Obituaries

HARLEM - Leo “Baby Boy” Brockie Jr., whose Gros Ventre name Naw-Wos means “My Bear,” 68, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls of natural causes. A wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap Agency. A funeral Mass will be at held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Harlem High School gymnasium. Burial will follow in Fort Belknap Agency Cemetery. Leo was born Sept. 17, 1937, to Leo and Alma (Skinner) Brockie at Fort Belknap Agency. He was a 1955 graduate of Har...

HARLEM - Leo “Baby Boy” Brockie Jr., whose Gros Ventre name Naw-Wos means “My Bear,” 68, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls of natural causes. A wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap Agency. A funeral Mass will be at held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Harlem High School gymnasium. Burial will follow in Fort Belknap Agency Cemetery. Leo was born Sept. 17, 1937, to Leo and Alma (Skinner) Brockie at Fort Belknap Agency. He was a 1955 graduate of Har...

Clifford Lee Kinholt, 76, of Havre died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005, from complications likely due to asbestosis and lung disease. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating. A viewing will be held at the church beginning at 10 a.m. A luncheon will follow immediately after the service at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church. A private burial service will be held at Calvary Cemetery. Clifford was born March 30, 1929, in Havre to Emil and Jean Kinholt. He...

HARLEM - Leo “Baby Boy” Brockie Jr., whose Gros Ventre name Naw-Wos means “My Bear,” 68, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls of natural causes. A wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap Agency. A funeral Mass will be at held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Harlem High School gymnasium. Burial will follow in Fort Belknap Agency Cemetery. Leo was born Sept. 17, 1937, to Leo and Alma (Skinner) Brockie at Fort Belknap Agency. He was a 1955 graduate of Har...

Clifford Lee Kinholt, 76, of Havre died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005, from complications likely due to asbestosis and lung disease. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating. A viewing will be held at the church beginning at 10 a.m. A luncheon will follow immediately after the service at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church. A private burial service will be held at Calvary Cemetery. Clifford was born March 30, 1929, in Havre to Emil and Jean Kinholt. He...

HARLEM - Leo “Baby Boy” Brockie Jr., whose Gros Ventre name Naw-Wos means “My Bear,” 68, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls of natural causes. A wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap Agency. A funeral Mass will be at held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Harlem High School gymnasium. Burial will follow in Fort Belknap Agency Cemetery. Leo was born Sept. 17, 1937, to Leo and Alma (Skinner) Brockie at Fort Belknap Agency. He was a 1955 graduate of Har...

Clifford Lee Kinholt, 76, of Havre died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005, from complications likely due to asbestosis and lung disease. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating. A viewing will be held at the church beginning at 10 a.m. A luncheon will follow immediately after the service at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church. A private burial service will be held at Calvary Cemetery. Clifford was born March 30, 1929, in Havre to Emil and Jean Kinholt. He...

HARLEM - Leo “Baby Boy” Brockie Jr., whose Gros Ventre name Naw-Wos means “My Bear,” 68, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls of natural causes. A wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap Agency. A funeral Mass will be at held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Harlem High School gymnasium. Burial will follow in Fort Belknap Agency Cemetery. Leo was born Sept. 17, 1937, to Leo and Alma (Skinner) Brockie at Fort Belknap Agency. He was a 1955 graduate of Har...

BIG SANDY - Alvin F. Swanson, 88, of Big Sandy, died, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, at his home from natural causes. Visitation will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday at Benton Funeral Home and on Monday one hour prior to the services at the church. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Christ Lutheran Church in Big Sandy, with the Rev. Jeff Stoopes officiating. Burial will be in the Big Sandy Cemetery. He was born on the family farm on April 10, 1917, to Ferdinand and Alma (Blixt) Swanson. His mother died the foll...

MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Flora Catherine Gatzemeier, Sister M. Clara Ann, 85, of Mishawaka, Ind., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005, due to bile duct cancer. A Eucharistic funeral liturgy was held Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Angels Convent. She was buried in the convent cemetery. Flora was born to Edward and Anna Mae Gatzemeier of Rudyard on Dec. 16, 1919. The family did many things together, including working in the wheat fields and playing cards and other games. The family belonged to Our Lady of Ransom Church in Hingham. Flora...

MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Flora Catherine Gatzemeier, Sister M. Clara Ann, 85, of Mishawaka, Ind., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005, due to bile duct cancer. A Eucharistic funeral liturgy was held Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Angels Convent. She was buried in the convent cemetery. Flora was born to Edward and Anna Mae Gatzemeier of Rudyard on Dec. 16, 1919. The family did many things together, including working in the wheat fields and playing cards and other games. The family belonged to Our Lady of Ransom Church in Hingham. Flora...

MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Flora Catherine Gatzemeier, Sister M. Clara Ann, 85, of Mishawaka, Ind., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005, due to bile duct cancer. A Eucharistic funeral liturgy was held Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Angels Convent. She was buried in the convent cemetery. Flora was born to Edward and Anna Mae Gatzemeier of Rudyard on Dec. 16, 1919. The family did many things together, including working in the wheat fields and playing cards and other games. The family belonged to Our Lady of Ransom Church in Hingham. Flora...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Earl Lewis Stillar, 86, of Spokane, Wash., died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005, at Spokane. Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Riplinger Funeral Home. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Riplinger Funeral Home, 4305 N. Division in Spokane. Interment will follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace Cemetery in Spokane. Earl was born June 5, 1919, in Havre. He graduated from Havre High School in 1937. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a signalman. He was later employed at the Great...

