Edward Klain Obituary
Edward John Klain, 90
Edward John Klain was born on September 28, 1934, to Ferdinand & Marie Klain, the 5th of 8 children on a 900-acre farm near Turtle Lake, ND. The family harvested wheat, barley & flax while caring for 35 head of cattle. As a youngster he operated tractors and road a horse, Topsy, to school.
Eager to see the world, Eddie joined the Navy in December 1952 during the Korean War completing training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago where he also sang in the boot camp choir. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier, USS Bennington, as a mechanic stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Sadly, he was aboard the Bennington when a massive explosion occurred from a catapult fire killing & injuring a few hundred fellow seamen. Afterwards the Bennington dry-docked in New York for repairs while Eddie returned to Chicago completing a 15-week engineer training program.
Back at sea, the Bennington patrolled the Mediterranean visiting 18 ports of call. He was also deployed in Saudi Arabia for 6 months serving on the USS Duxbury Bay, as an Engineman. His final post was on the USS Forrestal, the world's first nuclear super carrier, and 10-days later was Honorably Discharged on October 20th, 1956.
He moved back to ND in January 1957 where he met the love of his life, Carol Varty, a school teacher. Smitten from the start, Eddie & Carol were married in Douglas, ND, on June 16th that year.
They owned a bar in Mercer, ND for a year, farmed a few years near Turtle Lake & Harlem MT, lived on a ranch outside Great Falls, MT where their family grew: December 1962 with an early Christmas gift, Gina; on Father's Day June 1964, Rhonda; and instead of fishing Labor Day weekend of 1968, Kevin. In 1969 the family moved to Kalispell, MT, where Eddie worked at Manion's as an auto mechanic. In 1974 Eddie became part-owner of Evergreen Welding & Truck Repair specializing in repairing logging trucks and even had occasion to work on Glacier Parks' unique red Jammer Cars. The family soon moved to Evergreen in 1978 and he retired from Evergreen Welding & Truck Repair in 1998.
Never shy, Eddie met lots of people through work and his social life making many lifelong friends whether over a fishing pole, bowling, playing pool or a game of cribbage. He was an active member of the Moose Lodge #1922 from 1974 to 2025, the Eagles 1972 to 1995, and the American Legion 2010 to 2025. He was the Moose Lodge Governor from '84-'85 and earned the honor of Montana Moose of the Year in 1995.
Once retired, Eddie & Carol became Snowbirds, enjoying summers in Kalispell and winters in Yuma, AZ. Allowing them to visit their children & grandchildren in Southern California. In Yuma, along with many of their longtime Montana friends, they avidly engaged in Adobe Village's social activities. Ever busy, Eddie organized a small group of guys to pick grapefruit from the neighborhood for folks no longer able to care for their trees, sharing them with 'the village' and food bank.
He is survived by his daughter's: Gina (Morse) Olsen of Poway, CA, Rhonda (Kent) Harper of Fullerton, CA, and favorite son, Kevin of Huntington Beach, CA; grandsons John (Heather) Olsen of Lemon Grove, CA, Brian (Logan) Olsen of Dallas, TX and great-granddaughters, Chloe, Payton & Dylann.
Eddie was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers and sisters, infant son Jeffrey, and his lovely wife Carol.
Join us in celebrating Eddie's life & legacy at Calvary Lutheran Church, on Saturday, Sept, 20th at 1:00 pm. Followed by a luncheon at the Moose Lodge from 2-6:00 pm. Internment will be in Turtle Lake, ND.
Published by Daily Inter Lake on Jun. 15, 2025.