Obituaries

John “Jack” Conrad Fakler, 64, of Havre died Tuesday, April 18, 2006, at his residence due to cancer. His memorial service will be held at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Helena, the date and time to be announced at a later time. Jack was born Oct. 20, 1941, to John and Clara (Wassman) Fakler in Dickinson, N.D. He was raised and educated in Beach, N.D., and graduated from high school in 1959. He attended business school for one year and then went to work for Sears as a salesman in Glendive, Glasgow and Williston, N...

Irene M. Damschen, 83, longtime Havre resident, died peacefully Sunday, April 23, 2006, in a Billings Hospital. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church in Havre. Visitation will be at Holland & Bonine Funeral Home from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Irene was born Jan. 17, 1923, in Havre to Bert and Pansy Inman. She attended country school west of Havre and graduated from Kremlin High School in 1942. On May 25, 1942, she married Roy E. Damschen in Bremerton, Wash. During the war, they lived in...

VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. - Hazel B. Bremer, 83, of Valley Springs, Calif., died Thursday, April 20, 2006, at Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital in San Andreas, Calif. A memorial service was held Monday morning at Foothill Lutheran Church in Valley Springs. Visitation in Montana will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory in Great Falls. A Montana service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Lutheran Church in Fairfield with burial in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Fairfield. Haz...

ANACORTES, Wash. - Helen Elizabeth Klies, 93, of Anacortes, Wash., died Friday, April 21, 2006, at San Juan Rehab and Care Center in Anacortes. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 17, at the Anacortes Lutheran Church, with interment at Highland Cemetery in Havre. Helen was born on February 16, 1913 in Moorehead, Minn., to Norwegian immigrants, Ove and Oline (Borde) Sather. She and her four siblings were raised in Havre. As a young woman, Helen was employed as a sales clerk in Havre where she met Emil....

Irene M. Damschen, 83, longtime Havre resident, died peacefully Sunday, April 23, 2006, in a Billings Hospital. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church in Havre. Visitation will be at Holland & Bonine Funeral Home from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Irene was born Jan. 17, 1923, in Havre to Bert and Pansy Inman. She attended country school west of Havre and graduated from Kremlin High School in 1942. On May 25, 1942, she married Roy E. Damschen in Bremerton, Wash. During the war, they lived in...

ROCKY BOY - Tyrone Gopher, 65, a lifetime resident of Great Falls, veteran of the U.S. Army, and great-grandson of Chief Rocky Boy of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe, died peacefully of cancer Friday, April 21, 2006, at Peace Hospice surrounded by his children, brothers, sisters, cousins, extended family and friends. Tyrone was well-known throughout Great Falls, being seen riding his bike wherever he went. He befriended many people in his travels, Indian and non-Indian. Tyrone performed many services for the Native American communiti...

Marguerite Julia Donohue, 105, of Havre died Tuesday, April 18, 2006, at Northern Montana Care Center of natural causes. Cremation has taken place and her memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Jude Catholic Church. Interment will follow at the Highland Cemetery. A fellowship hour will be held at St. Jude Parish Center immediately after the graveside service. Marguerite Julia Donohue was born in Melrose, Minn., on Jan. 5, 1901, to James and Julia (Lynam) Donohue. Marguerite studied music at St. Benedict's...

LODGE POLE - Thomas Joseph Bell, 83, of Lodge Pole died in Lewistown on Friday, April 21, 2006, due to natural causes. A funeral Mass will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Medicine Bear Lodge. Burial will follow at the Lodge Pole Cemetery with military honors. Wake will begin this afternoon at Joe Bell's residence with rosary recited at 7 p.m. at Medicine Bear Lodge. Joe is a descendant of John Bell, Takes the Prisoner and Little Chief, and the son of Thomas (GrosVentre) and Mary Ann (Assiniboine) (Thinker) Bell. He was raised and...

BIG SANDY - Leah M. Dixon, 89, of Big Sandy died Monday, April 17, 2006, at the Big Sandy Nursing Home of natural causes. Cremation has taken place. A graveside service will be held at a later time. Leah was born in Pleasant Valley area north of Fort Benton to Elizabeth and Howard Meeks. She attended high school in Fort Benton and teacher's college in Dillon. Leah taught in many Chouteau County rural schools. She married Charley Dixon on June 5, 1943, and farmed in the Kenilworth area west of Big Sandy until Charley's death...

Alfred B. Lathrop, 89, died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005, at the Northern Montana Care Center of natural causes. Cremation has taken place and a graveside service will be held 2 p.m. Friday at Highland Cemetery with Pastor Steve Flatau officiating....

Frances Lucille “Peggy” Jones, 89, died Monday, April 17, 2006, at her home of natural causes. Her celebration of life service will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church with Pastor Tim Maroney Officiating. After the service there will be a time for sharing memories and food and the Elks Club in Havre. Anyone wishing to attend the Interment of ashes, the memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Calvary Cemetery. Peggy was born Dec. 22, 1916, in Lewistown to Thomas and Verne (Cook) Baker. She was r...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Claire Renee Gertson, 95, of Spokane, Wash., died Sunday, March 19, 2006, in Spokane. A funeral service was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Barker officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. She was born Claire Renee Brendgord on Dec. 18, 1910, in Havre. He was educated in Havre and graduated from Havre High School. She was a member of the Hillyard Senior Citizens Center and loved to play penny bingo. She also enjoyed international rummy and a...

