Obituaries

RUDYARD - Ben Alfred Bradbury Jr., 66, died peacefully in his sleep at his home on Monday, May 26, 2003. It was Ben's wish to be cremated without fanfare. In remembrance of his life, the family has planned a small gathering from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the home of Alfred Bradbury, 717 17th St. in Havre. Ben was born in Havre to Beulah Wilcox and Ben Bradbury Sr. on Dec. 19, 1936. He received his formal education there and graduated from Rudyard High School in 1955. In the few years that followed, he worked on the family... Full story

MISSOULA - Vivian V. (Johnson) Van Dusen, 75, died May 20, 2003, after a lengthy illness at her home in Hunter's Glen, surrounded by her family. There will be no services at her request. Vivian was born in Hood River, Ore., to Bert and Juanita Van Cise on Oct. 26, 1927. She was raised from an early age by Howard and Juanita Davis in the Longview/Kelso, Wash., area. Vivian married George Johnson and they moved to Havre, where they raised their three children. After 27 years of marriage, she divorced George and returned to...

LIBBY - Pauline Schrade, 90, died Friday, May 23, 2003, at a Libby hospital. A service will be held at a 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John Lutheran Church with the Rev. Eric Christiansen officiating. An interment service will follow in the City of Libby Cemetery. Visitation was scheduled for this afternoon and evening at Nelson and Vial Funeral Home. Pauline was born at Grotzingen, Germany, on Sept. 4, 1912, and raised and educated there. She married David Schrade on Feb. 8, 1937, at Grotzingen in the same church where she was... Full story

Grace Montana Sherry Bogut, 88, of Havre died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, May 20, 2003, due to natural causes. A prayer vigil service was scheduled for Monday evening at the Holland and Bonine Funeral Home. A funeral Mass was 10 a.m. today at the St. Jude Catholic Church with the Rev. Bob Erickson officiating. Burial was to follow at the Calvary Cemetery in Havre. A luncheon was planned at the St. Jude Parish Center immediately following the graveside services. Grace was born on Dec. 4, 1914, to Frank J. and Amanda E....

FORT BELKNAP - Katherine Alice First Raised Windy Boy, her Indian name was Wamni Hoda Wia (Grey Eagle Woman), 74, died Thursday morning May 22, 2003 at a Havre Care Center of natural causes. Wake services began at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Rocky Boy Lutheran Church and a wake will begin at 3 p.m. today at the Red Whip Center in Fort Belknap, with the funeral service beginning 9 a.m. Saturday at the Pony Hill Catholic Church with John Sunchild officiating. Burial will be held at the Pony Hill Cemetery on U.S. Highway 2. Katherine... Full story

CHINOOK - Eric Peter Hansen, 26, died unexpectedly on May 15, 2003, at his residence in Glendale, Ariz. due to complications of diabetes. Funeral services will be Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the Chinook American Lutheran Church with burial following in the Harlem Cemetery. Eric was born in Havre to Kurt and the late Adele (Hedstrom) Hansen on April 4, 1977. He attended elementary school in Harlem, junior high in Chinook, and graduated from Chinook High School in 1995. He attended Montana State University-Northern in Havre and...

SPOKANE, Wash. - Justus E. Anderson Sr., of Spokane, Wash., died Saturday, May 17, 2003, at his home. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Funeral Home, 508 N. Government Way, in Spokane. Interment will be held at Greenwood Memorial Terrace. He was born on Oct. 19, 1927, in Havre to Justus and Agnes Anderson. He graduated from Havre High School and attended Northern Montana College. He entered the U.S. Army in 1952 and later attained the rank of sergeant. He served in Korea where he earned the Korean...

GLASGOW - Cecil Dykstra, 74, died May 17, 2003, at a Glasgow hospital of natural causes. A funeral service was May 19 at the First United Methodist Church in Glasgow, with the Rev. David Hodsdon officiating. Burial was in the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow. Cecil was born in Glasgow to Cecil Dowa and Reba Crouch Dykstra on Oct. 1, 1928. He attended 12 years of school at the old Glasgow High School. He served in the 101st Airborne Army Paratroop Battalion and played trombone in the U.S. Army band stationed in Fort Bennings, Ga....

