Lavern Leonard Placzek

Lavern Leonard Placzek passed away in the early morning of June 14, 2023, at the age of 90 next to his beloved wife of 28 years, Mary Montana, in Great Falls.

There will be a vigil at 6 pm Friday, June 23, 2023, at O’Connor Memorial Chapel, and a graveside service at Mount Olivet Cemetery at 10 am, Saturday, June 24, 2023.

Lavern Leonard Placzek was born in Loup City, Nebraska in 1932 into the family of Frank and Clara Placzek, the second youngest in a family of four boys and two girls. Many Polish immigrants had settled in the area and Polish was the language spoken at home. His family were farmers and at the age of 12 he was already driving a tractor in the fields. The farm taught him the importance of family, self-reliance, and a sense that there are chores that must be done in life and only so much daylight to do them in.

He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950. He had only finished 8th grade, but in the Air Force he acquired his GED. Stationed for a time in New Mexico, when on leave he’d hitchhike 900 miles to the farm, and as soon as he arrived joined his dad and brothers stacking hay and doing other chores. Right afterwards, he would shower and head to the Glovera Ballroom in Grand Island for a night of dancing. His final posting was Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls. It was in a small dancehall in Belt, Montana that he laid eyes on Barbara Rivera and they were married within a year in November 1954. Two children followed, Brian and Lea.

After his discharge from the Air Force in December 1954, he apprenticed as an electrician with Cascade Electric in 1955, becoming a Journeyman in 1959. He worked as an electrician in construction for 40 years, the last 20 of those years as a foreman at various job sites before retiring in 1995. He took pride in the many things he helped to build--national projects like the missile sites (110 of them), regional jobs like the Colstrip power plants, and local ones such as CMR High School, the College of Great Falls, Malmstrom AFB, and the Great Falls International Airport. He was a proud union member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for over 67 years.

Early in their marriage he and Barbara bought a boat. They spent many summer evenings swimming and water skiing. In 1967, they turned a half-finished tar-paper shack near Lincoln into a comfy cabin retreat. There they would explore old mining roads in a ’54 Willys Jeep and see how many head of elk they could count. In later years, Barbara and Vern rode their snowmobiles, playing follow-the-leader with friends through the surrounding woods.

In 1979, Vern and Barbara bought 6 acres near the lake at Canyon Ferry and began building their dream house. For 3 years they lived at Colstrip in a small trailer home while Vern was working on the power plant, but during weekends they made the 11-hour round trip drive to Canyon Ferry to first build a large garage and then the log house. Vern not only wired the house, but also did the plumbing, drywall, and roofing. He bought a D2 Cat and moved massive amounts of dirt to level out the property and put in roads. Over time he and Barbara had sheet metal barns built for storing boats and added a small RV park, which together provided a nice income in their retirement.

Sadly, in 1991, after 36 years of marriage his beloved Barbara died an early death at the age of 52.

Vern found another partner in life, the Western artist, Mary Montana, whom he first met while dancing at the old westside VFW club in Great Falls. They married in 1995 and Mary moved in with him at Canyon Ferry. Vern and Mary both enjoyed attending western art shows and collecting prints. Vern took pride in framing Mary’s paintings, and he built a small gallery on the Canyon Ferry property to display her artwork. They spent many years together at Canyon Ferry, enjoying the wildlife, hosting friends and family, and attending the Catholic Church until Vern finally sold the place in 2019, and moved to Great Falls.

Mary’s health had been declining for several years with dementia, but Vern insisted on living with and caring for her. In 2023 because of his declining physical health, Vern went into hospice and both he and Mary entered assisted living where they could spend their last days together. Despite her dementia, Mary would often have moments of lucidity and they enjoyed one another’s company, reflecting on their life together. In his final days they held hands and Mary offered Vern comfort and consolation.

Vern was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Clara; his siblings, Carl, Harry, Clarence, Edna, and Ilene; and by his first wife, Barbara.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Montana Placzek, son, Brian Placzek (Diana) in Seattle; daughter, Lea Tuemer (Avni) in Great Falls; and three grandchildren, Jessica Placzek in San Francisco, Lauren Leung in New York City, and Alex Strom.