Wayne and Helen Gryde

On July 9th, Heaven received two angels.  Wayne and Helen Gryde were called to be with the Lord.  

Helen Marie Keck was born June 9, 1942 to George and Ethel Keck in Kalispell. Later the family moved to Columbia Falls where she attended school with the class of 1960. She married her first husband Darrel Wilson in Oregon. They had two beautiful children, Darcy Wilson Canestro, and Greg Wilson. Darrel was killed in an auto accident and Helen headed back home to Columbia Falls where she met her husband Wayne Gryde. Wayne became her husband and a father to Darcy and Greg in 1965. Soon after their daughter Julie was born.  In 1976, the family moved to Polson where Wayne and Helen lived at the time of their death. She was a member of Polson Community Church and she loved her church family and all the activities they participated in. Helen was a wonderful Mother, Wife, Grandmother and Friend. She was always the first one up in the morning making sure the family had a hot breakfast to get us started. It was common to find fresh cookies, or rice crispy snacks waiting for us when we got home from school to get us by until we had our sit down family dinners that would rival the best of chefs. Dad continued to receive this royal treatment throughout his life. Mom was a friend to many. She had her girlfriends from Polson that included her golfing buddies, her church friends, and the girls from back in the Camp Tuffit days that she still had lunch with. However she cherished the time she spent with her sisters and best friends, Linda, Doris and Gert. She was blessed to spend her last day with them. Mom loved her grandbabies!!! She was proud of each and every one in their own way,  and dearly missed the ones who lived far away that she didn’t get to see as often. She was her grandchildren’s best fan. She rarely missed a sporting event and became quite an accomplished cheerleader and official. To us kids she was our rock and our soft spot to land all in one. She was preceded in death by her first husband, her parents, her brothers, John and George; sister, Ethel and her husband, Wayne. She is survived by her son, Greg Wilson (Yolanda); two daughters, Darcy (Ray) Canestro, and Julie (Dave) Duford; three sisters, Linda (Ed Bucher), Gert (Bob) Seliger, Doris (Scott) King, a brother,  Robert (Jean) Keck, and many grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces nephews and friends. We feel blessed to have had this amazing woman in our lives.

Wayne Milton Gryde was born July 20, 1938 to Clarence and Ella Gryde in Kalispell. He attended Evergreen School and graduated from Flathead High School with the class of 1956. He attended the University of Montana. He entered the Army in 1957 and served with the 101st Airborne Division and also served a tour of duty in Straubing West Germany. He was discharged in 1960. He began working for the Montana Highway Department in 1960, starting out in engineering and transferred to maintenance in 1963 where he worked on sections at Summit, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, and finally retired as Polson section foreman in 1993. He was a member of the Polson Community Church, the Elks Lodge and served as president of the Kalispell and Polson Golf Associations. Our Dad was an amazing man, who lived a full and interesting life and we treasured the stories and life lessons he was able to teach us. He would approve of being referred to as “Old School”. He believed if you said you were going to do something you did it, and you did it well. If something turned out badly you should always look to yourself first as the reason you failed. He was also a firm believer in hard work. Even though he didn’t always enjoy the countless hours he spent as a young boy opposite his dad on the cross-cut saw building their home and farm, it was there that he learned about pride and a sense of accomplishment that a hard day’s work provided. Dad was also a fierce competitor whether it be in an Othello game against his young grandchild, or a heated match on the golf course. Golf provided him with the competition he loved and the friendships he cherished. Many will miss his very dry sense of humor and quick wit.  He had a favorite saying that we heard many times “The only bad thing about life is, you won’t get out of it alive.” We will miss him dearly but we have too many wonderful memories that will bring a smile once more. He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; parents, Clarence and Ella Gryde; brother-in-law, Willis Randall; and several treasured aunts and uncles. He is survived by his three children, Darcy (Ray) Canestro, Greg (Yolanda) Wilson, and Julie (Dave) Duford, his sister, Avis Randall, and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great grandchildren and dear friends.  Messages of condolences may be shared online with the family at www.groganfuneralhome.com.