Hal David Haefer, 78, formerly of Poplar, died Jan. 22, 2021.
He was born Wednesday, Aug. 12, 1942, to Maxine Sarah Eschler and biological father Wilhelm David Meyers in Great Falls. Sadly, he never knew the Meyers’ side of his family with the exception of Wilhelm’s brother, Uncle Harry. Early years were spent in his uncle Leonard’s home with his uncle, aunt Norma, and mother who were all divorced. He had a “great sense of curiosity” about the world around him. There was always another “why” for each question answered. That was the beginning of his pursuit of knowledge and understanding which were driving forces throughout his life. He was a voracious reader and a student of history, especially military history.
When he was four years old, Donald Maxwell Haefer became his dad. The family lived at Rainbow Dam near Great Falls when his dad secured work with the Montana Power Company. In the summer of 1952 when his dad was transferred to Mystic Lake Dam power plant, he completed fourth through eighth grades in a one-room school where he had the same teacher for the five years he was there. In his freshman year, the family returned to Great Falls and became a Bison.
In 1960, he enrolled at Montana State College in Bozeman with the intention of pursuing an engineering degree. Five years later, he graduated with degrees in psychology and sociology. He was a member of Delta Lambda Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
After graduation, he enlisted in the Army on Aug. 6, 1965. Basic training at Fort Ord, Calif., was followed by advanced training at Fort Holabird, Md., to become a military intelligence specialist with a top secret security clearance. He was in the first class of special agents to ever be assigned to a combat unit. At Fort Benning, Ga., he trained as a paratrooper and received his Silver Wings in 1966. Later in 1966, he was transferred to Vietnam where he became part of 5th Special Forces. He was stationed in Nha Trang for six months, Saigon for six months and then the mobile training team for six months. He was proud, honored and humbled to serve as a Green Beret with 5th Special Forces. He was discharged on May 24, 1968, with a rank of Sergeant E-5.
Back in Montana in 1968, he obtained a teaching endorsement in the social sciences from MSU - Bozeman. He worked as a security officer at Montana Tech for 1½ years, followed by his master’s program at Northern Montana College in Havre for high school career counseling.
While he was working on his master’s degree in 1973, he met Laura Lee Knight over a game of Hearts. They married on Aug. 17, 1974, in Glasgow. Their first year was spent in Simms where he was the counselor in the high school. They established a home in Poplar for the next 30 years where they were a part of the Poplar Public School.
Summer vacations during the years in the school system were often spent traveling through the western part of the U.S. and the Canadian provinces. He retired from counseling in 2002. In 2004, they moved to Billings.
His greatest interests were skiing, reading, driving fast and photographing wildlife. He was a huge Harry Potter fan. He was one of an “elite” group of readers who have successfully tackled the novel War and Peace. He was a huge John Denver fan and followed the NASCAR circuit.
In May 2010, he began his cancer journey. He dealt with his medical problems with strength, courage and perseverance with his faith in Jesus.
He is survived by his wife, Laura; and sisters, Sharon Hagel, Linda Ellis and Renee Haefer.
A celebration of life is planned in the spring.
