Douglas Hale

Douglas C. Hale, 86, died Dec. 12, 2009, at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.

He was born in Whitefish to Sidney and Christina "Tiny" Hale on Aug. 18, 1923. He was a direct descendant of Nathan Hale.

Doug was raised and educated in Whitefish and in 1942, he, along with a large group of other Montana men, enlisted in the U.S. Navy, calling themselves "The Pearl Harbor Avengers." He served the duration of the war, being honorably discharged in 1946.

Doug returned to Montana, working most of his life for the Great Northern Railroad as a conductor, living in Whitefish, Libby and Troy. Following his retirement, he resided in Arizona for part of the year and later worked for a period of time as a corrections officer at the Arizona State Prison. He returned to the Flathead Valley permanently in 2002.

While in the Libby and Troy area, Doug participated in the local search and rescue organization and was an early member of the Whitefish Boat Club. Doug had a lifelong love of horses, especially Arabians.

He was preceded in death by his first wife Betty; second wife Greta; daughter Sharon Hale Treat; son Dick Hale; and brothers Harold and Arnold.

He is survived by his daughter Carol Hale, of Whitefish; granddaughter Donna Golden; great grandchildren Tara, T.J. and Casey; and great great grandchildren Kaden and Makayla.

Services took place Dec. 21, 2009, at the Montana Veterans Home.

Neil McElligott

Neil William McElligott, 48, passed away Dec. 17, 2009, at his home surrounded by family.

He was born in Middlesbrough, England, on Aug. 16, 1961, the son of John McElligott and Sheila Mayo.

He moved to the U.S. in 1984 and married Jill Marie Schara on Aug. 14, 1993, in the Cardston, Alberta, Temple.

Neil's career was in a variety of medical fields that included being a firefighter and EMT-I in Whitefish. He worked for Rocky Mountain Transportation for several years and Grouse Mountain Lodge as well. He enjoyed caring for the elderly in long-term care and Hospice as a registered nurse and director of nursing, which moved him to Post Falls, Idaho.

In his spare time Neil enjoyed woodworking, electronics and making digital movies with his computer skills. He held various callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He enjoyed serving and spending time with his family.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother and his infant son Logan.

He is survived by his wife Jill Marie McElligott and their children Ashleigh, Alex, Annaleigh, Adam and Andrew, of Post Falls; his older brother Ian McElligott, of England; his half sister Sara; his half brothers Leyon and Simon; and aunts, uncles and cousins in England.

Funeral services took place Dec. 22, 2009, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in Post Falls.