Winfred Golden

On Thursday, March 23, 2023, we lost our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Winfred Golden, at the age of 95 in Billings, Montana. He passed peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his daughters and granddaughters.

The eighth of nine children, Winfred was born on March 12,1928 to John and Nancy (Bea) Golden in Hopper, Arkansas and was raised on the family farm. He attended school at Caddo Gap High School where a young lady caught his eye, and they eventually began dating.

After Christmas in 1946, he rushed home from the Air Corps on emergency leave to be with his parents and sweetheart, Emogene, when an out of season tornado descended into the valley and destroyed many homes, including the Golden house. Winfred and Emogene were married on January 9, 1947, at City Hall, and she followed him to Spokane a few months later.

After the service, they had three children Gary, Judy, and Janet. They raised their family in Anderson Valley California where Winfred worked in the timber industry. In 1973, they moved to Townsend, MT where he continued working in the timber industry until he retired in 1993. They spent 36 years in Townsend before moving to Billings, MT in 2009. Winfred loved to garden, woodwork, make custom knives, and spend time with his family. If something was broken, he was the man to fix it.

He is survived by his daughters Judy (Jim) Wambaugh and Janet (Ivan) Whiteaker; granddaughters Chris (Jeff) Gray, Janine (Sean) Genovese, Janelle Golden, and Michelle Golden; great-grandchildren Kim Leep, Kolter (Meghan) Leep, Austin (Sadie) Leep, and Jocelyn Golden; and great-great grandchildren Toston Sandoval and Ava and Levi Leep, and one on the way.

Winfred was proceeded in death by his beloved wife Emogene, his son Gary; his parents John and Nancy Golden; brothers Charlie, Clark, Lester, Cecil, Floyd, and Curtis; sisters Loerene Golden and Beatrice Coffman.