Obituaries

Gene H. Coder, 77, of Havre died of congestive heart failure Monday, June 5, 2006, in the home of his son and daughter-inlaw Tim and Karla Coder of Helena surrounded by his loving family. Visitation and viewing will be Friday from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel in Chinook. There will be a celebration of his life at Fifth Avenue Christian Church in Havre on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating. Burial will follow in Highland Cemetery with military honors. Gene was born in Killarney,...

Dean A. Hatvick, 73, formerly of Billings and Havre, died Friday, May 26, 2006, after a courageous three-month battle with cancer. A service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, June 19, at Deer Lodge Assembly of God Church in Deer Lodge with Dean's son, Pastor Buzz Hatwigg, officiating. Dean was born on July 9, 1932, in Helena and raised in Outlook. He married Corrine Stevens in 1951. They later divorced. In 1997, he married Joan Brenner. Throughout his lifetime, Dean owned and operated many businesses, including Missouri Valley...

ROCKY BOY Lendell Gopher, 2-day-old infant son of Josephine and Jonathan Gopher, his Indian Name K-SA-Ni-WMOS- TO-S-Kah-Ni-Kah-Mo-T, which means Old Man Buffalo Singer, died Sunday, June 4, 2006, at Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls due to a heart condition. A wake service began Monday night at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church at Rocky Boy and was to continue until his funeral at 11 a.m. today. Burial was to follow at the Rocky Boy Cemetery. Lendell was born June 2, 2006, in Great Falls. Lendell was preceded in death by one...

ROCKY BOY William Denny Jr., 66, a resident of Rocky Boy, died Sunday, June 4, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital due to complications from a stroke. His wake service began Monday night at the family's residence and was to transfer to the Rocky Boy Lutheran Church this afternoon. His funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church at Rocky Boy. Interment will follow at the Jr. Denny Cemetery in Rocky Boy. William was born May 17, 1940, on the north slope of Haystack Butte in Rocky Boy to...

CHINOOK Elsie Ann Albright Taylor, 81, of Chinook, died at Northern Montana Care Center in Havre on Saturday, June 3, 2006. A graveside service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Inverness Cemetery. E l s i e was born Sept. 15, 1924, at Rudyard to Oscar David Adams and Emma Louise Lambott. Elsie grew up in Rudyard and received her formal education there. In 1942, she married Robert Albright. They made their home in the Chester community, where Elsie worked as a farmwife, homemaker and mother of three. The Albrights had...

Viola Ella Freier, 81, of Havre died Tuesday May 30, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Her funeral service will be 10 a.m. Monday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Vaundalee DeLong and Ila McClenahan officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the service. Viola was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Pipestone, Minn., to Dewey and Ella (Dahlhoff) Bostic. When she was a young girl, she moved with her family to Havre, where she attended Havre Public Schools. Viola worked at...

Viola Ella Freier, 81, of Havre died Tuesday May 30, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Her funeral service will be 10 a.m. Monday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Vaundalee DeLong and Ila McClenahan officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the service. Viola was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Pipestone, Minn., to Dewey and Ella (Dahlhoff) Bostic. When she was a young girl, she moved with her family to Havre, where she attended Havre Public Schools. Viola worked at...

Viola Ella Freier, 81, of Havre died Tuesday May 30, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Her funeral service will be 10 a.m. Monday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Vaundalee DeLong and Ila McClenahan officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the service. Viola was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Pipestone, Minn., to Dewey and Ella (Dahlhoff) Bostic. When she was a young girl, she moved with her family to Havre, where she attended Havre Public Schools. Viola worked at...

Viola Ella Freier, 81, of Havre died Tuesday May 30, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Her funeral service will be 10 a.m. Monday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Vaundalee DeLong and Ila McClenahan officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the service. Viola was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Pipestone, Minn., to Dewey and Ella (Dahlhoff) Bostic. When she was a young girl, she moved with her family to Havre, where she attended Havre Public Schools. Viola worked at...

ROZET, Wyo. - Al Geiser, 59, of Rozet, Wyo., died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, from a heart attack. A private family graveside service will be held at Black Hills National Cemetery. A memorial service will be held in June. Al was born Dec. 5, 1946, in Havre to Charles and Marie (Schmid) Geiser. He grew up in Big Sandy on his family's farm. During his high school years, Al lived in Washington state with his uncle and aunt. He graduated from high school and joined the U.S. Navy in 1967. On June 21, 1972, Al married Donna McPherson...

Percy M. Couch, 88, a resident of Northern Montana Care Center died Monday, May 29, 2006. His funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Fifth Avenue Christian Church with Pastor Rowlie Hutton officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the graveside services. Percy was born on the family farm north of Havre to Orpha and Dougald Couch. He was raised on the family farm and attended Amos School. Percy married Ethel Brown on April 18, 1942, in...

RONAN - Agatha Sherman, 80, of Ronan died Saturday, May 27, 2006, at St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan. A memorial service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ronan on Friday at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at the Ronan Cemetery. A reception will follow at the parish hall in Ronan. Agatha was born on July 9, 1925, in Goldstone to Anton and Juliana Schwan. Agatha worked in the kitchen hospital in Havre. She married Gordon Sherman on Dec. 12, 1944, in Havre. They farmed north of Rudyard until 1960. They farmed...

Kenneth C. Vaile, 81, of Havre died Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at his home of natural causes. Cremation will take place. A prayer vigil and rosary service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Jude Catholic Church with his memorial service 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Jude Catholic Church with Father Robert D. Grosch officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at St. Jude Parish Center immediately after the service. Kenneth was born December 28, 1924 in Browning to Earl and Martha (Billedeaux) Vaile Sr. he was one of nine...