TROY - Marjorie Ione Higgins, 82, of Troy died April 7, 2006, at her home. A memorial service was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Christ Lutheran Church, 200 West Larch in Libby. A reception was to follow at the Elks Lodge in Libby. She was born April 2, 1923, in Kenmare, N.D., to Engvald Bernard Beck and Ella May Bennett. Marge was raised in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, before moving to Havre. She married Roy Higgins in 1938. They lived in Havre and Great Falls until 1946, when they moved to Bigfork. In 1978, they built a...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Claire Renee Gertson, 95, of Spokane, Wash., died Sunday, March 19, 2006, in Spokane. A funeral service was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Barker officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. She was born Claire Renee Brendgord on Dec. 18, 1910, in Havre. He was educated in Havre and graduated from Havre High School. She was a member of the Hillyard Senior Citizens Center and loved to play penny bingo. She also enjoyed international rummy and a...

Fredrick G. “Fred” Nimmick, 90, of Great Falls died on Monday, April 10, 2006, at his home due to natural causes. Visitation will be at Schnider Funeral Home on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. His funeral service will be at Peace Lutheran Church on Friday at 10 a.m., with Pastor Kent Stenzel officiating. Burial of ashes will be in Big Sandy Cemetery on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Fredrick Gust Nimmick was born Sept. 25, 1915, in Fingel, N.D., to Reihold and Anna (Schook) Nimmick. He was raised on a farm outside of Tower City, N...

HAYS - Marjorie Alice Mann, 54, died Monday, April 10, 2006, in Benefis Healthcare at Great Falls due to renal failure. A wake will begin at 5 p.m. today in the Red Whip Center with rosary at 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Red Whip Center with burial following at the Brown Family Cemetery near Three Buttes. Marjorie was born on Feb. 26, 1952, in Fort Belknap Agency to Frank and Edna (Brown) Mann. She was raised and attended schools in Havre. Marjorie lived in Havre before moving to Great Falls in...

Jennifer Marie Milam, 23, of Havre died Saturday, April 8, 2006, due to a four-wheeler accident in the Bear Paw Mountains. Cremation has taken place and her memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday at Fifth Avenue Christian Church with Pastor Rowlie Hutton officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the services. Burial will be held at a later time. Jennifer was born Aug. 19, 1982, in Scobey to Bruce and Louise (Perry) Siefert. She was raised in Chester and attended schools there. She moved...

Richard O. Greene, 76, died Saturday, April 8, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Cremation has taken place. A private burial will be held this week at Highland Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Richard was born Jan. 4, 1930, in Havre to Grant and Pauline Greene. He was raised and educated in Havre, graduating from Havre High School in May of 1948. Richard enlisted in the U.S. Army on Feb. 22, 1951, and served in Korea. He was honorably discharged in August 1956. He married...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Claire Renee Gertson, 95, of Spokane, Wash., died Sunday, March 19, 2006, in Spokane. A funeral service was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Barker officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. She was born Claire Renee Brendgord on Dec. 18, 1910, in Havre. She was educated in Havre and graduated from Havre High School. She was a member of the Hillyard Senior Citizens Center and loved to play penny bingo. She also enjoyed international rummy and...

ROCKY BOY - Pearl Jean Zumbaum, 57, of Rocky Boy and Havre, died Friday, April 7, 2006, at Benefis Health Care in Great Falls of cancer. Her memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Darlene Berger's residence in Rocky Boy with Pastor Marvin Russette officiating. Pearl was born Oct. 3, 1948, in Fort Belknap to Phillip Elkhead and Marion (Russette) Saddler. She was raised in Rocky Boy, attending grade school there. She also attended school in St. Pierre, S.D., and college in Mandan, N.D., and Northern Montana College...

SHELBY - Donald “Smitty” Howard Smith, 97, a World War II veteran and school custodian from Malta and formerly of Shelby, died Wednesday, April 5, 2006, at a Great Falls hospital due to natural causes. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Whitted Funeral Chapel in Shelby with burial to follow in Valley View Cemetery. Visitation is Tuesday from 1 to 8 p.m. He was born in Havre Nov. 16, 1908, where he grew up on the family farm north of town. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He m...

Raymond O. Tweeten, 81, of Havre died peacefully at his home in Havre on Saturday, April 1, 2006. His funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Lutheran Church in Havre, with graveside services with military honors to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Ray was born April 7, 1924, on the family farm near Ulen, Minn., son of Christian and Gina Braseth Tweiten. He learned the lessons of thrift, self-reliance, optimism and hard work that would serve him all his life growing up on the farm during the Depression of the...

WHITEFISH - Winifred “Winnie” Osburnsen, 87, died peacefully Tuesday, March 28, 2006, at her daughter and son-in-law's home in Whitefish. A celebration of Winnie's life will be held at Missoula First Presbyterian Church in late May. Winifred was born in Havre on Sept. 2, 1918, to Martha and Hiram Bickle. After graduating valedictorian from Havre High School, Winnie moved to Great Falls, where she met Laurence Osburnsen. They were married in Arkansas in 1942, while he was in the Army Air Corps. After his discharge, they m...

Jerry Hayes, 71, died Saturday, April 1, 2006, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls after battling an aggressive cancer that led to renal failure. Cremation has taken place and his memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Jude Catholic Church with Father Robert D. Grosch officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the St. Jude Parish Center immediately after the memorial service. Jerry was born June 30, 1934, in Chinook to Edwin and Thelma (Overcast) Hayes. He was raised and educated in Chinook and...

Raymond Charles Berg, 71, of Havre died Friday, March 31, 2006, at his home of natural causes. His prayer vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Jude Catholic Church with his funeral Mass 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Jude Catholic Church in Havre with Father Robert D. Grosch officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the St. Jude Parish Center immediately after the funeral Mass. Burial will be held at Cottonwood Cemetery north of Havre at 3 p.m. with military honors. Raymond was born Jan. 15, 1935 in Circle...