Douglas C. Hale, 86, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls. He was born in Whitefish to Sidney and Christina Tiny Hale on Aug. 18, 1923; he had been a direct descendant of Nathan Hale. He was raised and educated in Whitefish and, in 1942, he along with a large group of other Montana men enlisted in the U.S. Navy, calling themselves The Pearl Harbor Avengers. He served the duration of the war, being honorably discharged in 1946. He returned to Montana, working most of his life for the Great Northern Railroad as a conductor, living in Whitefish, Libby and Troy. Following his retirement, he resided in Arizona for part of the year and later had worked for a period of time as a corrections officer at the Arizona State Prison. He returned to the Flathead Valley permanently in 2002. While in the Libby and Troy area, he had participated in the local Search and Rescue and had been an early member of the Whitefish Boat Club. Doug had a lifelong love of horses, especially Arabians. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Betty; and second wife, Greta; as well as a daughter, Sharon Hale Treat; and son, Dick Hale; and brothers, Harold and Arnold. He is survived by a daughter, Carol Hale, of Whitefish; granddaughter, Donna Golden; great-grandchildren, Tara, T.J. and Casey; and great-great-grandchildren, Kaden and Makayla. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Montana Veterans Home. Austin Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.