He was born on Nov. 18, 1924 in Manhattan, to Elijah and Ella Rafferty, the youngest of 12 children, and raised in the Gallatin Valley.
After graduation from Manhattan High School in 1943, Chuck served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater, including the battle at Okinawa.
He received an honorable discharge in June 1946 and resumed work as a cowboy and ranch hand. In 1948 he married Betty Brock and they had three sons.
Chuck worked for the Milwaukee Railroad for 30 years, retired in 1986 and was a long-time member of the IBEW Local 856.
Chuck was a true outdoorsman who loved taking horses into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, as well as the Bitterroot Mountains. He was a licensed amateur radio operator with call sign WA7ZOO. He also spent many hours playing old country songs on his guitar and was well known at the bluegrass festivals.
Chuck was loved by all his family as husband, father, grandfather and brother.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty; sons: Mike (Mary), of Stevensville, Denny (Beth), of Lowman, ID, and Brian (Alice), of Missoula; sister, Orla Stroh, of Phoenix, AZ; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Missoula at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery, 1911 Tower Street, at 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 20.
Cremation and Burial Society of the Rockies assisted the family with arrangements.
Published in Bozeman Daily Chronicle on April 18, 2010
He was born on Nov. 18, 1924 in Manhattan, to Elijah and Ella Rafferty, the youngest of 12 children, and raised in the Gallatin Valley.
After graduation from Manhattan High School in 1943, Chuck served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater, including the battle at Okinawa.
He received an honorable discharge in June 1946 and resumed work as a cowboy and ranch hand. In 1948 he married Betty Brock and they had three sons.
Chuck worked for the Milwaukee Railroad for 30 years, retired in 1986 and was a long-time member of the IBEW Local 856.
Chuck was a true outdoorsman who loved taking horses into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, as well as the Bitterroot Mountains. He was a licensed amateur radio operator with call sign WA7ZOO. He also spent many hours playing old country songs on his guitar and was well known at the bluegrass festivals.
Chuck was loved by all his family as husband, father, grandfather and brother.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty; sons: Mike (Mary), of Stevensville, Denny (Beth), of Lowman, ID, and Brian (Alice), of Missoula; sister, Orla Stroh, of Phoenix, AZ; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Missoula at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery, 1911 Tower Street, at 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 20.
Cremation and Burial Society of the Rockies assisted the family with arrangements.
Published in Bozeman Daily Chronicle on April 18, 2010
Family Members
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Silvia Raffety Hodge
1902–1925
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Bettie Rafferty Stephens
1903–2000
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William "Henry" Raffety
1905–1996
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Celestia Carmody
1907–1964
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Della Raffety Covey
1909–1996
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Nana "Nan" Raffety Kirk
1912–1988
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Boyd Rafferty
1913–2008
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Rufus E Rafferty
1915–2001
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Lawrence Edward "Larry" Rafferty
1917–2001
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Lola Rafferty Nickelson
1920–2000
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