Obituaries

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...

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...

ROCKY BOY - Sharon M. (Dusty Bull) Patacsil, whose Indian name was Medicine Rock Woman, 58, an educator of Rocky Boy, died of cancer on Sunday, May 28, 2006, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls. A wake service will begin today at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rocky Boy. Her funeral is 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church with burial at the Patacsil family cemetery. Sharon was an avid reader. She enjoyed fishing, Native artwork, her collection of road runners and Native dolls, shopping for shoes and coats, movies,...

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...

George E. Arneson, 87, Havre resident and former resident of Spokane, Wash., died Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at the Care & Comfort Home of Havre. His graveside service was scheduled for noon today at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Spokane. George was born Feb 2, 1919 in Grand Rapids, Minn., to Edward and Gurine (Olson) Arneson. He joined the Army in 1942 and served in World War II. He received a double purple heart and the bronze star. He was a P.O.W. in the war. He was honorably discharged in 1946. He married Evelyn Medo Sept....

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...

CHESTER - Allen Carl Mattson, 92, of Chester died peacefully at a Chester rest home Monday afternoon, May 22, 2006. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester. Burial will follow at the Chester Cemetery. Allen was born Aug. 6, 1913, at the family homestead north of Chester to Andrew and Minnie (Johnson) Mattson. He received his formal education at the Fairview country school, then began working on the family farm. He was 21 years old when his mother died, so he helped raise...

GREAT FALLS - Danny Ray Clark, 53, of Great Falls died of a long illness on Monday, May 22, 2006, at a Great Falls hospital. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Danny was born Oct. 27, 1952, to George and Myrtice (Chessher) Clark in Crestview, Fla. Danny was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1971 and soon came to love Montana, where he also met his wife, Vicki Velk. They married June 10, 1972, in Great Falls. In 1994, after a 24 year distinguished military career, he retired from the Air Force as a master...

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...

BILLINGS - Louis Frank Zygmond, life-long Montana resident, died Wednesday, May 17, 2006, of cancer at his home in Billings. A memorial vigil will be held today at 7 p.m. at Cremation or Funeral Gallery. A funeral service will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Billings on Monday at 2 p.m. A reception will follow the services. A military burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery following the reception. Lou was born in Havre on Aug. 25, 1925, to Olga (Hubert) and Alex Zygmond. He graduated from Havre High School...

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...

CHINOOK - Alva R. Jacobsen, 88, died Thursday, May 11, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital due to natural causes. A graveside service was held Sunday afternoon in Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Alva was born Aug. 31, 1917, in Buffalo, N.Y., to Robert and Clara (Kumpf) Marsh Sr. She moved to Chinook with her parents to homestead in the early 1920s. Alva loved animals and the outdoors. She married Arthur C. Jacobsen on Nov. 18, 1944, in Chinook. They moved to Havre in 1951, and she cleaned homes and businesses while living there. She...

CHINOOK - Alice I. Dahlquist, 85, died Friday, May 12, 2006, at Saint Patrick's Hospital in Missoula due to natural causes. A funeral service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the American Lutheran Church with burial following in the Turner Cemetery at approximately 2 p.m. Alice was born on Aug. 4, 1920, in Twete, near Hogeland, to Harry and Sarah (Hobbs) Wester. She was raised in the Big Flat area, attended country school and graduated from Hogeland High School. Alice married Walter M. Sanguins on June 10, 1939, in...

WHITLASH - Lois Agnes Brauer, 81, of Whitlash died Thursday, May 11, 2006, at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Her funeral will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the Whitlash Presbyterian Church with Pastor Peter Erickson officiating. Burial will follow at the Whitlash Cemetery. Lois Agnes (Schafer) Brauer was born Sept. 4, 1924, at Great Falls to William and Mary (Rogers) Schafer, homesteaders in the Sweetgrass Hills north of Chester. Lois grew up on the family ranch near Whitlash. In her teens, she moved to Seattle, Wash., to live w...

JOPLIN - Phyllis Heilbrun, 67, of north Rudyard, suffered a heart attack at her home Thursday, May 11, and died en route to Benefis East Medical Center in Great Falls early Friday, May 12, 2006. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Joplin Community Hall. Burial will follow at the Joplin Cemetery. She was born Phyllis Elaine Mortimer on July 30, 1938, at Brookville, Pa., to Raymond Mortimer and Ruth Williams Phyllis received her early education at Munderf, Pa., and finished her high school years at Brookville,...

ROCKY BOY - Angel Denny, 6-month gestation, died Friday, May 12, 2006, in Spokane, Wash., from birth complications. Her wake service was scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Rocky Boy Lutheran Church. Her funeral service was to be held at 11 a.m. today at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church at Rocky Boy with Father Pete Guthneck officiating. Burial was to follow at the Rocky Boy Cemetery. Angel was born May 12, 2006, in Spokane to Danielle Iron Maker and William Denny. Survivors include her parents, William Denny and Danielle...

JOPLIN - Joseph “Joe” Wilmes, 95, of Joplin died Sunday, May 7, 2006, at the Liberty County Nursing Home of complications from pneumonia. A graveside service with burial of ashes will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Joplin Cemetery. A memorial luncheon will follow at the Sweetgrass Lodge in Chester. Joe was born Feb. 9, 1911, at Inverness to Domonick and Valentina (Jerzak) Wilmes. At the time of Joe's birth his mother and twin sister died from complications during the delivery. Joe grew up in the Inverness community a...