Russell Lee Zumbaum Sr., 61, of Havre died on Sunday, May 21, 2006, at his residence in Havre of heart complications. Cremation will take place and his memorial service will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Darlene Berger's residence in Rocky Boy. Interment of ashes will be held at the Russette Family Cemetery. Russell was born Dec. 4, 1944, in Bismarck, N.D., to Arthur and Hilda (Budau) Zumbaum. He attended school in Bismarck and worked for Ray Commack Carnival. In 1967 at Rocky Boy, Russell married Pearl Jean Saddler. They lived at...

MALTA - Armand A. Tremblay, 88, a retired farmer and rancher, died Friday, May 19, 2006, at the Hi-Line Retirement Center of natural causes. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Adams Memorial Chapel with interment in the Malta Cemetery. Cremation has taken place. Armand was born Oct. 15, 1917 in Regina, Mont., to Joseph and Evelyn (Scott) Tremblay. He was raised and educated in the Regina community in southern Phillips County. He worked for the mines in Zortman and then farmed and ranched. He married...

HELENA - Clara Gunhilda Martinson Edwards, 94, died peacefully on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14, 2006, at Rocky Mountain Care Center in Helena. Clara was cremated per her wishes. Her ashes will be buried with her husband, Lloyd. A graveside service is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday, June 29, at Highland Cemetery in Havre. Clara was born Sept. 4, 1911, at Van Hook, N.D., which is a little town near Williston, N.D., to Olaf and Anna (Dalhin) Oppeboen. Clara received her elementary and secondary education at Van Hook, then...

WHITEFISH - Sally Cole, 64, of Rexford and formerly of Havre, died at her home Saturday evening, May 20, 2006, surrounded by her family. A funeral service will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. Charles Catholic Church in Whitefish with the Rev. Patrick Patton officiating. Burial will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Kalispell. After burial, a luncheon for family and friends will be held at St. Charles reception hall. She was born Feb. 10, 1942, in Minneapolis. She grew up in Havre and attended St. Jude's...

Audrey Jean Watson, 77, died Monday, May 15, 2006, at her home in Havre after a valiant battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church in Havre. Audrey was born March 4, 1929, to Edward Lumas Layhee and Alberta Marguerita Meader Layhee in Plattsburg, N.Y. She was raised in Dannemore, N.Y. She met Henry Earl Watson while he was stationed in New Jersey. They were married July 19, 1946, in New Brunswick, N.Y., and were two months short of their 60th wedding anniversary....

Albert Fowler Vaughn, 77, of Havre died Tuesday May 16, 2006, surrounded by his family at Northern Montana Care Center of natural causes. His funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel with Tim Maroney officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Albert was born Nov. 20, 1928, in Havre to Charles and Hazel (Fowler) Vaughn. He was raised and educated in Havre. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1945, serving in World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1947. Albert...

SPOKANE, Wash. - William Howard Koutnik, 77, of Spokane, Wash., died Feb. 20, 2006, in Spokane. At his request, no funeral service was held. He was born in Havre on Nov. 28, 1928, to Joe and Margaret Koutnik. He graduated from Northern Montana College, then earned an accounting degree at the University of Denver, graduating with the class of 1954. He retired as a partner of LeMaster and Daniels, where he was a CPA for 37 years. His professional memberships included the American Institute of CPAs for 50 years and the...

MALTA - Allen Jerry Henry, 49, truck driver of Malta died in a single cement truck vehicle crash at Fort Belknap Reservation south of Harlem Friday, May 12, 2006. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Adams Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the Malta Cemetery. Allen was born June 14, 1956, in Havre to Jack and Lorene (Sutherland) Henry. He was raised and schooled in Dodson. He worked a summer for Phillips County with a summer program. In 1978, he learned to drive tractor-trailer rigs and began his...

Audrey Jean Watson, 77, died Monday, May 15, 2006, at her home in Havre after a valiant battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church in Havre. Audrey was born March 4, 1929, to Edward Lumas Layhee and Alberta Marguerita Meader Layhee in Plattsburg, N.Y. She was raised in Dannemore, N.Y. She met Henry Earl Watson while he was stationed in New Jersey. They were married July 19, 1946, in New Brunswick, N.Y., and were two months short of their 60th wedding anniversary....

YUMA, Ariz. - Robert Evan Richards, 70, of Yuma, Ariz., died Sunday, April 16, 2006. Private family services were held. Bob was born May 24, 1935, in Havre. In 1954, he married Bette J. Keith, and they moved to Corvallis in 1956. They divorced in later years. Bob worked for CH2M Hill for more than 30 years. In the latter part of his career he traveled throughout the country to assist with projects. Bob shared his love of travel and the outdoors with his children. In 1989, he married Louise N. Carpenter and became Uncle Bob...

Gladys A. (Rugtvedt) Lynch, 86, died at her Rudyard home early Tuesday, May 16, 2006, from congestive heart failure. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rudyard. Burial of ashes will follow at the Rudyard Cemetery. Gladys was born Sept. 9, 1919, at Rudyard to Norwegian homesteaders August and Maren (Hegna) Rugtvedt. Gladys attended Een country school, then finished her education in Rudyard, graduating from RHS in 1938. She married Clarence Lynch on April 13, 1942, at Great...

Stanley H. Joy, 54, a Havre Burlington-Northern Railway locomotive supervisor of Havre died Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at Benefis Health Care in Great Falls due to complications following heart surgery. A memorial service will be held Saturday at 4 p.m. in Van Orsdel Methodist Church in Havre. Stanley was born on Aug. 14, 1951, in Kalispell to Harold and Natalie (Kienas) Joy. He attended schools at Somers Elementary, and graduated from Flathead County High School. Stan worked for Great Northern Railway at the tie plant in Somers...