Dr. John Norman Constenius
Dr. John Norman Constenius passed away July 20, 2013 at Expressions in Columbia Falls. Norm was born Sept. 21, 1922, in Minneapolis to John H. Constenius and Esther Paavo Constenius. The family moved to Cokato, Minn. when he was a small child and he grew up on the farm that had been in the family since 1883. He attended school in Cokato.
After his high school graduation in 1940, and because of his love of aviation, he went to California and attended Curtiss Wright Technical Institute in Glendale, Calif. On completing a course in aircraft sheet metal, he was employed by North American Aviation in Inglewood, Calif., working on the fuselage tail section of B-25 bombers.
In 1943 he entered the Army as an ASTP candidate and continued in that program until the war escalated and then was sent to advanced infantry training. He was sent overseas during the Battle of the Bulge, where he joined the 69th Infantry Division in Belgium. He carried a BAR rifle from Belgium to the Elbe River, Germany. Following VE Day he spent the occupation in Grimma, Germany and skied several times in the Alps.
Upon his discharge from the military in 1946, he entered the School of Dentistry at the University of Minnesota graduating in 1951. The main consideration for a place to locate his dental practice was that there be a good skiing area nearby and when he visited Whitefish, he knew he had found the place. He practiced dentistry in Whitefish until his retirement in 1986.
On Oct. 25, 1952 he married Leona Logan, in Kalispell. They were blessed with two sons, John and Kurt. Never losing his love for aviation, he obtained his private pilot license in 1963 and for many years took his family on far ranging trips, traveling to the Yukon, Mexico and coast to coast in his Cessna 182.
He enjoyed skiing, fishing, golf, bowling, and biking. With his family he spent many hours camping and looking for fossils, many of which are now housed in museums. Always proud of his Finnish heritage, he found great pleasure in visiting Finland and speaking “Finn” while there.
He is survived by his loving wife of over 60 years, Leona; his son, John and his wife, Julie, and their children, Lucas and Logan, of Whitefish; and by his son, Kurt and Jenny and their children, Matt and Lindsey, of Tucson, Ariz. Also surviving him is his sister, Doris Constenius, who resides in California.
A memorial service was held July 27 at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish. Following the memorial service, there was a reception at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wings Regional Cancer Support, P.O. Box 7852, Kalispell, Montana, 59904.