William (Bill) R. Raihl passed away peacefully on June 28, 2025. Bill was born April 28, 1952, in Tacoma, WA, to Don and Shirley Raihl. He was raised in Buckley, WA, as the oldest of five kids.
At 16 years old, Bill started spending his summers in Montana living with his uncle and aunt, Ray and Ada Raihl, and working for longtime family friends, Chuck and Phyllis Taylor. Over the years, Bill worked various jobs, mostly in farming, ranching, and logging, until 1979, when he began his 38 year career as a long-haul truck driver. Bill hauled everything from livestock, grain, produce, steel beams, and wood products. Bill retired from truck driving in March of 2017.
Bill met his loving wife, LaDene (Rich) Raihl, in 1981. They were married July 24th, 1982. Bill and LaDene built their life together in Stanford, MT, where they raised their son Donnie and daughter Eva Marie.
Bill was preceded in death by his adopted daughter, Kimberly Raihl, and his parents, Don and Shirley Raihl. He is survived by his wife, LaDene Raihl, his son Donnie (Karen) Raihl, daughter Eva (Michael) Cordes, and his grandchildren, Alexa, Olivia, Blake, Opal, Ivey, Declyn, Colson, Elena, and Olen. He is also survived by his sister, Donna (Steve) Tucek, brothers, Gary (Cindy) Raihl, Jim (Stephanie) Raihl, and John (Lisa) Raihl, and brothers-in-law, Galen (Bonnie) Rich, and Don (Leslie) Rich as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Bill’s family and friends will be meeting at a later date to celebrate Bill’s life.
In lieu of flowers, please take the time to do something kind for someone else. If it is still on your heart, memorial donations can be made to Trinity Lutheran Church in Stanford, MT.
Author: Staff
Our Staff account is used to publish submitted content. If you have content that was published under this account, and wish to have your name as author, please contact us at (406) 952-3021
