Obituaries

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...

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...

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.D....

Winnifred Virginia Borchers, 87, died Tuesday, April 18, 2006, at Northern Montana Care Center of natural causes. Her funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel with Pastor Tim Zerger officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Winnifred was born Feb. 5, 1919, in Grand Forks, N.D. On July 14, 1947, she married Gordon L. Borchers in Missoula. They had two children. She moved with her husband to Havre in 1956. She was very active for many years in her church and supported...

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...

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...

KILA - Audie “Jr.” Hood, 48, of Kila died at a his home Sunday, April 9, 2006. A memorial service for Jr. will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home in Kalispell. Jr. was born Oct. 26, 1957, in Shelby to Luci Sorkness and Audie Hood. He attended school in Harlem. Jr. was a logger by trade and a musician at heart. He loved to laugh and make those around him laugh. He was a great joke teller. Jr. married Rhonda Guy at Woodland Park in Kalispell in 1993. Jr. was preceded in death by his parents and a b...

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...

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...

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...

CASPER, Wyo. - Beatrice D. (Watson) Cioc, 79, died March 27, 2006, at her home. A memorial service was held April 4 at First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. She was born Nov. 1, 1926, in Eureka, to Harry (Red) Watson and Myrtle Watson. She was raised and educated in Havre. On Feb. 20, 1948, she married Charles J. Cioc. They moved to Casper, Wyo., in 1956. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and one step-grandson. Survivors include her children, Kristen Zerizef of Casper, Lisa (Ray) Corbitt of Miller,...

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...

ROCKY BOY - Gene Arthur Russette, 69, of Rocky Boy died Sunday, April 9, 2006, at the Big Sandy Nursing Home of heart problems. His wake service will begin today at the Rocky Boy Lutheran Church with his funeral service at 10 a.m. Tuesday, also at the Rocky Boy Lutheran Church with Father Pete Guthneck and Pastor Arden Barden officiating. Burial will follow at the Russette Family Cemetery. Gene was born Jan. 3, 1937, in Rocky Boy to Mike and Helen (Champagne) Russette. He was raised in Rocky Boy and attended schools there and...

ROSEVILLE, Minn. - Albert Gale Linebarger, 79, of Roseville, Minn., died Saturday, March 25, 2006. A funeral service was held March 31 at North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville. Albert was born May 7, 1926, in Havre. He graduated in business from the University of Montana. He worked at Western Life Insurance in Helena as an underwriter and moved to Roseville in 1960 as the company merged with the St. Paul Co. He served as president of the Twin Cities Home Office Underwriters Association and was on the board of directors...

Marvin Jerome Gunnarson, 75, of Havre died Saturday, April 8, 2006, at his home in Havre. Marvin was born July 12, 1930, in Grafton, N.D. Marvin married Marilyn Joyce Hoag on June 13, 1955, in Moorhead, Minn. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Central Bible Institute, a bachelor of science degree from Moorhead State University, and a master of science degree from Texas A&M. He retired from teaching in Havre. Marvin contributed to the Hi-line community through annual youth retreats, the Resting Place at the Great Norther...

GREAT FALLS - Robert “Bob” Eugene Gillet, 82, of Great Falls died Friday, April 7, 2006, of natural causes in a Great Falls hospital. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Lutheran Church, with burial with military in Highland Cemetery in Great Falls. Bob was born Nov. 22, 1923, in his parents vehicle on the way to a Havre hospital. He was raised and educated in Gildford. He moved to Kalispell in 1941 and then began his career with the U.S. Army as a sharp shooter and cryptographic technician d...

ROCKY BOY - Donna Lee Arkinson, 56, died Friday, March 31, 2006, at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, Okla., of cancer. Her wake service began Wednesday evening with her funeral service scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Rocky Boy with Pastor Arden Barden officiating. Burial was to follow at Rocky Boy Cemetery. Donna was born March 30, 1950, in Browning to Edward and Cora (Bullchild) Arkinson. At 19, Donna gave birth to her first son Joseph Derek “Scout” Moran, who was adopted and raise...

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...

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Charles “Chuck” Donald Beston, 69, died on Monday, March 17, 2006, after a battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. in the American Legion Hall at 1101 Craig Ave. in Ellensburg, Wash. Chuck was born June 10, 1936, in Belcourt, N.D., and grew up in Harlem and Havre, the oldest of 10 children. He served as an Army cook during the Korean War. He maintained his love for cooking throughout his life and enjoyed the pleasure of sharing his talent with others. Although he e...

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...

Laura Aageson, 86, of Havre died Thursday, March 30, 2006, at Northern Montana Hospital of natural causes. Viewing was held at Holland & Bonine Funeral Home on Sunday evening for family and friends. A graveside service was scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Highland Cemetery, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church with the Revs. Brad Ulgenes and Michael O'Hearn officiating. A luncheon was to follow the service at the church. Laura was born Oct. 25, 1919, in Gildford to Lydia and Henry Miller. Laura...