Knox

George Edwin Knox, 86, was born in Columbus, Mont., on Nov. 6, 1931, the oldest son of George M. Knox and Minnie (Amos) Knox. He passed away peacefully on Dec. 15, at his Morningstar home in Billings, Mont. His funeral service will be held Thursday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. at Smith Funeral Chapel in Columbus, Mont., located at 35 N. Diamond St., followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery, also in Columbus.
George grew up and attended school in Columbus and Joliet. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1950. His enlistment was during the Korean War, part of the Cold War and the inter-Korean conflict. George was stationed in Alaska and later at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; it was there that he met and married Sherely Grice, his wife of 63 years. After separating from the service in 1954, they returned to Columbus to manage the family farm while raising children Joe, Roy, David, Genia and Julie; teaching them the ins and outs of cattle, farming and the hard work that goes with it.
From 1968 to 1989, George also worked at Timberweld Laminated Wood Products where he loaded trucks and was a diesel mechanic for their truck fleet. After that, George moved away from Columbus to join his wife, Sherely, who was Post Master in several Montana towns. George was never one to be without a “project” which included the construction of a new family home after theirs was destroyed by fire, plus the many cars, a couple of boats, tractors and other equipment that required constant mechanical attention.
In younger years he learned to fly, owning a Piper Cub then a Stearman. He was very fond of flying. He also enjoyed the family outings which included snow skiing at Red Lodge, water skiing at Cooney Dam, and camping trips to Yellowstone Park.
George is survived by his loving wife, Sherely; children Joe (Linda) of Great Falls, Roy (Francine) of Bremerton, Wash., David (Sharon) of Billings, Genia of Billings, Julie (Curt) of Kirkland, Wash.; sisters Clovia and Sheila of South Dakota; 10 grandchildren, as well as many dearly loved great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents Minnie and George, his brother Gene and an infant sister.
The family would like to express our sincere thanks to the dedicated staff of Morningstar Assisted Living and Rocky Mountain Hospice for their kindness to us and for the compassionate care George received. Memorial donations in memory of George may be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation (www.parkinson.org) or American Diabetes Foundation (www.diabetes.org).