Still Looking Out For His Neighbors

Richard Winderl was a lifelong resident of Valley County and he passed away June 28, 2019. He is still looking out for the community he cared about by providing a donation to the FMDH Scholarship Fund.

The ninth child of 10 sons, his family farmed south of Richland, Mont. He attended boarding school in Great Falls and had just started high school when he ended up in the hospital. From there, he headed back to the family farm and worked alongside his brother, George.

Many of you may know, Richard was a private person and kept many things to himself. If you could earn his friendship, he would share the very personal stories with you. He and his brother were almost always together, be it work, trips to town, or their hobby of auctions and gun shows.

He also enjoyed driving around the countryside and making sure everything was in place. If something seemed off, he would keep his neighbors informed, calling himself the “neighborhood watch.”

Today, he is continuing that watch as he generously donated $50,000 to go towards the FMDH Scholarship Fund. He wanted to help promote our local students and help them pursue their medical aspirations. This gift has immense returns to our community, as so many of the students Richard and many families have helped over the years through this fund, have returned to Valley County to put their education to work. We were able to gift $25,000 this year to area students because of donors like this. Richard knew what it meant to continue to help, even when he wouldn’t be here.

The Foundation is extremely grateful for this wonderful gift and Richard’s name will be added to the Foundation’s “Wagon Train Wall of Honor” located by the Glasgow Primary Care Clinic. The Richard Winderl Scholarship will be available in 2021.