Colonel Joseph Weldon Upshaw was born February 10, 1920 in Mesa, Arizona to Forrest and Eunice Upshaw. He was the ninth of ten children, three of whom died in infancy. Our beloved Joe passed away on December 23, 2010 in Helena, Montana.
When he was two years old his family moved to Driggs, Idaho and to Chinook, Montana one year later. The family lived on farms in the Chinook area. When the Great Depression came in the early 1930’s, all of the family worked on the farm or took whatever employment they could find to augment the family income. The older children did not attend high school in order to help the younger ones. The family lived three miles from school in Chinook so those in school had to walk six miles each day round trip.
The family had moved into Chinook when Joe entered high school. He found a job as a school janitor weekday evenings and also as a night clerk at a local hotel on weekends. He graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1938 and lettered in several sports. When he was a high school sophomore, he joined the Montana Army National Guard one month short of his 16th birthday. Joe was always a lover of America and the one dollar he received for each day of National Guard training was saved for his graduation expenses. Joe received a scholastic scholarship to Montana State University and planned to work for two years to save the additional money needed for college. He found a job with the Montana State Highway Department on a gravel search crew and continued in this job until September, 1940.
Joe had remained in the National Guard and was called to active duty to train for the war which now seemed imminent. He served five years active duty including three years in the Southwest Pacific. He served with distinction in New Guinea in his beloved 163rd Infantry Regiment as an Infantry leader in battle. He received many medals and decorations including the Bronze Star for Valor, but was most proud of his Combat Infantry Badge.
After the war, Joe worked at the Chinook Post Office and married the love of his life, Gloria Skoyen of Chinook on May 9, 1948. Joe and Gloria had three sons, Dale, Gary and Eugene. During this time Joe was instrumental in organizing the post-war National Guard in Chinook and soon became company commander. In 1961 he was asked to work full time with the National Guard and the young family moved to Bozeman and later to Helena where he served on various assignments on the staff of the Adjutant General. He retired as a Colonel in 1977 after 40 years of combined active duty Army and National Guard service.
Prior to retirement Joe served as president of the Montana National Guard Officers Association and president of the Montana Chapter of the US Army Association. After retirement, he remained very active in military affairs. He served a term as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army and was president of the 163rd Infantry WWII Association, member of the Montana Military Museum board,
member of the Helena Chamber Military Affairs committee, and for several years was chairman of the annual 163rd Infantry reunions. He was very proud of the Montana Guard and worked with them in various capacities after retirement. He was most proud of having the current 1-163 Montana Guard Infantry Battalion of Fort Harrison designate a 2005 Iraq combat mission as ‘Operation Upshaw’, which not only honored him but all the 163rd Infantry boys, especially those of ‘M’ Company of Chinook, Harlem and Fort Belknap.
Joe was very civic minded and served in many capacities after military retirement. He was a member of the State Regulatory Board of Public Accountants, Governor’s Select Board for Health Care Cost Containment, Governor’s Council on Aging, AARP National and State Legislative Councils, Helena Civic Center Board, Grand Street Theatre Board, Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Board, and various other boards and civic organizations. Joe was AARP State Director of the “VOTE” program and Vice Chair of Montana Senior Legacy Legislature. He also found time to appear in several Grand Street Theatre productions.
Joe always kept his love for Gloria and his family first and foremost. He often said he was eternally grateful for Gloria’s love, understanding and quiet guidance without which he could not have survived these many years.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents Forrest and Eunice, brothers John and Oscar, sisters Jewel, Lydia and Faye, and grandson Joseph (Joey) Evan Upshaw. He is survived by Gloria, his loving wife of 62 years; sons Dale of Dayton, Ohio, Gary and wife Jane of Federal Way, Washington, and Gene of Manitou Springs, Colorado; sister Wanda Sheets of Tigard, Oregon; granddaughter Erica Austin and husband Damon of Laguna Beach, California; grandchildren Jennifer Upshaw of Wenatchee, Washington and Curtis Upshaw of Tacoma, Washington, and many nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Big Sky Care Center, the Waterford on Saddle Drive, our many Helena friends and our relatives for their kind support during the past several months.
Funeral services will be held at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Stuart and Henderson in Helena December 29th at 11:00 AM with lunch reception to follow in the church, and interment with military honors provided by the Montana Army National Guard Honor Guard will follow at 1:30PM at the Montana State Veteran’s Cemetery at Fort Harrison.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joseph’s name to Our Redeemers Lutheran Church, 1400 Stuart Street Helena, MT 59601; the Montana Military Museum, P.O. Box 125 Fort Harrison, MT 59636 or the Joe Upshaw Memorial Project (JUMP) in memory of his grandson Joseph Evan Upshaw, 1278 Club View Lane, Centerville, OH, 45458.
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Susan Good Geise says
What a charming and upright man. I will never forget his kindness and integrity during legislative sessions. Whether he agreed with you or not, Joe was always courteous and professional. A really wonderful man.