Obituaries

FORT BENTON - Joseph Peter Jordan, 84, a former Fort Benton mayor, died of natural causes Tuesday, June 3, 2003, at a Great Falls hospice. A vigil service will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Benton. A funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the church with burial in Riverside Cemetery. A lunch in the church basement will follow the burial. Joe was born on Jan. 3, 1919, on the family farm in Hettinger County, N.D., to Juliana Stein and Peter Jordan. He attended country school until eighth grade and...

GILBERT, Ariz. - Laurel Ann Holloway, 72, of Gilbert, Ariz., died May 25, 2003. A memorial for family and friends is planned for late June. Laurel was born on Aug. 22, 1930, at Rudyard to Ralph and Lottie Koefod. She attended Montana State University and was a member of Delta Gamma sorority. She married Frank Holloway in 1950. Her family will miss her warm sense of humor and strong will. Laurel is survived by he sister, Kathleen Van Luchene of Mesa, Ariz.; daughters, Pamel Holloway of Estes Park, Utah, and Wendy Lambros of...

FORT BELKNAP AGENCY - A wake service for Frances White of Fort Belknap Agency will start at 7 p.m. today at her home. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the White Cemetery at Three Buttes. A full obituary will follow....

CHESTER - Mina May Thielman, 96, died peacefully in her sleep on Monday, June 2, 2003. A funeral service will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Chester with burial following at the Chester Cemetery. Mina was born in Mildred, Minn., to Claude and Ella Mae (Porter) Ames on May 23, 1907. When Mina was a child, her family moved to Hannah, Alberta, Canada, and she began her early education there. When she was 10, the family moved to Lothair, where her father operated a livery stable. She continued her...

Ruth Mildred Statelen, 77, a Havre resident, died Sunday, June 1, 2003, at a Lewistown medical center. Funeral services will be on Friday at 11 a.m. at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church with the Rev. Rowlie Hutton officiating. A luncheon will be served following the services and burial will follow at the Wing Cemetery. Ruth was born in Turner to William and Hazel Hutton on April 14, 1926. Ruth married Albert Orville Statelen on Aug. 7, 1942, and they enjoyed 60 years together. She worked hand in hand with her husband on the...

CHINOOK - Carroll Ray Rudolph, 79, died Sunday, June 1, 2003, at a Chinook nursing home due to natural causes. A funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday in the American Lutheran Church with burial in the Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Carroll was born in Chester on Oct. 10, 1923, to Ray and Hazel (Ray) Rudolph. He was raised in Joplin and graduated from Joplin High School in 1943. He attended college at Northern Montana College in Havre for two years. Carroll was a farmer and rancher all of his life. He and his brother Donald had R...

CONRAD - Daniel J. Schaub, 67, former Havre resident, died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, in Conrad of natural causes. A service was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Pondera Funeral Home in Conrad, followed by graveside service at the Hillside Cemetery. He was born in 1935 in Belle Fourche, S.D. He attended school in Fairview. He married Edna DeBoer in Great Falls in 1967. He worked as a brakeman for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Havre. Survivors include his wife, Edna of Conrad; sons, Gary and Dennis Schaub of Havre...

HARLEM - Joshua Thomas Raven Chief (Kuxi Hunpa) Rutherford, 28, a Blaine County deputy sheriff, died on Thursday, May 29, 2003, after responding to a domestic disturbance. A wake and rosary was Sunday at the Fort Belknap Agency in the Red Whip Recreation Center. A funeral Mass was this morning at the Harlem High School gymnasium with the Rev. Joseph Retzel, S.J., officiating. Joshua was born on Aug. 16, 1974, in Denver, Colo. He was educated at Edgewater Elementary School, Wheat Ridge Junior High School and Harlem High...

CHINOOK - Carroll Ray Rudolph, 79, died Sunday, June 1, 2003, at a Chinook nursing home due to natural causes. A funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday in the American Lutheran Church with burial in the Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Carroll was born in Chester on Oct. 10, 1923, to Ray and Hazel (Ray) Rudolph. He was raised in Joplin and graduated from Joplin High School in 1943. He attended college at Northern Montana College in Havre for two years. Carroll was a farmer and rancher all of his life. He and his brother Donald had R...

Howard Glenn Olson, 79, retired railroader, died Friday, May 30, 2003, at a Great Falls Hospital of natural causes. A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the First Lutheran Church in Havre with the Revs. Catherine Card and Brad Ulgenes officiating. The committal service will be held at the Highland Cemetery in Havre following the funeral services. There will be a fellowship reception at the church following the committal rite. Howard was born March 9, 1924, to Halvor and Gunda (Aamot) Olson in Havre. He was raised and...

BOX ELDER - Charles Norman Swan, 84, retired farmer and machinist for Burlington Northern Railway, died Sunday, June 1, 2003, at a Havre care facility of natural causes. The wake will begin 4 p.m. today at the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Box Elder with the rosary service at 7:30 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated 10 a.m. Tuesday with the Rev. Pete Guthneck officiating. The committal rite will be at the Highland Cemetery with Father Pete Guthneck officiating. The Unified Veterans Council assisted by The Rocky Boy Warr...

CONRAD - Daniel J. Schaub, 67, former Havre resident, died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, in Conrad of natural causes. A service was scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Pondera Funeral Home in Conrad, followed by graveside service at the Hillside Cemetery. He was born in 1935 in Belle Fourche, S.D. He attended school in Fairview. He married Edna DeBoer in Great Falls in 1967. He worked as a brakeman for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Havre. Survivors include his wife, Edna of Conrad; sons, Gary and Dennis Schaub of Havre...

HARLEM - Joshua Thomas Raven Chief (Kuxi Hunpa) Rutherford, 28, a Blaine County deputy sheriff, died on Thursday, May 29, 2003, after responding to a domestic disturbance. A wake and rosary was Sunday at the Fort Belknap Agency in the Red Whip Recreation Center. A funeral Mass was this morning at the Harlem High School gymnasium with the Rev. Joseph Retzel, S.J., officiating. Joshua was born on Aug. 16, 1974, in Denver, Colo. He was educated at Edgewater Elementary School, Wheat Ridge Junior High School and Harlem High...

Howard Glenn Olson, 79, retired railroader, died Friday, May 30, 2003, at a Great Falls Hospital of natural causes. A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the First Lutheran Church in Havre with the Revs. Catherine Card and Brad Ulgenes officiating. The committal service will be held at the Highland Cemetery in Havre following the funeral services. There will be a fellowship reception at the church following the committal rite. Howard was born March 9, 1924, to Halvor and Gunda (Aamot) Olson in Havre. He was raised and...

LODGE POLE - Morgan Cochran, 39, a college student, died Saturday, May 24, 2003, at his home in Billings from a self-inflicted overdose. Funeral services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Medicine Bear Lodge in Lodge Pole. A wake and rosary were held Wednesday evening at the Medicine Bear Lodge. Cremation was to follow the funeral services. Morgan was born on Feb. 9, 1964, at Malta, to Jean Brisbo LaTray and Kenneth Cochran. He was baptized in Lodge Pole and grew up most of his life in Billings. He received his GED...

Audrey Irene McKnight, 77, of Havre died Sunday, May 25, 2003, at her home of natural causes. A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at the First Lutheran Church with the Rev. Cathrine Card officiating. Burial will follow at the Highland Cemetery. A fellowship will be held at the First Lutheran Church immediately after the graveside services. Audrey was born Nov. 16, 1925, to Gunval and Julia (Bjorlokken) Torkelson in Strandquist, Nelson Park Township, Minn. Audrey grew up in Karlstad, Minn. and graduated from Karlstad High...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...