Archived Marriage Records
Max Secrist Howell
Max Secrist Howell, a former St. Anthony resident, passed away Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the age of 92 in Salt Lake City of causes incident to age.
He was born Jan. 10, 1915 in Parker, the son of Reese Gunnell and Essie Secrist Howell. He moved to Sidney, Mont., when he was a senior in high school, to live with his uncle and aunt. While there, he graduated from high school, and soon after went to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was in Sidney that he met his future wife, Ruth Alleckson. They were married March 4, 1938, in Missoula, Mont. They were married for over 60 years when she passed away Jan. 15, 1999.
In 1944, just before the end of the war, Max was drafted into the Army. He served an overseas tour of duty in Korea. He had lived in Idaho, Arizona, California, and Washington and worked 31 years for the post office. His latter years were spent in Challis close to his sister, Barbara.
In Washington, he was an active member of the Faith Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was very patriotic. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and stamp collecting. Max had fond memories of his many fishing trips with his friends to Heart Lake in Yellowstone Park and Henry's Lake in Island Park. While living in St. Anthony, he was a volunteer firefighter.
Survivors include three sisters, Merle (Ray, deceased) Parker, Salt Lake City; Retta (Darrell) Moser, Bountiful, Utah; Barbara (Calvin) Helm, Challis; and one brother, George (Yvonne) Howell, Pleasant View, Utah.
Also surviving are many nieces and nephews and a special niece, Ruth Hays and her husband, Jerry, of Lynnwood, Wash. Two brothers, Reese and William, preceded him in death.
His wish was that he be cremated. Military graveside services will be held at a later date in the Parker Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Flamm Funeral Home in St. Anthony.
Lin Tureman - 1927 - 2007
Requiem for a Cowboy Fisherman
On March 12, 2007 somewhere in Pocatello, Idaho my stepfather, Lin Tureman took his last breath. I'm told the old man didn't want a service of any sort. He simply wanted his cremated remains to be dumped in Henry's Lake and be done with it. Somehow, though, I can't let it all go that easily. For me, Lin Tureman's legacy cannot be ignored. I can't let the old man go without saying a few kind words over his life.
If you knew my mother's favorite husband at all, you'll understand that he didn't care much for words let alone kind ones. My memories of him almost never include words like ‘gentle' or concepts like ‘cozy.' He was, in my young eyes, a mean spirited, hard, cold human bereft of love or civility. He was, however, the most powerful influence in my formative years and since, because of him, I grew up to be somebody with a bit of integrity, I owe him this small tribute.
He was born in Prairie City, Oregon on November 17, 1927, the son of Oregon ranchers. The men in his family were cowboys. His brother, one Sonny Tureman, was the World Champion Bareback Bronc Rider in 1948 and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1978. As a young man Lin, too, loved the rodeo. The image below, captioned ‘Lin Tureman on Swing Shift', was recently offered at auction on EBAY as part of a collection of Pendleton Roundup rodeo postcards. (My mother keeps the original.) This was probably as close as Lin ever got to his fifteen minutes of fame.
Here, for the sake of my stepbrother Gus, my half brother Spike and their progeny, I shall politely ignore the family dirt. Suffice to say, the man was (in no particular order,) a horse-breaker, dog trainer, gambler, fisherman, hunter, and hard headed businessman. In about 1959 he and my mother Arlene, whom he refused to call by any other name than "Sally", moved to West Yellowstone where they became partners in Doc's Club and Doc's Café. They later bought the Cowboy Bar next door to Doc's and had the food and beverage business on Canyon Street all but wrapped up.
Later, they moved their operation to the Executive Inn which he eventually sold to Jackie and Dennis LaFever of Bullwinkle's fame. (Over the years, he had sold the business a number of times, but the buyers would eventually default, leaving Lin back in the restaurant business with fatter pockets than before. In Jackie, I think Lin finally met his match. She was not the sort of horse to be broken or bested - the word default was not in her vocabulary. I'm happy to learn that she's still there and enjoying a mighty measure of success.)
Lin Tureman taught me the most important lessons of my life. He taught me to win. When I was a child, we lived in a beautiful two story log house near the old airport. We heated the sturdy old house with an enormous fireplace. Now, I don't need to tell you that there are only three seasons in West Yellowstone: July, August and winter, so our fire never went out from October until May. Cords upon cords of great round logs were put up in the summer for the following winter's use. Every day after school, it was my job to fill the wood box on our front porch. This chore was a formidable one for such a little girl. The logs were three feet long and covered in snow. They were heavy and nearly as tall as I, but I wrestled the monsters to the wood box every day. Every day I did battle with the woodpile and every day I won. He also presided over my career as a dishwasher. Each evening, I stood on a stool at the kitchen sink and washed the days' dishes, dried them and put them in their places. The old man would then inspect. If I had managed to leave any speck of food on a plate or greasy smear on a knife, he would bring all the dishes, all the silverware, all the pots and all the pans in the house out again and I would wash them, every one. Then he would inspect again. And again, if necessary. It didn't take me long to learn about dishes.
