Obituaries

FORT BENTON - Mildred V. (Ojala) Lidstone, 92, of Big Sandy died Thursday, May 27, 2004, at a Fort Benton medical center of natural causes. A memorial service will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Christ Lutheran Church with the Rev. Jeff Stoopes officiating. Burial will be in the Big Sandy Cemetery. Mildred was born at Kenilworth to Joseph and Agnus (Orr) Drew on April 1, 1912. She graduated from the Big Sandy High School and Northern Montana College in Havre. Mildred married William "Bill" Ojala in June 1935 and from this...

ROCKY BOY - Robert C. Geboe, 67, whose Indian name Hebas means Beaver, died Thursday, May 27, 2004, at a Havre hospital after a battle with cancer. A wake service began Thursday night at Rocky Boy Catholic Church. A rosary will be held at 7 p.m. today at Rocky Boy Catholic Church with a funeral service beginning 10 a.m. Saturday, also at the Rocky Boy Catholic Church. Burial will follow at the Parker Canyon Family Cemetery at Rocky Boy. Robert was born April 30, 1937, to Robert C. and Emily (White Plume) in Riverton, Wyo. He...

Dorothy Theresa "Dottie" Baker, 74, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 26, 2004, at a Big Sandy medical center. A liturgy of the Resurrection at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church will be in Butte on Tuesday at 10 a.m., officiated by the Rev. Edward Courtney. Visitation will be at 9 a.m. at the church. The Rev. Peter Guthneck will offer a memorial Mass at the St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Big Sandy on Wednesday at 11 a.m., with burial to follow in the Holy Cross Cemetery at her parents' gravesite. Dorothy was born...

CHESTER - The Rev. Alfred Joseph Morrison, 95, died Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at a Great Falls medical center. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chester Assembly of God Church with the Rev. Todd Lanman officiating. A luncheon will follow. A funeral service will be held at the Assembly of God Church in Blue Springs, Mo., at 2 p.m. next Thursday with the Rev. John Martz officiating. Burial will be in the family plot at the Lobb Cemetery near Independence, Mo. A luncheon will follow. Alfred was born on Oct....

BIG SANDY - Helen Sadie Barnes, 91, died Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at a Big Sandy nursing home of natural causes. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. today at the United Methodist Church in Big Sandy with the Rev. Marvin Eldridge officiating. A private family interment will be held at a later time. Helen was born on Aug. 31, 1912, to Thomas Aquinas and Grace E. (Beedy) Denley in Box Elder. Her family moved back to Minnesota when she was a young girl. She graduated from high school in Minnesota. She attended college for a...

HARLEM - Ray Williams, 72, died Sunday, May 23, 2004, at his home in Harlem due to natural causes. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in the New Horizon Day Center in Joliet. Burial will be in the Joliet Cemetery at 4:30 p.m. Ray was born on Aug. 23, 1931, in Boyd to John and Ann Williams. Ray was raised in Joliet until 1937 and then moved to Boulder due to health problems. He came to Harlem in 1978 and was a member of the activity center. Ray enjoyed doing woodwork, bowling, playing cards and listening to...

NASHVILLE - The Rev. Donna Lou Van Buren, 69, a missionary with the United Methodist Church, died at a hospital in the Philippines on Sunday, May 9, 2004, after a long illness. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Scarritt-Bennett Center's Wightman Chapel in Nashville. A reception will follow immediately after the service. Donna Lou was born in Olympia, Wash., on May 21, 1934, to the Rev. Harold and Dorothy Nelson. The family moved to Chinook in 1945. She attended school in Chinook and Havre and graduated f...

NASHVILLE - The Rev. Donna Lou Van Buren, 69, a missionary with the United Methodist Church, died at a hospital in the Philippines on Sunday, May 9, 2004, after a long illness. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Scarritt-Bennett Center's Wightman Chapel in Nashville. A reception will follow immediately after the service. Donna Lou was born in Olympia, Wash., on May 21, 1934, to the Rev. Harold and Dorothy Nelson. The family moved to Chinook in 1945. She attended school in Chinook and Havre and graduated...

