Wilbur Gulbranson

Wilbur Owen Gulbranson, 85, died Oct. 21, 2013, at his home in Columbia Falls following a brief illness.

He was born in Ambrose, N.D., on Jan. 16, 1928, and raised in Colgan, N.D., the son of Hans and Cora (Hocking) Gulbranson. He later moved to Montana where he became a resident. In his later years, he spent his winters in California.

In his early years, Wilbur was a first-class baseball player. After graduating from Crosby in 1945, he attended business school in Minneapolis, University of Grand Forks and Jamestown College and then finished telegraph school in Spokane.

In 1949, he joined the Navy, where he was an electrician’s mate second class. After serving with the Navy, Wilbur had the opportunity to join the railroad in Essex. Over the years, he was an avid railroad collector.

Wilbur had a passion for music and played lots of instruments including the guitar, trumpet and accordion, and he won numerous ribbons and awards.

He leaves his sons Charles and Russell Gulbranson; daughters Corrine Gulbranson, Karol Knowles and Linda Street; brother Wade Gulbranson; stepdaughters Patricia Boydson, Linda Taft and Robin Milne; and grandchildren, great grandchildren and many close friends.

Funeral services were held at Columbia Mortuary with private burial at the Woodlawn Cemetery on Oct. 28, 2013.