The lessons of dishes and wood boxes, once learned, seem to find themselves manifest in all other jobs in all other places and times. If you're going to do a thing, do it right. If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly!
Lin Tureman was preceded in death by his mother, his father, his brother Sonny, his first wife Nina and a young daughter, whose name I do not know, but suspect to be Laura. He is survived by his sons Delbert "Gus," Tureman, Linden Tureman, Jr., best remembered as the legendary mischief-maker "Spike," a houseful of grandchildren and a few great-grands some of whom knew him - many of whom did not. As I said, we're not a very close family.
The trout may relax a little - the old fisherman has turned in his creel.
Julia Louise Spann , 1969 - 2007
Julia Louise Spann, 37, of West Yellowstone, Montana and formerly of Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary, Florida, died Friday, March 23, 2007 due to injuries following an accident. Born in Columbia, South Carolina on May 26, 1969, she graduated from Lyman High School in 1987 and from Flagler College in 1991.
She is survived by her parents, Jane and Jim Spann of Altamonte Springs, FL, her grandfather Harry Spann of Summerville, SC, one brother Jay Spann (Paula) of Lake Mary, FL, one sister Jaime Amsler (David) of Heathrow, FL, one nephew, Cameron Spann and one niece, Coryne Spann of Lake Mary, FL, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
There was a memorial service on Monday, April 2, 2007 at 3:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Maitland. A Young Life camp scholarship has been set up in Julia's name. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Young Life, PO Box 2289, Winter Park, FL 32790 and mark In Memory of Julia Spann, Acct# 88441453.
John Steven Tebby
West Yellowstone lost a beloved, dedicated, community member on Tuesday, March 20, 2007, when John Steven Tebby passed away after a brave struggle with cancer.
John was born Aug. 26, 1951, to William S. Tebby and Charlotte Mae Buck in Durand, Mich. Charlotte, remarried April 5, 1969, to Harry R. Beard Jr.
John went to high school in Durand, Mich., and graduated in June 1969. He then attended college at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and graduated in 1972 with an associate's degree in natural resource technology. He took postgraduate work to further enhance his degree.
John went into the military in June 1974 and served at Fort Carson, Colo., until June 1977. He followed a longtime army buddy to Montana and became a Montana resident.
He met Judith Patricia Bowker in the spring of 1980. Their son, William Steven Tebby was born Feb. 9, 1982. The couple divorced in the fall of 1984. John met Becky Rae Cartwright while helping a friend move out of an apartment that she was moving into. John and Becky were married May 4, 1985, in Troy.
John joined the Montana National Guard that summer and fought fires through the National Guard. He also worked as an underground miner in Troy. Becky worked as a volunteer ambulance EMT and volunteer dispatcher year-round and for the Forest Service during the summers. Becky worked as a seasonal EMT in West Yellowstone the summer of 1987 and moved there in August 1988 when she was made a permanent EMT. They lived in West Yellowstone ever since.
John became a volunteer EMT in 1989 and left the ambulance service in 1998. He worked for Grayline Tours in West Yellowstone from 1988 to 1991. He then worked for the Forest Service on the Hebgen Lake District from 1989 to 1991 and at the West Yellowstone transfer station for a year. He started work for Two Top Snowmobiles the winter of 1989 and worked until Feb. 7, 2007. He worked in Yellowstone National Park as a seasonal interpretive ranger May 1999 through September 2006.
John is survived by his wife, Becky Tebby; son, William Steven Tebby; mother, Charlotte Beard; stepfather, Harry Beard Jr.; brothers, William Tebby and Timothy Tebby; uncle, Roger Bahr; aunt, Vivian Bahr; and cousins, Carl and Marianne Chipman.
A memorial service was held Monday, March 26, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in West Yellowstone.
Memorials may be made to The John and Becky Tebby Medical Fund in West Yellowstone at either bank; or to The Yellowstone Association, P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190.
Henry Quayle
ST. ANTHONY -- C. Henry "Tabby" Quayle, 60, died April 10, 2007, in the Veterans Hospital in Portland, Ore., while waiting for a liver transplant.
