Edward Allen Tervola

Edward Allen Tervola, 81, of Wolf Point died Jan. 24, 2021, at Trinity Hospital.

He was born July 16, 1939, the son of Martha Ida Puranen Tervola and Richard Olaf Tervola in Wadena, Minn. He was proud of his Finnish ancestry as his great-grandfather came to America from Tervola, Finland, in the early 1800s. He was raised on the family farm in Henning, Minn. As a little boy, he had the duty of taking care of the chickens. He spotted a .22 rifle in the Sears and Roebuck catalog that he wanted. His father told him to make some money, so he did by trapping gophers and rabbits and picking up bottles in ditches. He made enough money to purchase that rifle, which is still in the family today.

He loved to fish and hunt with his dad and brothers. His parents also owned 113 acres of prime land at Leaf Lake in Minnesota with many great memories of the delicious berries that grew there. As he grew older, he started milking cows and working the fields. He attended country school in Henning from the first to eighth grade. He started his freshman year at Henning High School, but quit when his father had a stroke. He had wanted to join the U.S. Army, but he couldn’t pass the hearing test due to ear damage from the mumps in his youth.

He was reading the Henning Harold newspaper and found an ad for a farmer seeking a good farmhand in Plentywood. At the age of 20, he told his mother he was moving to Montana. He took his $70 paycheck and his ‘57 Chevy and left for Montana. After arriving safely in Plentywood, a waitress at a cafe asked what he was doing way over here. When he told her he was going to work for a farmer, she advised him not to take the job since the farmer treated his help poorly. He took the waitress’ advice and headed south. He stopped in Froid at the elevator and asked if anyone needed a good farmhand. He was sent to see Clinton Lamar at the Schnitzler Corporation in Homestead. They hit it off and he began working, living in a little bunkhouse about seven miles from Homestead. He was raised to keep your property pristine and, within a few months, made the place look like someone lived there.

On a trip back to Minnesota to visit, he met Donna Mae Moske at a basketball game. He had to return to Montana, so they wrote to each other and fell in love. He returned to Minnesota, and he and Donna were married in December 1963. He worked on a turkey farm for a while and didn’t care for it. He told his bride that he wanted to go back to Montana, so off they went back to Homestead. He went to work for Peavey Company Feb. 2, 1966, and they lived at the B& F Motel in Wolf Point. He bought his little boat and many fishing trips with family and friends began. They purchased a home in Wolf Point in March 1971. He loved his new home and property and he took great pride in the care of his lawn and garden. “No weeds on my yard!” he’d say and even sprayed the neighbors’ lawns so their weeds wouldn’t get into his.

Many hunting trips took place on friends’ places south of the river and many holidays were spent together with their families. After a good day of hunting, he would take his “brush walkers” to Harry’s bar for a good meal.

He and Donna divorced in 1976, but remained good friends. He had custody of his three children. Money was tight, but he always saved enough money for weekend getaways to Fort Peck Lake or Nelson Reservoir to go fishing and hunting. While working at Peavey, he met Laudie Kadrmus and they started painting together on weekends and evenings. He quit the Peavey Elevator in 1980 and started Tervola Painting.

When the oil boom started, he went to North Dakota and contracted with Atco Drilling. When the oil boom was slowed down, he moved back to Wolf Point. In 1987, he cut down three acres of timber in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area in western Montana all on his own.

His grandson, DJ, was his pride and joy. He cherished his grandson and taught him how to drive, hunt, fish and how to plant a garden.

He contracted with Sansaver Construction in the ‘90s and painted many tribal homes. When painting was slow in the fall and winter, he’d help Bill Smith with his cattle down at cow camp. He loved to have coffee with his buddies at Stockman’s Café and at the Sherman Inn. He was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolf Point.

He is survived by his children, Timothy Paul Tervola of Billings, Jerry Allen Tervola of Billings and Lori Mae Tervola- Berger of Wolf Point; siblings, Richard Tervola of New York Mills, Minn., and Cathy Smith of Brainerd, Minn.; three grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by siblings, William Tervola and Ethel Tervola-Gribbon; and his ex-wife, Donna Mae Moske-Tervola.

Viewing will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolf Point. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolf Point. Interment will be at Greenwood Cemetery following the service. Masks will be provided and social distancing will be followed. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point was entrusted with the arrangements.