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Melvin Hamilton, 79
THREE FORKS -- Melvin Andrew Hamilton Sr. of Three Forks died Thursday at the Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.
He was born in Big Timber on Feb. 6, 1921, to Sanford and Dollie Marie Ford Hamilton.
He was the oldest of five children and moved to Belgrade at an early age where he attended school. He worked on area ranches before joining the service.
After discharge, he moved to Three Forks and married Joyce Reynolds in Bozeman on Aug. 28, 1942. They owned and operated Hamilton Grocery for 24 years. He served as volunteer fire chief and mayor and helped organize the first Three Forks rodeo. They later moved to Helena and Las Vegas before returning to Three Forks.
He was preceded in death by his wife in 1996.
He is survived by daughters, Sandra Wise of Las Vegas, Deanna Page of Cedar City, Utah, Marcia Thomas of Oxnard, Calif.; son, Melvin Hamilton Jr. of Three Forks; brother, Dennis Hamilton of Three Forks; and sisters, Betty Korber of Billings and Helena Aldrich of Townsend; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services are 1 p.m. Monday in the K&L Mortuary Chapel in Three Forks. Interment will follow in the Fairview Cemetery in Three Forks.
Mary Laughlin, 75
ANACONDA -- Mary Katherine Laughlin of 718 E. Park St. in Anaconda died Thursday afternoon.
She was born Jan. 1, 1925, in Anaconda to Daniel and Katherine (Kenny) McKavanaugh. She graduated as salutatorian from Anaconda High in 1942. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in the Pentagon as a secretary for Gen. Curtis LeMay in Gen. Hap Arnold's office in the Army Air Corps. After the war she returned to Anaconda and worked for the Anaconda Co. while attending Butte Business College. She and Henry Laughlin were married on Sept. 2, 1950, in Anaconda after which she stayed home and reared their family.
She belonged to Anaconda Catholic Community, Legion of Mary and Life in the Spirit. When her children were in school she enjoyed attending all their athletic events. She liked swimming, riding bicycle, and picnics and barbecues with her family. She was a volunteer for Head Start for many years and enjoyed singing in choir. She was most proud that all seven of her children graduated from college.
Her parents, husband Henry, two brothers and one sister preceded her in death.
Survivors include her daughters and sons-in-law, Patty and Pat Everett of Eugene, Ore., Abby Laughlin of Portland, Ore., Katy and Michael Derzay of Bozeman; sons and daughters-in-law, Tom and Siddona Laughlin, Tony and Vicki Laughlin, Dan and Pat Laughlin, all of Anaconda, Fran Laughlin of Tucson, Ariz.; grandchildren, Dan, Pat, Bart and Lindsay Laughlin, Brian and Tim Everett, and Darby, Mick and Dana Derzay; sister, Dorothy Hanson of Butte; several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call to pay their respects in the Longfellow Finnegan Funeral Home from 4 to 6:15 p.m. Sunday and from 6:30 p.m. in Holy Family Church. The parish vigil service follows at 7:30 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday in Holy Family Church with burial in Mount Carmel Cemetery. Memorials: Project Change.
Ornelda Postma, 82
Ornelda A. Gifford Postma died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane, Utah, surrounded by her loving family. She had battled cancer.
Ornelda was born Nov. 19, 1917, in Woodville, Idaho, to Lilly May (Chaffin) and Henry Elmer Gifford. She spent her childhood working various family farms. Often it was she and her sisters' responsibility to keep the family's 50 acres cultivated.
After the death of her mother, Ornelda, at 14, spent the next seven years helping her older siblings care for their growing families.
Ornelda married Abraham John Postma May 8, 1939, in Osgood, Idaho. They were the proud parents of nine children. While Abraham worked in the Butte mines, she was busy rearing their children and making a home. In 1965, Ornelda and Abraham moved to Hurricane, where she had lived since. Her husband died in 1983.
In later years, she took great pride in making certain each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren received one of her handmade quilts and crochet-covered hangers. She belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in various positions, including ward librarian for over 10 years. She will be missed by her family and friends.
Survivors include daughters, Nedra Taylor, Logan, and Ann Hastie, Walkerville; sons, Nelton (Georgene) Postma, Tim (June) Postma, Butte, Randy Postma, Logandale, Nev., Clyde (Jo) Postma, Bloomington Hills, Utah, Henry (Raelene) Postma, Mark (Kim) Postma of Hurricane; 25 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Roger, sons-in-law, George Hastie and Alan Taylor, and grandson, John Hastie.
Services are 11 a.m. Friday in the Hurricane West LDS Stake Center. Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Spilsbury and Beard Mortuary, in Hurricane; and 10 a.m. Friday at the Stake Center. Burial: Hurricane City Cemetery.
Dean Brown
CASCADE (AP) -- Dean Brown, a Montana newspaperman whose 38-year career included work at Belt, Stanford, Whitehall, Boulder and Dillon, has died at 68.
Brown died of a heart attack Wednesday at the Cascade housing complex where he worked.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1954, he began a printing apprenticeship in Hettinger, N.D. Brown moved to Dillon in 1961, working first at the Dillon Examiner and later at the Dillon Tribune-Examiner.
He left newspaper and printing work in 1970 to become an insurance agent in Montana and Idaho.
Brown and his family bought the Boulder Monitor in 1972. Subsequent acquisitions included Whitehall's Jefferson Valley News, the Judith Basin Press at Stanford, the Belt Valley Times and the Cascade Courier.
Brown retired from the newspaper business in 1992.
