Walter L. Freund

Wally Freund was born on December 14, 1960, in Livingston, Montana to parents Keith and Bettie Freund. He grew up in Livingston and graduated from Park High School in 1979. Wally married his sweetheart Trish Forrest on December 22, 1984, at the Livingston Congregational Church. Wally and Trish were blessed with three sons: Andrew Forrest, Patrick Henry, and Michael Keith.

Wally worked for the Park County Road Department from 1979-1992 as an equipment operator. In 1992 he was fortunate to begin a 26-year career with the Montana Power Company as a pipefitter. He found fulfillment and took great pride in his work. After completing an apprenticeship, Wally went on to teach in the program for a time. He retired from the power company in 2018 and continued to work with his dump truck independently until his cancer diagnosis in 2021. Wally proudly served in the US Naval Reserve from May 1989-March 1992. There he was an equipment operator and attained the rank of E3.

In his free time, he enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, welding, snow plowing, and restoring classic cars. He served on his church board and local baseball board for many years. He helped coach many of his sons’ baseball teams and when they played legion ball, he drove the team bus–he loved being their bus driver. Wally was a devoted family man who loved Jesus. His love for God and people were seen in how he would talk about God’s goodness and continue to bless others despite his condition. He absolutely loved being a grandpa to Parker and Vivian and one of his biggest concerns with his cancer diagnosis was that he did not want to miss watching them grow up.

Wally passed away on July 22, 2023, in the comfort of his home at the age of 62. He was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cell carcinoma in June of 2021. It was a two-year battle with cancer, but even during this time the years were filled with many blessings. The love of God was seen and felt in many ways including the ongoing support of friends and family.

Wally is survived by his wife Trish and sons Andrew (Hannah and granddaughters Parker and Vivian), Patrick and Michael, all of Bozeman. He is also survived by his sisters Sharon (Kerry) LaDuke, Deb (Tully) Broadbent, and Sally (Tom) Bandstra as well as in-laws Ray and Linda Forrest, sister-in-law Nancy (Len) Anderson, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Wally’s service will be held at Livingston Christian Center at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, July 28. A graveside service will then take place at Mountain View Cemetery followed by a coffee hour at Living Hope Church.