Earl Kreitel

Funeral Service for Earl Kreitel, 81, of Ekalaka, will be 2:00 p. m. , Thursday, June 14, 2012 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT. Visitation for Earl will be Wednesday, June 13, 2012 from 5:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m. with family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p. m. at Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT. Cremation has taken place and his ashes will be scattered over the home place in the Chalk Buttes. Earl Clemens Kreitel was born October 6, 1930 to George and Gladys (Pestka) Kreitel at the ranch home in the Chalk Buttes area, with a midwife in attendance. He was the sixth child of ten born into this family. Earl attended the Pineview School for his first year and then the family moved to Miles City for school at Sacred Heart. After one year, the family moved to Ekalaka where Earl graduated from high school in 1948. Earl and Janice Speiser were married on September 11, 1952 at St. Joan of Arc Church in Ekalaka. They lived on the home ranch in the Chalk Buttes area until May 1961 when they moved to the Ridgeway Community on Box Elder to the Roe Storm ranch that Earl and his brothers, Edward and Gilbert had purchased. This was home until 1993 when they sold the ranch and retired to Ekalaka. After retiring, Earl worked for awhile as a caretaker at Beaver Lodge Cemetery. In September 2011, in failing health, he was admitted to Dahl Memorial Nursing Home for 5 ? months. In February 2012, he returned home under his wife?s care. His health continued to worsen and was again admitted to Dahl Memorial Healthcare on June 9, 2012 and passed away the same day. Earl is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Janice, Ekalaka, MT; three children, Rhonda (John) Michalek, Naperville, IL, Evelyn (John) Strand, Lacey, WA and Les (Karen) Kreitel, Ekalaka, MT; four grandchildren, Mark (Tiffany) Bittenbender, Dana (Jake) Eshelman, Robert Strand, and Amanda (Damien) Jordan; two great-granddaughters, Sophie Bittenbender and Maggie Eshelman; four sisters, Margaret Sherman, Miles City, MT, Veronica Richards, Belle Fourche, SD, Rose Miller, Pierre, SD and Mary (Tom) McCamish, Ekalaka, MT; two sisters-in-law, Verna Kreitel, Bismarck, ND and Marlys Carroll, Ekalaka, MT; a brother-in-law, Fred Speiser, Missoula, MT; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Glenden, George (Buds), Edward and Gilbert; baby sister, Evelyn; and sisters-in-law, Lucille Kreitel and Nora Kreitel. Memorial may be given to the Ekalaka EMT?s, Beaver Lodge Cemetery or a charity of your choice.


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Burial Date: June 14, 2012
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral: Thursday, Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT