- Date Of Birth: June 26, 1921
- Date Of Death: July 20, 2019
- State: Montana
Frederick William Herman Griepp, 98, passed away on July 20, 2019, staying in his own home of 69 years and achieving his goal of not going to a nursing home. His death marks the end of an era as he was the longest-living person ever on both sides of his family.
Born on June 26, 1921, he was the 13th child of the fourth generation of Americans that emigrated from Germany in 1871. He was born on a dairy farm outside of Shawano, Wisconsin. After high school, he served in the Army Occupational Forces. After serving his country and going back to the farm, he and his brother decided to head to Kalispell where he met his beautiful wife-to-be, Helen Viola Holmquist. They had eight children, including one set of twins. Their extended family includes 17 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
Fred, or Fritz, as some called him, was an avid hunter, master fisherman, and super-gardener. His self-employed business, “Homes of Enchantment,” described dozens of his custom-built homes in the Flathead Valley. He took early retirement to become his wife’s caregiver for the next 20 years.
He attended the Assemblies of God church, now called Canvas, for almost 65 years. He served on their board, was an usher and, for 30 years, was a Royal Ranger leader. He helped build the Glacier Bible Camp in Hungry Horse and donated the most volunteer hours in construction of the Lighthouse Group Home. He was a lifetime member of Gideons International and Flathead Wildlife Inc. He was known for helping with church youth groups and big family parties.