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho - Jeanette (Grandma Cookie) Sanderson, 85, of Soda Springs, Idaho, and formerly of Havre, died Wednesday, May 12, 2004, of complications related to a hip fracture. In keeping with her wishes, immediate cremation was completed and a family memorial service is being planned. She was born on April 1, 1919, to Henry Hebert and Alice Bouchard Hebert on Fox Creek near Savage. Since her parents had recently immigrated from Ontario and Quebec, Jeanette started school without knowing English. Her quick reflexes...

CLINTON - Matthew Paul Kuhr, 25, died Friday, May 21, 2004, at his home in Clinton. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Community Activity Building at the Hill County fairgrounds in Havre. Matthew was born on July 8, 1978, to Pamela Sue and Peter Jurgen Kuhr in Havre. He grew up on the Squaw Butte Ranch south of Havre. He graduated from Havre High School in 1996. He then went to college at Montana State University-Northern. He graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in design drafting in 2000....

Percy P. Hobbs, 101, former mechanic and farmer, died Sunday, May 23, 2004, at a Havre care center of natural causes. Cremation has taken place. His graveside service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at the Calvary Cemetery in Havre. Percy was born on May 22, 1903, in the Bear Paw Mountains south of Havre to Augustus William and Mary Louise (Griffin) Hobbs. Percy grew up in the Bear Paw Mountains and worked on various ranches and farms in the area. In later years he went to Seattle, Wash., where he worked in the lumber industry...

CHINOOK - Rickie Lee Zarn, 45, of Chinook died at his home on Saturday, May 15, 2004. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the Zion Lutheran Church in Chinook. Burial will follow in the Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Rick was born Feb. 17, 1959 to Elmer and Aileen (Gorman) Zarn in Havre. Rick married Tammey Nix on Oct. 10, 1999, in Chinook. Rick loved hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family and friends. Rick was preceded in death by his father, Elmer M. Zarn; two infant children; and an infant brother....

Graveside services will be held for Ethel B. Lund, 81, at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Hill County Cemetery. Lund died Jan. 11 of a stroke at Kalispell. Friends are invited to attend. A reception will follow at the St. Jude Parish Center....

BUTTE - Bonita "Bonnie" Marie Covington, 77, died Monday, May 17, 2004, at a Butte nursing home following a 17-year battle with cancer. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Butte with the Rev. Esther Angel officiating. Bonnie was born on May 3, 1927, at Iowa City, Iowa, to Dr. Louis R. and Florence Ann (Peeber) Kilzer. She graduated from Laramie High School in Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1947 with a bachelor's...

CHINOOK - Rickie Lee Zarn, 45, of Chinook died at his home on Saturday, May 15, 2004. A funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday in the Zion Lutheran Church of Chinook. Burial will follow in the Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Rick was born Feb. 17, 1959 to Elmer and Aileen (Deanie) Zarn in Havre. Rick married Tammey Nix on Oct. 10, 1999, in Chinook. Rick loved hunting, fishing, and spend- ing time with his family and friends. Rick was proceded in death by his father, Elmer M. Zarn, and an infant brother. Survivors include his...

CHINOOK - Katherine Jean Vitagliano-Haider, 43, died on Thursday, April 29, 2004, at her home in Rock River, Wyo., from complications with a pregnancy. A graveside service was held on May 10 at 11 a.m. in the Kuper Memorial Cemetery at Chinook. Kathy was born on Aug. 10, 1960, in Mountain Home, Idaho, to Joseph Haider and Jean Kennedy. Throughout her life, Kathy traveled to many places and saw many things. She loved to watch the sunsets at night, observe nature, visit the mountains and enjoyed the outdoors. Most of all, she l...

