Donald G. Naegeli
Funeral Services were held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Community Congregational Church in Thompson Falls for Donald G. Naegeli, long time resident and rancher of the Whitepine area. Don was born April 18, 1931 in Devil's Lake, North Dakota to Drs. Floyd and Gladys Naegeli. He died in an accident at his ranch Wednesday, May 14, 1997. After the family moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1937, Don received most of his elementary education there except for the year he spent at the University of Wyoming where he learned to lip read and do sign language for his hearing loss. While his father was in the armed forces, Don attended Wasatch Academy in Utah for the seventh and eighth grades. He returned to Jackson Hole for his freshman and sophomore years of high school and finished up his junior and senior years at Wasatch. Following graduation, he enrolled in the Utah State University at Logan, Utah and completed a two-year agriculture course. Don always wanted to be a rancher. Stewardship of the soil has been the essence of his life since childhood. Throughout his youth and college years, he was an avid skier and skied competitively until breaking his foot, which ended that career. Don moved to Montana in 1953 and bought the old Guy Hall ranch. He then met an energetic school teacher, Mary Lueck, and fell in love. The couple married May 8, 1954, and celebrated their forty-third wedding anniversary last week. After purchasing the Mohl's ranch, they combined the two. Don and Mary had two children -- Bill, born in 1960; and Shirley, born in 1964. Shirley died in an auto accident in 1985. Don has been an active participant in county, church and community affairs, working with the Green Mountain Soil Conservation District of western Sanders County and later as supervisor at the state level. He most recently was an advisor to the organization. He served on numerous boards of directors including the weed board, the Whitepine Cemetery, the Whitepine Grange, the Whitepine Church, the Thompson Falls Community Congregational Church and was a 4-H leader. He always had time to help the young people in their endeavors. Don and Mary were among the first in the area to become certified in the Tree Farm Program and they were honored by being named state Tree Farmers of the Year in 1983. They later were named Tree Farmers of the Year for the western region, which included 14 states. Don was preceded in death by a brother, Floyd, Jr.; his daughter, Shirley and his parents. He is survived at the family ranch by his wife, Mary; son, Bill and daughter-in-law, Sarah; grandsons Derek, Jacob and Logan and granddaughter, Mariah. He is also survived by nieces and nephews in Texas, Washington and Montana. Interment was in the Whitepine Cemetery following the service. Donations can be made in Don's memory to the Green Mountain Conservation District. Funds will be used to plant trees. Or, if desired, plant a tree yourself. Coffelt-Bunch Funeral Service of Thompson Falls handled the arrangements. A special Internet website has been set up with a tribute to Don from his niece Janet Naegeli Hallam. The site address is http://www.foundus.com/special/donald
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