HAYS - Virgil Furcy McConnell, 81, Tasi'na Tag'a in Assiniboine meaning “Big Blanket,” of Hays died of natural causes Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005, at his daughter's home in Hays. A wake and rosary were held Monday evening in the St. Paul's Mission Recreation center. A funeral mass was scheduled for 11 a.m. today in St. Paul's Mission Recreation Center with military honors burial in the Grade Cemetery. Virgil was born Nov. 28, 1924, at Fort Hall, Idaho, to Eunice Bartlett and Frank McConnell. He was adopted by Anson and M...

Lillian Mae (Clink) Owens, 89, of Rudyard died Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005, at Sweet Memorial Nursing Home in Chinook. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rudyard. A luncheon will follow. Lillian's ashes will be buried later this summer at the Highland Cemetery in Havre. Lillian was born Oct. 8, 1916, at Hingham to Elwin and Cassie (Geesy) Clink. Lillian grew up on the family farm in the Minneota community north of Rudyard. She received her early education at country schools, then g...

CHINOOK - John Thomas McMaster, 80, of Chinook died Tuesday Dec. 6, 2005, at Northern Montana Hospital after a long battle with cancer. A rosary and vigil service will be Friday at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church at 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church in Chinook. Burial will follow at Kuper Memorial Cemetery with military honors. A luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the graveside service. John was born in St. John, N.D., on June 6, 1925, to George and Bertha...

CHESTER - Dorothy May (Marshall) Stores, 86, of Chester died at the Chester rest home Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chester. Burial will follow at the Chester Cemetery. Dorothy was born May 2, 1919, at Great Falls to William and Sadie (Taplin) Marshall. Dorothy was raised on the family farm north of Chester and attended the Fairview and Laird country schools. In 1932, her family moved into Chester, where her father took a job with the city. Dorothy marr...

SKIDMORE, Mo. - Mary Lou (Reid) Hamon, 77, formerly of Great Falls and Whitewater, died Friday, Nov. 18, 2005, from complications of diabetes at a hospital in Maryville, Mo. A funeral service for Mary Lou was conducted at the Christian Church in Skidmore, Mo., on Nov. 23. Burial was at Hillcrest Cemetery in Skidmore. A memorial service for friends and family will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church, officiated by the Rev. Rowlie Hutton. Mary Lou was born May 13, 1928, in Chinook to James and Julia...

CHINOOK - Lucille Alice Finley, 95, of Billings died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005, of natural causes at a Billings care center. A funeral service will be held Friday at 1 p.m. in the Chinook United Methodist Church with burial following in Kuper Memorial Cemetery. She was born to Elard and Lucinda (Anderson) Phares in Chinook. She lived and worked in Chinook most of her life, moving to Great Falls and then to Billings in later years. She was preceded in death by her son Mack Savage. Survivors include her son, Mark Savage of...

Elena Marie (Guevara) Crilly, 49, of Helena and formerly of Havre, died Dec. 4, 2005, at St. Peter's Hospital. A service was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Helena Funeral Chapel. A second memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Fifth Avenue Christian Church. Elena was born in St. Albans, Vt., to Jose and Pat Guevara. She attended Carroll College and graduated from Northern Montana College with a nursing degree. She had worked as an RN, director of nursing in Northern Montana Hospital Emergency Room, Intensive Care...

GILDFORD - Willis Warren Cady, 87, of Gildford died peacefully Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 at Liberty County Hospital in Chester. Willis was born Aug. 30, 1918, at Havre to Harry and Rose (Vosen) Cady. Willis grew up on the family farm, which was located between Gildford an Kremlin. He received his formal education in both communities. Following his graduation from Gildford High School in 1936, he began his life as a full-time Montana farmer. Willis married Dorothy M. Blanchard on Oct. 16, 1941, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in...

AUBURN, Wash. - Havre native Estelle Beatrice (Kickbusch) Ward, 82, of Auburn, Wash., died Friday, Nov. 11, 2005, of natural causes at Auburn, Wash. Funeral services were conducted Nov. 18 at Hobart Community Church with burial in Maple Valley. Estelle was the second of identical twins born to August and Mildred Kickbusch on April 12, 1923, at Havre. She graduated from Havre High School in 1941, with her twin, Eleanor, and sister, Wilma, and worked as a waitress at Danny's Cafe in Havre. During World War II, Estelle was...

HAMLTON - Thelma Mae (Jenison) Johnstone, 76, of Hamilton and formerly of Havre, died Friday, Dec. 2, 2005, at her home in Hamilton. Viewing will be held at the Daly-Leach Chapel today from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church in Hamilton with the Rev. Janet Malone officiating. Thelma was born Jan. 28, 1929, in Des Moines, Iowa. Thelma graduated in 1946 from the Boyden High School. On Aug. 2, 1946, Thelma married Arthur H. Johnstone at the Little Brown Church in the...

EUGENE, Ore. - Patricia (Pat) Konopatzke, 78, of Eugene, Ore., and formerly of Havre, died Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005, at OHSU in Portland, Ore., surrounded by her children and grandchildren after a brave fight against ovarian cancer. A memorial service was held Nov. 20 at Bethesda Lutheran in Eugene with inurnment of ashes at the Veteran's Cemetery in Portland on Nov. 21. Pat was born in South Shields, England, on Oct. 13, 1927. Her dad died when she was 4 years old. When World War II broke out, Pat's mom moved her to London,...

GREAT FALLS - Robert W. Syth, 82, of Great Falls died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005, at Northern Montana Hospital of congestive heart failure. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Croxford Rose Room in Great Falls, with burial in Highland Cemetery. Robert was born June 24, 1923, to Guy and Edith Syth in Warner, N.D. He was raised in Malta and graduated from Malta High School. He attended welding school in Butte and worked in the shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. He joined the Army in 1944 and returned to Montana upon...