A funeral is planned Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cascade. O'Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Janell; daughters Cindy Wooton of Renton, Wash., Cathy Easterling of Stanton, N.D., Sandra Bruce of Ulysses, Kan., and Patricia Haagenson of Great Falls; and sons Mike Brown and Tom Brown of Butte, Rob Brown of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., and Rick Brown of Lewiston, Idaho. A daughter, Mary Lynn ``Dolly" Okuly, died in 1995.
Anita Field, 67
Anita Clare (Borzick) Field died Sept. 20 at home in Salem, Ore., after a long, courageous battle with cancer.
She was born -- along with her twin sister, Rita -- on Aug. 6, 1933, in Butte to James and Marie Borzick. They graduated from Anaconda High in 1951.
Anita married David Field in 1953, and their first home was in Anaconda. They later moved to Anita's beloved Columbia Gardens for many years. They moved in 1972 to Salem, Ore., where she worked as a bookkeeper for the YWCA until her retirement. In retirement, she helped with her grandchildren, whom she adored, excelling in giving them hugs. She and Dave enjoyed camping, traveling, salmon fishing in Alaska and visiting their many friends and relatives.
Survivors include husband, Dave; daughters, Patricia Reed and Rebecca (Ron) Wilson; sons, Ben, Jim (Kathy) and Tom (Deanna) Field; nine grandchildren; sisters, Rita Miner, Ginger Lanning; brothers, William Borzick, Opportunity, and Gene Deakin; aunt, Elizabeth Anderson; brother and sister-in-law, Floyd and Floy (Field) Collins, Butte; numerous nieces and nephews.
Dave and their children were tender, loving and attentive through this most difficult time. Their families are proud of them and Anita.
Memorials: YWCA in Salem or Columbia Gardens carousel project.
Neil Sullivan, 73
Cornelius Joseph ``Neil" Sullivan went to heaven late Monday evening, to meet his dad. He died in peace and with an abundance of faith, with his wife and his eldest son by his side.
In his last days of life, Neil had the company and love of many of his family members from far and wide. He died as a result of cancer at age 73.
Neil was born July 15, 1928, in Butte to Daniel Park and Elizabeth Mary Sullivan, both of whom immigrated to Butte from County Cork, Ireland. He was raised in Corktown and graduated from St. Mary's Grade School. He attended Butte Boys Central High School and the Butte Business College.
Due to the circumstances of his life, which included the death of his father when Neil was 4, work came at an early age. Neil sold newspapers to help support his mother, and at age 15, he was hired by the Montana Power Co. as a driver and clerical worker. At age 20, he began a 35-year career with Ingersoll-Rand Co. in the mining and waterwell equipment business, where he earned many friends and a reputation as a man who would go the extra mile for anyone, under any circumstance.
After retirement from Ingersoll-Rand, he began a 10-year association with Atlas Powder Co., delivering explosives.
On Sept. 12, 1955, Neil married Lucille Kunz of Walkerville, in St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Together they raised five children on West Diamond Street and shared 10 grandchildren. Together, Neil and Lucy enjoyed many years of family get-togethers and the sharing of love and real happiness with the Moores, the Shannons and the Bremerton Sullivans, among others.
Neil and Lucy traveled in later years, including trips to the Caribbean, South Africa, England, and, of course, Ireland.
Neil's real love was horses. Sometimes they didn't love Neil as much as he loved them. This led to some of the infirmities of his old age, but Neil was unshaken in his devotion to the species.
He was also an accomplished fisherman, and had a terrific eye with a shotgun. He loved Notre Dame and Green Bay Packer football. Neil was the last of the Good Samaritans. He was notorious for picking up hitchhikers and sometimes bringing them home and putting them up for the night.
The main focus of Neil's life was work. He could always be found outside on his property south of Rocker, working on some task. When his two youngest sons visited, they knew their dad had a long list of jobs to be done, because they inherited their father's talent and propensity for work.
Neil Sullivan didn't hold grudges. He believed no day was complete until he made someone else's day better. If someone did him wrong, his answer was a prayer for the offending party. His Catholic faith in God was unwavering.
Neil loved his wife, he loved his family, and he loved to make people laugh.
Neil is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lucille Sullivan of Butte; his five children and their families, John, Karen, Shannon and Mary Kate Sullivan of Butte, Rebecca Sullivan and Henry and Jackson Kleaveland of Seattle, Sandi Sullivan and Aaron and Sam Holcomb of Elko, Nev., Neil, Laurie, Hannah and Quinn Sullivan of Libby, and Tom, Jenn, Kelly and Meg Sullivan of Vashon Island, Wash.; sister, Esther Moore of Butte; brothers and sister-in-law, Jack and Catherine Sullivan of Bremerton, Wash., and Dan Sullivan of Butte; nieces and nephews, Bill Moore, Connie Daily, Cathy Morrow, Dan Sullivan, Noranne Olsen, Naomi McKay, Steve Sullivan, Tim Sullivan, Sean Sullivan and Eamon Sullivan, of Butte, Washington state and California. Neil also is survived by in-laws, Hildy and John Fisher, Eleanor Gruenberg, Harry and Jana Kunz, Carrie Scott, Dolores and Frank Mathern, Bud and Lorelei Kunz, and Ron and Rose Kunz. He is also survived by his best friend and best man, Tom Hughes of Butte, and several cousins in Ireland, including Patrick Quill and Jackie Sullivan of County Cork.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his parents-in-law, Peter and Catherine Kunz, and by brothers- and sisters-in-law, Bill Moore, Dorothy Sullivan and Annelise Sullivan.
Friends are asked to visit with the family beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11 a.m. at the church. Burial next to his mother and father will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Memorials: Highlands Hospice, 3703 Harrison, Butte, MT 59701.
Here's hoping that the horses in heaven are gentle, and the ground soft.
Keep the faith, Dad.
