Marlin William Wilke, 77 years old of Great Falls, Jack of all trades Master of Many, passed away June 5, 2015 at home following a 15 month hassle with Pancreatic Cancer. Despite the setback his gentle manner and kind smile warmed a room till his last moments.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, June 13th at 1:00pm in the Rose Room Chapel at Croxford Funeral Home. Interment of ashes will follow at Manchester Cemetery, where he will rest with his beloved wife.

Born in Rolla, North Dakota April 8, 1938 to William and Edith (Schoening) Wilke, he attended schools in Rolla, Conrad & Great Falls, Montana. His love for reading was acquired while attending the College of Great Falls and served him well throughout the years when self-educating on subjects that caught his interests.

He married his wife of nearly 58 years, Ruth Ann Winchell, on December 6, 1954 in Conrad, Montana. It was a life of hard work and happiness, despite the loss of the wedding cake which was eaten by the neighbor’s dog while it cooled on the window sill of Marlin’s family home.

Marlin was self-employed at the time of his death as the owner of residential rentals. He had a lifelong love affair with old houses. There was no house renovation that he would not tackle, as he was a master improviser and admired by duct tape fanatics everywhere. His grandsons Brice Wilke and Ben Mckinley attribute their success in carpentry and maintenance to the knowledge he shared with them and work ethic he exemplified. Marlin spent 27 plus years employed by the Anaconda Copper Company; during several union strikes he worked for Scheels department store and Montgomery Wards. After the closure of the Great Falls Smelter in 1980 he was employed by Aid Association for Lutheran’s as an insurance representative, all the while renovating and renting properties side by side with Ruth.

Marlin enjoyed his time as an officer for the Montana Landlord Association, Manchester Cemetery & Green Acre Inc. irrigation district.

Marlin is survived by sons, William Wilke of Helena, Kent (Andrea) Wilke of Great Falls and daughter, Cheryl (Bruce) Mckinley of Cut Bank; nine grandchildren: Carmen Woodland Denver CO, Amanda Innis Bozeman, MT, Brice (Michelle) Wilke Helena, MT, Jessica (Ryan) Cypher Dillon MT, Kristin (Mike) Baum Chouteau MT, Ben (Kayla) Mckinley Great Falls, MT, Tyson (Kim) Wilke Great Falls, MT, Trevor Wilke Great Falls, MT and Tucker Wilke Great Falls, MT; nine great grandchildren: Megan & Taylor Woodland, Will & Sydney Wilke, Preston & Hayden Innis, Zoey Cypher, Ethan Baum and Emmy Wilke; one great-great grandchild, Linzee Sadler; brothers, Ken (Linda) Wilke of Spokane WA, Elbert “Bud”(Jackie) Wilke of Drumheller, Alberta, Monte (Barb) Wilke of Colstrip, MT, & Terry (Melinda) Wilke of Spokane WA. He is also survived by Special Friend & Companion, Archie the dog and many beloved uncles, cousins and friends.

Preceding him in death was his wife, Ruth; parents Bill & Edith; brothers, Joseph & Monte Ray; grandparents Wilke & Schoening; and granddaughter, Miranda Mckinley who he called “My Randy.”

The family suggest memorial donations be made to the Montana Hope Project, PO Box 5927, Helena MT 59604 or the Manchester Cemetery Tree Fund, 232 2nd Ave SE, Cut Bank MT 59427.

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