ROCKY BOY - Truman Joseph Collins, 65, died Thursday, May 15, 2003, of natural causes in his home. A rosary and wake service was held Tuesday evening at the St. Mary's Catholic Church at Rocky Boy. A funeral Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the St. Mary's Catholic Church with a committal rite to follow the Mass at the Rocky Boy Cemetery. Truman was born Sept. 18, 1937, in Browning to Jess and Adeline Collins Sr. He spent his childhood in and around Rocky Boy and Browning where he attended school. He also attended...

Erin Kay Lewis, 26, died May 18, 2003, from injuries sustained in an accident at her Havre residence. Rosary will be held today at 7 p.m. at the St. Paul's Mission Recreation Center in Hays. Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. on Thursday at the St. Paul's Catholic Church in Hays with burial to follow in the family cemetery at Three Buttes. Erin was born in Havre on Sept. 18, 1976. She attended Hays/Lodge Pole grade school, Harlem Junior High and Wahpeton Boarding School where she graduated from 8th-grade. She attended Flandreau... Full story

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Vernon "Lee" Holler II, 31, died unexpectedly on May 16, 2003, in Sacramento, Calif. A memorial service was held May 18 at the Chapel 1 at Travis Air Force Base in California. Lee was born June 30, 1971, in Livingston. Lee graduated from Park County High School in Livingston in 1989. He enlisted in the Air Force in July 1989 and received training as a Pneudraulics Systems mechanic, which sent him to many parts of the world. Before his death, he worked as a Civil Service employee for the DOD at Travis Air...

Amelia Marie Foster, a resident of Newberry Springs, Calif., for 26 years, died May 8, 2003. Services were held May 13 at 3 p.m. at the Mead Mortuary Chapel. Amelia was born on Oct. 20, 1933, in Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was a homemaker all her life. Amelia married Duane Foster on May 18, 1959, in Las Vegas, Nev. Amelia was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Foster; and a daughter, Christina Foster. Survivors include her sons, Tom (Jacque) Foster of Fairhaven, Mass., Mike Foster of Derwood, Md., Jim Foster of...

GLASGOW - Cecil Dykstra, 74, died May 17, 2003, at a Glasgow hospital of natural causes. A funeral service was May 19 at the First United Methodist Church in Glasgow, with the Rev. David Hodsdon officiating. Burial was in the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow. Cecil was born in Glasgow to Cecil Dowa and Reba Crouch Dykstra on Oct. 1, 1928. He attended 12 years of school at the old Glasgow High School. He served in the 101st Airborne Army Paratroop Battalion and played trombone in the U.S. Army band stationed in Fort Bennings, Ga.... Full story

William P. Wagner, 77, of Havre, who was a parts manager at Eaves Equipment and Big Bud/Meissner Tractor, died May 15, 2003, at a Havre hospital. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Monday at the St. Jude's Catholic Church, with graveside services to follow at the Highland Cemetery. William was born in Carrington, N.D., to William P. Wagner and Ethel Mathews on Sept. 19, 1925. He graduated from Dakota Business College in Fargo, N.D. William married Irene Sondag on Sept. 25, 1950, in Sykeston, N.D. In 1954, they moved to...

Joshua Dale Gormley, 17, died April 24, 2003. Funeral services were May 1 at the Olinger Chapel at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Joshua was born Feb. 4, 1986, in Wolf Point to Keriba Jean Gormley. When Joshua was three years old, he loved to go with his grandmother Patty and family to the Optimist Park in Highland Park. A beautiful tree will be planted in the Optimist Park the end of this month with a plaque dedicating this tree to him. Joshua liked baseball hats, sandals and beaded necklaces. He loved to...

Amelia Marie Foster, a resident of Newberry Springs, Calif., for 26 years, died May 8, 2003. Services were held May 13 at 3 p.m. at the Mead Mortuary Chapel. Amelia was born on Oct. 20, 1933, in Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico. She was a homemaker all her life. Amelia married Duane Foster on May 18, 1959, in Las Vegas, Nev. Amelia was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Foster; and a daughter, Christina Foster. Survivors include her sons, Tom (Jacque) Foster of Fairhaven, Mass., Mike Foster of Derwood, Md., Jim Foster of...

