Roland was born December 16, 1938 in Detroit Michigan to Lucille Lafond and Ira Sparling. He attended public school through his sophomore year in high school. After dropping out, he joined the Army and served in the Sharp Shooting division.
He worked road construction, building many of the interstates through Montana. While building through Billings, he met the love of his life, Betty Zeir. They were married February 11, 1967 in Billings.
Their son, Chuck, was born September 17, 1967. Roland adopted Betty’s son, Mike, on June 4, 1969. The final member of the immediate family, Stacy, was born December 17, 1975.
After marrying Betty, Roland continued to work construction for a few years, so the young family moved around Montana, following the crews, living in Roy and Wolf Creek, among other small communities.
As his children were approaching school age, the decision to stabilize and settle down was made. Initially, the family moved to Cascade. Roland went to work for Cascade Coach, building recreational vehicles, mostly slide-in campers.
The next move for the family was to Great Falls, in 1970, so the eldest son, Mike, could begin school. That location is still the family home. Shortly after the move to Great Falls, Roland began working for Anderson Steel as a welder fabricating metal window and door frames.
While living in Cascade, the couple met Bill Mortenson, a Jehovah’s Witness, and began studying with him. The religion was a huge part of the family’s life from then on, with Roland eventually serving as an elder in his local congregation.
Roland loved being outdoors, going on many camping trips, learning to pan for gold, and exploring the mountains near Great Falls. His most passionate hobby was metal detecting, and he would explore the parks and public grounds all over Great Falls.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the O’Connor Funeral Home website.
