NELSON DUCHARME obituary

LODGE POLE - Nelson J. "Lucky" Ducharme, 71, of Lodge Pole died on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2003, in the Timber Ridge area of the Missouri Breaks 15 miles southwest of Hays due to an apparent heart attack while deer hunting.

A funeral Mass was scheduled for 11 a.m. today in Medicine Bear Lodge with burial following in the Ed Kirdaldie Family Cemetery with military

honors. A wake began Sunday evening in Medicine Bear Lodge.

Nelson was born on Oct. 30, 1931, at Fort Belknap Agency to Patrick "Bud" and Josephine (Azure) Ducharme. He was raised in the Hays/Lodge Pole area and attended school at Saint Paul's Mission.

He worked for farms and ranches in the area before joining the U.S. Army in 1951. Lucky served 29 continuous months in Korea during the conflict. He returned to Fort Belknap agency in 1955 and continued to work on farms and ranches. He also did mechanical work on autos, trucks, and farm tractors.

He married Eleanor Kirdaldie on May 17, 1973.

Nelson enjoyed tinkering with machinery and loved to deal with cars and trucks. He enjoyed being with friends and family and loved to fish and hunt.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Ducharme of Lodge Pole; daughters, Laura Hart of Forsyth, Kimberly Ducharme of Great Falls, Judy Ducharme of Tacoma, Wash., and Patricia Zimmerman of Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; son, Kevin Ducharme of Hays; 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Arrangements are by Edwards Funeral Home of Chinook.