Whitefish mourns loss of Ted Lund

Long-time community figure Ted Lund, the last of Whitefish Winter Carnival's original penguins, "Mr. Whitefish" to many, died at his home Oct. 14. He was 92.

Lund is known to many as a the former owner of Whitefish Floral, an award-winning business on Wisconsin Avenue, as Whitefish Winter Carnival's fourth King Ullr, and as one of the Bulldogs' greatest boosters.

Two years ago, more than 300 family members and friends gathered from as far away as New Hampshire to celebrate Lund's 90th birthday at the Moose Lodge.

Born in 1917 and raised on a farm in Sherwood, N.D., the youngest of nine children, Lund graduated from high school at age 16 in 1934 during the Great Depression.

While others waited in bread lines, Lund considered himself fortunate when he found a job working as a recreation leader with the Works Progress Administration. He brought home $60 a month, a great salary for the time, helping other young men and women who couldn't find work in his hometown.

Rejected during World War II on the first round of the draft for an abnormal left eye, Lund was inducted into the Army in 1942. He left four years later with the rank of master sergeant and the Army Commendation Medal. He remained active in the Army Reserves for 20 years.

The first time Lund saw Whitefish, he was traveling on a military transport train that stopped at the Whitefish Depot on its way to the East Coast. The soldiers exercised on Central Avenue before being served sandwiches at a downtown USO canteen. After the war, when Lund moved to Whitefish, he met and became best friends with the man who supplied the sandwiches — Art LaBrie.

"I loved the military," Lund told the Pilot in an interview two years ago. "Maybe one of the proudest days of my life was when I was drafted. There's good and bad in the military. I carried a lot of wounded, and as a medic, I saw a lot of the concentration camps. I can still remember their faces."

Jake Heckathorn, who served with Lund in the Army Reserves, recalled him as a 'really good First Sergeant."

"He was bigger than life," Heckathorn said. "He always had a ready smile and was an ambitious worker. Ted was always the leader of things."

Lund met his lifelong love and wife Connie while he was visiting a sister who lived in Great Falls. The sister suggested he find work and stay. The couple met at the nursery where they worked, and a few years later, they moved to Whitefish to start their own nursery and flower shop — Whitefish Floral.

An important moment in Whitefish Winter Carnival history occurred when a group of friends were relaxing at the Lund house discussing what kind of group they could form for the Carnival. Evelyn LaBrie suggested they all dress up like penguins.

"We all agreed, and Evelyn made our costumes out of high-pile nylon," Lund said. "She was a good seamstress. I saved mine until 1985."

An ardent Bulldog sports fan, Lund was once named Fan Of The Year, and he was inducted to the Whitefish High School Hall of Fame earlier this year. Lund also established a scholarship for Bulldog athletes this year.

Charlie and Susan Abell recalled attending Bulldog sports events with Lund and LaBrie — including road trips.

"He was Mr. Whitefish, and he'll leave a huge hole," Susan said.

Recalling Lund's service in World War II and for the community, Charlie said Lund was a true member of "the greatest generation."

"He was hardworking, honest, cared about the community and helped build Whitefish into what it is today," Charlie said.

Other awards mark Lund's active community spirit — Boss Of The Year in 1963 from the Whitefish Jaycees, Outstanding Citizen in 1973 and Citizen of the Year in 2005 from the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, and several awards from the state and regional florists associations.

Lund served as a member or on the boards of numerous Whitefish organizations — VFW Post 276, Whitefish Credit Union, Mountain View Manor, Flathead Crimestoppers, Christ Lutheran Church, Whitefish Moose Lodge and Whitefish Kiwanis

For a full obituary, see Page A5.