Lowell Marvin Knopfle, 79, was born May 30, 1934, in Bottineau, N.D., and passed away on Thursday, May 8, 2014, in Kalispell.  

Lowell Knopfle was a jack-of-all-trades, from running a gas station in Columbia Falls, running and maintaining the alleys at Canyon Bowling Alley, working on Big Mountain running the top of Chair 3 and giving the daily weather report from the mountain, working for Napa Auto Parts in Browning and as mechanic at Stacie’s gas station in Whitefish. 

He was willing to help others if they needed the help, if it was within his power to do so. He loved the outdoors, from hunting to fishing to gardening. He bowled in Whitefish right to the end. 

He is survived by his wife, Ellen Mae; sons, Tim Knopfle and Raymond Richards; daughters, Terri Frey, Loni Fisher, Clara Craft and Rhonda Wartnow; mother-in-law, Ellen Nutting; 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home, with burial following at Glacier Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the charity of your choice.

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Lowell’s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and view Lowell’s tribute wall.