Retired teacher from Walla Walla is Montana’s first COVID-19 death

KALISPELL, Mont. - Health officials in Montana have confirmed their first death related to the coronavirus. The virus claimed the life of a 77 year old man, a retired teacher from Walla Walla.

The man came back from a vacation trip to California, with a cough and a cold. Several days later, he succumbed to deadly virus. His wife was able to call him on the phone and talk to him before he died.

He was an educator in Walla Walla for 40 years, teaching biology, air and space, and some humanities. After retiring, he and his wife decided to move to northwest Montana.