Becky Lynn Buerkle, 32, died from cancer in Havre on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, while surrounded by those who loved her. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Highland Cemetery. All of her family and friends are invited to attend. A fellowship will follow at the Vets Club. Becky was born in Great Falls on Aug. 8, 1970, to Helen (Adams) and Bernie Sterner. She attended schools in Cascade, Rudyard and Havre. Her daughter, Mandy Fialkosky, was born Nov. 12, 1985. She married Bill Buerkle in Havre on April 16,...

FORT BELKNAP - Agnes E. "Ippy" Laurence, 47, died Thursday, May 8, 2003, at a Great Falls hospital due to respiratory failure. A funeral service was scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the Red Whip Recreation Center with burial following in Pony Hill Cemetery. A wake service was held Sunday evening in the Red Whip Center. Ippy was raised by her late grandparents, Millard and Rose Weasel. She understood the Assiniboine language fluently, since her grandmother did not speak English. Ippy attended schools at Fort Belknap and in Oklaho...

KALISPELL - Kathleen M. "Kathy" Krantz, 75, of Kalispell died Thursday, May 8, 2003, at Kalispell. She requested that there be no services after cremation. Kathy was born to Donald and Claire Tennant on July 27, 1927, in Duluth, Minn. She was raised in the Twin Cities and enjoyed her childhood summers visiting the family farm in Aiken, Minn. Her father was a blacksmith with the Great Northern Railway and transferred to Havre in 1946. Kathy was a skilled seamstress with Buttrey's in Havre and also lived and worked in Great...

INVERNESS - James McMillan "Jim" Fraser, 72, died on Saturday, May 10, 2003, at a Great Falls medical center of cancer. Vigil prayers will be Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Inverness. Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. on Friday at the church, with burial following at the Inverness Cemetery. Jim was born on the family farm at Cascade to Donald and Theresa (Borys) Fraser on Aug. 14, 1930. At age 9, his family moved to a farm south of Inverness. He attended country schools through seventh grade, then...

JOPLIN - Carl Eugene "Gene" Bjornstad, 78, of Joplin died peacefully in his sleep at home on May 10, 2003. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the Chester Alliance Church, followed by a reception. Burial of ashes will be at 4:30 p.m. at the Joplin Cemetery. Gene was born in Havre as the only child of Carl and Ida Mae (Young) Bjornstad on Jan. 17, 1925. Gene grew up on the family homestead 25 miles north of Joplin. He received his early education at the Tingdahl School near the farm. He completed his schooling...

RUDYARD/PHOENIX, Ariz. - Roger Russell Solum, 41, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Thursday, May 8, 2003, at a Phoenix hospital from complications from hepatitis and kidney failure. A funeral service was held today in Phoenix. A local service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Calvary Evangelical Church in Rudyard with burial to follow at the Rudyard Cemetery. Russ was born on April 4, 1962, to Orville and Mary Ellen (Patrick) Solum at Chester. He grew up on the family farm and received his education in Rudyard. He graduated from...

William N. "Smitty" Smith, 83, died Wednesday, May 7, 2003, at a Great Falls hospital from cancer. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church with the Rev. David Carter officiating. Following the memorial service is a full mili- tary honor and Masonic funeral at Highland Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the VFW Club. Shriners are asked to wear fez at the service Smitty was born April 21, 1920, to Les and Mae Smith in Rumsey, Ky. He came to Montana at the age of 16 after joining the... Full story

BILLINGS - Kenneth Charles Scharfe, 82, of Billings, formerly of Havre, died peacefully on Friday, May 9, 2003, after a long battle with cancer. A funeral service will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1108 West 24th St., in Billings with the Rev. Carol Marhol officiating. A committal service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Highland Cemetery in Havre with the Rev. Brad Ulgeness officiating. Kenneth was born in Laredo on June 13, 1920, to Otto and Bessie Scharfe. They moved to...

FORT BELKNAP - Agnes E. "Ippy" Laurence, 47, died Thursday, May 8, 2003, at a Great Falls hospital due to respiratory failure. A funeral service was scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the Red Whip Recreation Center with burial following in Pony Hill Cemetery. A wake service was held Sunday evening in the Red Whip Center. Ippy was raised by her late grandparents, Millard and Rose Weasel. She understood the Assiniboine language fluently, since her grandmother did not speak English. Ippy attended schools at Fort Belknap and in Oklaho...