***BURIAL UPDATE***

We are getting together at the Grieger Home (970 6th St SW, Great Falls) at about 1PM or so on the 4th of July and will be processing out to the Sand Coulee Cemetery to place John's ashes next to his parents. His sister Mary, along with some of the relatives from Indiana are here for this special occasion.

We know that many people will be off from work, traveling, etc., but if you have the time and are able to join us, we welcome all who are able to attend and say they're final "Goodbye." 

As expected, the weather forecast is calling for a hot day so please bring water, sunscreen, and protective clothing. Again, I understand that this is a holiday and many of you will already have plans. I just wanted to extend the invitation to anyone wanting to be there for the completion of laying John to rest.

Thank You to everyone for your nice comments and cards during my time of need. Your thoughtfulness has not been forgotten. 

If you know of anyone that this may not reach, please let them know on my behalf.

Thank You,

Ellen Grieger

John Ernest Grieger Jr., “The Milkman,” passed away in an untimely fashion on December 29, 2016 at a local care facility after struggling with health issues. A Gathering of Friends and Family in honor of John will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at the Eagles Lodge, 1501 9th St S, Great Falls, at 5:00 PM to both celebrate the life of a truly amazing man and to raise money to assist Ellen with the cost of funeral expenses. Croxford Funeral Home has been entrusted with his care. Donations can be made here online, by mail in Attn. Donation for John Grieger, 1307 Central Ave, Great Falls, MT 59401, or can be donated in person between the hours of 9-5 PM Monday through Friday.

John was born on December 11, 1932, to parents John Ernest Grieger Sr. and Mary Ann Dick in Great Falls, MT where John grew up, and has now passed away from our lives. At a very early age, John began working on the family dairy farm, Peerless Dairy, which he continued doing full time after graduating from Great Falls High and until he decided to sell the dairy farm after more than 85 years of proudly serving the Montana area.  Peerless Dairy was the last of it's kind.

John did it all. He raised the cows from calves born on the farm, milked them, pasteurized the milk, bottled the milk in glass bottles, and then spent three nights a week delivering the bottled milk to customers all over the Great Falls area from evening to the wee hours of the morning.

Adventures on the farm were interesting to say the least; such as spending a whole day trying to catch and remove a couple of neighboring bulls that decided the dairy cows were inviting to check out. The farm chores seemed never ending; from cutting hay, baling and stacking, washing the emptied milk bottles, maintaining the electricity and water pump, in addition to all the other routine dairy work that had to get done.

On September 3, 1982, John married the love of his life, a city girl, Ellen Marie Woolsey. He taught her the workings of a farm, the day to day work routines, and all the excitement that comes with running a large scale dairy farm. On one such day, he sent Ellen out on the small Ford tractor to collect the cows after an overnight snow storm. Unfortunately, her lack of farm experience landed her in the creek while the cows moseyed on up to the barn on their own. Needless to say, John had to rescue both her and the tractor. If you ever had the opportunity to just sit and talk with John, the stories he had were plentiful, and some would even curl your hair.

After John and Ellen made the decision to sell the farm and move into the city of Great Falls, he found himself awkwardly restless and decided he needed to look for a new line of work. It wasn’t long before John found a job with Consumer Press delivering the paper to the lower southwest side of Great Falls. Of course, John needed help so Ellen drove and he delivered the papers to the door steps out of the backside of the van. That job was short lived. John found a new interest in lawn care. John had always been a hardworking man. He was always active and found something that needed his attention. This was true after the farm life. He would shovel snow, and any other job that came his way. He always had a smile on his face and was ready to get it done. Later in life he briefly worked for Jaker’s, then Mary’s Midway, and then Cattleman’s Cut for several years as their dishwasher.

As you can imagine, John had many hobbies and interests. When Ellen opened a ceramic shop, John learned how to mix the slip and pour the molds to make green ware. He enjoyed learning everything he could about ceramics. He even attended classes to learn how to decorate ceramic ware. Many trips were made to Spokane and Portland for supplies and learning. After the ceramic shop closed, John found new means to keep himself active. On one occasion while he was socializing at his wife Ellen’s bingo game, he was asked if he wanted to be the person to call bingo. He tried it out and found that it was fun for him. He called bingo for several years and looked forward to Monday nights. When his hip began to bother him and his walking became labored, he was not able to get in and out of the car so well and had to stop being the Monday bingo caller at the Eagles Lodge. Until he went into the nursing home, he spent a lot of time watching tv, and bugging his wife Ellen with his famous saying, “Yes Dear.” Almost everyone heard him say it at one time or another. And the more Ellen became unraveled, the more John would say it and just smile.

John took a liking to doing some gardening and grew several years of tomatoes and hollyhocks. Under the porch steps they still have onions that grow back every year. During the times when John had a lot of difficulty getting around, a young man by the name of Robert was always there to help. If it had not been for Robert, John would have been housebound a whole lot sooner. So a special “Thank You” to Robert for all your help with John all the way up to his very last days. John’s life, the legacy he leaves behind, the warmth of a devoted and loving husband, the care and concern of a dear friend will be sorely missed by all who had the opportunity to have known him.

John is survived in death by his wife Ellen; sister, Mary Hadley of Hope, IN; nephew, Jeff Hadley of IN, and several other nieces and nephews all of IN.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

In light of the medical expenses in John’s final days and the cost of funeral expenses, Ellen is asking for donations from anyone who can help.

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