Obituary: Elwell R. "Ozzie" Snow

Elwell R. "Ozzie" Snow, "Mountain Under the Snow," of Hays, 76, passed away due to natural causes at Benefis Medical Center in Great Falls Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.

Wake services will begin today, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, at 5 p.m. and will continue until his funeral service at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, all at the St. Paul Mission Recreation Center in Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Paul Mission Cemetery.

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangement.

Please visit Ozzie's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at http://www.hollandbonine.com.

Ozzie was born Dec. 15, 1940, in Hays to James and Julia (Horn) Snow. He was raised in Hays, attending Flandreau Indian School and graduated from Fremont High in Oakland, California, in 1959. He moved to Kansas to attend Haskell Indian Nations University, where he obtained an associate degree.

He then returned to California, where he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and served until his honorable discharge in 1965.

He traveled for several years working in forestry, and then returned to college at Eastern Montana College, where he received his bachelor's degree in drafting in 1976. for many years, he worked for Indan Health Service in Billings, retiring in 2006. After retirement, he made his home base in Hays and traveled extensively.

Ozzie loved to tease, a trait his family will be happy to attest to. He also loved to bowl and was a member of two bowling leagues in Harlem. He bowled a 300 game at the BIA Bowling Tournament just prior to his retirement and was well-known for traveling to all the bowling tournaments around Montana, and a few in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. He also loved to read, especially murder mysteries, visiting friends while gambling and watching all his grandchildren dance at the powwows. He was very close to his adopted grandchildren, and loved to spend time with them. He loved being around and attending family events, a past-time he never tired of.

Ozzie was preceded in death by his parents, James Snow and Julia (Horn) Snow; his stepmother, Bertha Snow; his brothers, James "Snowman" Snow, William Myrick, Kermit Snow Sr., Gilbert Snow and Dennis NezPerce; his sisters, Elinor Sullivan, Alta Martin, Deanna Boe, Louella Werk, Winona Gives, Alberta Snow, Judy Gray, Caroline Nez Perce and LouLou Snow; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

He is survived by his children Richard Steele of Seattle, Washington, and JoAnn Steele of Fort Peck, Montana; his two grandchildren, Ian Steel of Grand Junction, Colorado, and Abbey Steele of Parshall, North Dakota; his sister, Melvina "Tiny" Snow of Hays; his aunt, Jeanette Jones (Manfred) of Dodson, Montana' and numerous beloved cousins, nieces and nephews, including his special niece Linda LameBull of Minneapolis, Minnesota.