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Harris Anthony Wiltzen ( Missoula 1948 )

posted: Mar 9, 2022

Harris, 99, died February 13, 2022. He was born August 8, 1922, on Minot, N.D. Harris grew up in Deering, N.D., and started school at the Dakota College of Forestry before he enlisted in the Army Reserve Corps in 1942 and was called to duty in 1943. Harris became a high-speed radio operator. He served in New Guinea, Southern Philippines, and Luzon in WW2. After four years of service, he was honorably discharged in January 1946, and moved to Missoula where he finished his degree in Forestry in 1951.

Harris then started his career with the Soil Conservation Service where he worked until retirement in 1980. In 1984, Harris received the Montana Tree Farmer of the Year award. From 1992 to 2002, he was an advisory member of the Sanders County Board of Supervisors and was awarded the Life Achievement Award by the Montana Tree Farmer Association in 2004. Soon after his retirement, Harris took up running in local races and kept up this activity well into his 70's, typically placing very high in his age group in most races. He jumped at Missoula during the 1948 season.