert, 4-H event, birthday or holiday.  He didn’t like sports, but he would sit through every track meet, basketball, football and baseball game that his kids or grandkids ever participated in.  Wayne lived a colorful life and he cherished sitting around visiting and telling stories with friends and family over a cup of coffee or a shot of whiskey.     

He is survived by his kids, Jim (Tina) Haaglund, Susan (Rick) Graham, Barb (Bob) Thomas as well as grandkids, Tom LaValley, Nicholas (Michaelynn) LaValley, Tim Thomas, Jaeren Graham, Rob (Sharron) Anschuetz, Ben (Crissi-lyn Anschuetz) and Zeb (Stacy) Anschuetz, his brother Richard Haaglund, 10 great grandkids and 5 great-great grandkids.

Wayne fought a hard battle for the last several years, but throughout those hard times, he never lost his sense of humor and on his last days he was still able to manage smiles and give hugs and kisses.  His absence leaves a huge hole in our hearts and he is sorely missed by those that knew and loved him. 

A Military service will be held at the VA Cemetery in Missoula on November 1, 2024 at 1:30pm.   In lieu of flowers, our family requests any donations be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, St Jude Children’s Hospital or another charity of your choice.

A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at a later date. 

We would like to thank the staff and nurses at Edgewood Assisted Living Facility and to Big Sky Palliative and Hospice for Their kindness, compassion and empathy while caring for Dad.  They made this very difficult time in our lives much easier and they will never know how much we appreciate them.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Wayne Haaglund, please visit our floral store.