THEODORE HOWSER obituary

WHITEHALL - Theodore W. (Ted) Howser, 99, of Whitehall died Friday, April 28, 2006, at the Crest Nursing Home in Butte.

A parish vigil service will be held today at 6 p.m. at the K&L Mortuary chapel at Whitehall. A Mass of Christian burial will be

held at 10 a.m. Tuesday from St. Teresa's Catholic Church at Whitehall with Father Joseph Finnegan officiating. Interment will follow in the Whitehall Cemetery.

Ted was born in Lakota, N.D., to C.C. Howser and Elvira Signa

Rassmussien Howser on Dec. 10, 1906.

Ted started school in Illinois and finished his schooling in Kremlin, where the family had moved. He started farming east of Havre, where he met Mabel E. Armstrong. They were married on Aug. 24, 1930.

The couple lived on a farm until moving to Kremlin, where they farmed for four years. From Kremlin, they moved to Townsend, where Ted worked in a mine out of Winston until he was injured. After that, he worked for the WPA program in building the old Broadwater Hospital. From there they moved to Willow Creek by way of a team and wagon. They lived in the old Ted and Effie Cooper place. In 1941, they moved to the Haaus place. From 1942 to 1969, they lived on the Duke ranch, where Ted farmed, ranched and worked various jobs. They sold the ranch in Willow Creek and purchased a ranch at Whitehall, where Ted and his sons farmed and ranched until Ted and Mabel divorced and he moved to Butte.

He met and married Martha Medvit in 1975. After Martha passed away in 1982, Ted moved back to Whitehall. In 1985, he married Della DuMonthier. At age 82, he was working for the Butte Stockyards and suffered a broken neck after an encounter with an angry bull, after which he retired.

He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Harry; mother and father; sister, Mary Winter; brother, Harold; and previous wives, Mabel, Martha and Lil.

Survivors include his daughters Molly (Allen) McLean, Sharleen Anderson; sons, Jack (Mary) Anderson and Ron (Faith) Howser; 18 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren, and several stepchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the charity of the

donor's choice.