He was born June 17, l946, in St. Anthony, Idaho, to Tom Henry Quayle and Louie Severe Quayle. He grew up in St. Anthony and attended schools there. He graduated from South Fremont High in l964. He served in the Idaho National Guard 116th Engineer Battalion during the Vietnam War.
On Sept. 21, 1970, he married Lois Ann Hansen in Boise.
They lived in Fredonia, Ariz., where Henry worked as a river guide in the Grand Canyon. They returned to St. Anthony and he drove truck for many local companies. He retired in December 2005 because of ill health. Henry enjoyed music, fishing, old cars, riding his motorcycle and his family.
Survivors include his wife, Lois, of St. Anthony; children, Marty Lynn (Melinda) Quayle of St. Anthony, Carla Jo Drake of Idaho Falls, Amy Dawn Quayle of Rigby, Bart Henry (Anndee) Quayle of St. Anthony, and Chad Christian Quayle of Boise; siblings, Ernest (Phyllis) Quayle, Amil Quayle, and Danny (Carolyn) Quayle, all of St. Anthony, Lois (Max) Hanks of Plano, Clara (Byron) Parkinson of Brigham City, Utah, Inella (David) Douglas of St. Anthony, Rhea (Mike) Stephens of Idaho Falls, and Gaylene (Bruce) Thueson of Parma; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Charles Edmund "Cheddy" Quayle.
Funeral services were Monday, April 16, at the Wilford 2nd LDS Ward with Bishop Dale Swenson officiating. Burial was in the Riverview Cemetery
in St. Anthony, with military rites performed by the St. Anthony V.F.W. and American Legion.
Eleanor LeCheminant
Eleanor LeCheminant, 75, longtime resident of St. Anthony, died Monday, April 23, 2007 at the Teton House in Rexburg of causes incident to age.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 26, at 1 p.m. in the St. Anthony third LDS Ward Chapel with Bishop Chance Eckman officiating. The family will receive friends on Thursday from noon until 12:45 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Wilford Cemetery
under the direction of Bert Flamm Mortuary.
This is the only notification of service.
Chad Duane Wittmer
Former West Yellowstone resident Chad Duane Wittmer passed away on Sunday, April 8, 2007 in Annandale, Minnesota.
Chad was born December 3, 1971 in Billings, Montana to Arthur Wittmer Jr. and Carlene Gayle Wittmer. He was a loving father, son, brother, uncle and very loyal friend to many.
His smile and laugh were contagious. Chad's happiest times were when he was with his children. Chad's other loves were fishing, hunting, snowmobiling or just simply being outdoors with family and friends.
Chad lived in Minnesota, but his life began in Montana and his heart has always stayed there.
Chad is survived by his three children Makayla, Gracie, and Brent of Sartell, Minnesota; parents Arthur and Carlene Wittmer of West Yellowstone;. Brothers Scott (Julia) Wittmer of Jackson, Wyoming, Bart Wittmer(girlfriend Michelle) of West Yellowstone; Sister Kim (Ernie) Pinkerton of Gallatin Gateway; Grandmother Mildred (Jack) Jackson of Boise, and many nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and girlfriend Joni Marie Blaskowski of Annandale.
Chad will be missed by many who love him very much.
Services were held Friday April 13, 2007, at the Celebration Lutheran Church, Sartell Minnesota, and on Saturday April 14, at the Community Church in West Yellowstone.
In lieu of flowers, the family askd that donations be made to the Chad Wittmer Memorial Fund at the Yellowstone Basin Bank or the First Security Bank in West Yellowstone, Montana.
Beulah Fischer
ST. ANTHONY -- Beulah Fischer, 94, died April 10, 2007, at the Ashton Living Center.
She was born Nov. 11, 1912, in St. Anthony, to Stillman Young and Elizabeth Jane Clark Young. She grew up in the St. Anthony area where she attended school.
On Nov. 4, 1934, she married Harry "Bud" Fischer in Twin Falls. They lived in California and Oregon before returning to Idaho. He died in l956. She worked at the Ashton Bank of Commerce, local grocery stores and at the Three Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone. For many years, she spent summers in West Yellowstone with her daughter and winters in St. Anthony.
She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She belonged to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She liked to read and garden. Beulah especially loved spending time with her grandchildren.
Survivors include her daughter, Linda (Clyde) Seely of West Yellowstone; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, Norman Fischer; and a granddaughter.
Funeral services were Monday, April 16, at the St. Anthony LDS 3rd and 4th Ward, with Bishop Chance Eckman officiating. Burial was in St. Anthony Riverview Cemetery
under the direction of Bidwell Funeral Home of St. Anthony.