LODGE POLE - Gilbert C. Cliff, 68, died Friday, May 14, 2004, at a Havre hospital of natural causes. A wake service was held late Monday afternoon at the Medicine Bear Lodge in Lodge Pole. A funeral was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Medicine Bear Lodge with burial to follow at the Healy Family Cemetery in Lodge Pole. Gilbert was born on Jan. 9, 1936, at Fort Belknap to Thomas and Olivia (Healy) Cliff. He attended grade school at Lodge Pole and one year at a Pierre, S.D., boarding school. He was a lifelong resident of the Lod...

GREAT FALLS - Albina M. "Alvina" O'Loughlin, 90, died of natural causes Tuesday, May 12, 2004, at a Great Falls hospice. A vigil service was held Thursday evening and a funeral liturgy was held Friday morning. Burial was in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Albina was born on Feb. 28, 1914, at Savoy. She was educated at Savoy and Havre. She graduated from Havre High School and the College of St. Benedict in Collegeville, Minn. She married Mark P. O'Loughlin on June 7, 1941 in Harlem. She taught at Lima High School and Harlem High...

GLASGOW/GREAT FALLS - Clara Josephine Lamphier, 90, of Great Falls, a former Valley County Treasurer and farm wife, died Wednesday, May 13, 2004, at a Great Falls hospice of natural causes. Visitation was scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. today at Schnider Funeral Home at 1510 13th St. S. in Great Falls. The vigil service will be 7 p.m. today at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial. The funeral service will be at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The burial service will be conducted at the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow at 1 p.m....

CHESTER - Edward V. "Eddie" Jensen, 81, former Chester-area farmer and World War II Marine Corps veteran and Silver Star recipient, died Jan. 8, 2004, of cancer in Kalispell, where he had lived for the past 40 years. Committal services and burial of ashes will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Chester Catholic Cemetery. The graveside rites will also include a traditional veteran ceremony to commemorate his military years. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Beth (Hanson) Jensen of Kalispell; daughters, Arlene McFarland of...

Delores A. Dolph 76, of Havre died Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at home with her family and friends. Her funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the St. Jude Catholic Church with the Rev. Robert D. Grosch officiating. Burial will follow at the Highland Cemetery. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the Vets Club immediately after the service at the graveside. Delores Alberta Gross was born on on Aug. 17, 1927, to Hugh Carroll and Olga (Swenson) Gross at her grandparents' home in Fairview, N.D. Delores attended school...

Pauline LaMere Terbovitz, 69, died at her home in Havre on Saturday, May 8, 2004, of natural causes. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with cremation following services. Pauline was born on July 28, 1934, to John and Susie (Sangray) LaMere of Chinook. She attended schools in Dodson and Chinook. In 1952, Pauline married Bob Gowan of Havre and they had five children. They lived in Havre and Albuquerque, N.M., before Bob's death in 1960. She married John Griffin of Chinook in 1969...

LOMA - Carol L. Diacon, 68, of Loma died Monday, May 10, 2004, at her daughter's home in Great Falls of natural causes. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Benton Funeral Home and one hour prior to the funeral service. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at United Methodist Church in Fort Benton with the Rev. Randy Ludeman officiating. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery at Fort Benton. Carol was born on Feb. 22, 1936, at Fort Benton to Howard and Pearl (Rust) Ludeman. She grew up on the...

CHINOOK - Katherine Jean Vitagliano-Haider, 43, died at her home in Rock River, Wyo., on Thursday, April 29, 2004, from complications of a pregnancy. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in Kuper Memorial Cemetery at Chinook. Kathy was born on Aug. 10, 1960, at Mountain Home, Idaho, to Joseph Haider and Jean Kennedy....

HARLEM - Charles H. Gilbert, 95, a longtime farmer and trapper of Blaine County, died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at a Havre hospital due to natural causes. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial following in Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Charles was born on Feb. 12, 1909, in Parks, Neb., to Millard and Emma (Talmon) Gilbert. He attended schools in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Charlo, Montana. He moved to Chinook when the beet factory was built. Charles married Rose...