Search Archived Marriage Records
Stephanie L. Hager
LIVINGSTON - Stephanie L. Hager, 16, of Livingston and Clyde Park, died early Tuesday morning, Oct. 5, 1999, of injuries she sustained in an automobile accident on Brackett Creek Road west of Clyde Park. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Franzen-Davis Funeral Home, 118 N. Third St. in Livingston. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Friday in the funeral home chapel. Cremation will follow the services at Franzen-Davis Crematory. Immediately following the services there will be a time of refreshment and remembrance of Stephanie's life at the Clyde Park Community Hall.
Stephanie was born March 9, 1983, in Livingston, the daughter of Al and Vicki Hager. She attended elementary school in Livingston and middle school in Clyde Park. At the time of her death, she was a sophomore at Park High School in Livingston.
Stephanie loved music and was hoping to learn to play a guitar which was a gift from her parents. She was a very good singer, frequently writing her own songs. Stephanie also enjoyed writing and was in the process of writing a book and had written several good poems.
She loved wolves, her cat, Tavy and her horse, Jetter. Her favorite activities were spending time with her fiance, Nick Payne, driving around with her friends and spending time at the lake with her parents and family. Stephanie loved hiking and relating humorous stories about her fiance, her brothers, Nick and Trevor, and her nephew, Devin. She will be remembered for her bubbly personality, her smile and her love for her family.
Survivors include her parents, Al Hager of Clyde Park and Vicki Hager of Livingston; two brothers, Trevor Hager of Wilsall and Nick Hager of Livingston; her fiance, Nick Payne of Livingston; her paternal grandmother, Vivian Hager of Isanti, Minn.; her maternal grandparents, Virginia Oakley and Dick Wright, both of Livingston; one nephew, Devin Hager and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Florence Michaelson Howard
May 24, 1910 - October 5, 1999
A long time ago on the rolling prairies of Northern Montana, a young teenage girl was guiding a plow behind a team of six horses. She was slight, but tough, and eager to prove she could manage the team as well as her older sister - or her dad. She lived on a farm with her parents, older sister and two younger brothers. Her mother didn't like having her work alone in the fields, but they had purchased more land after proving up on their original homestead and there was always more work to be done than her father could do himself. So all of the children helped. Her mother had her hands full at the small farm house with the two younger brothers and keeping them all fed and clothed. Nevertheless, her mother frequently ran up the rise between their home and the field to make sure the horses hadn't spooked. That teenager was Florence Michaelson.
Florence was born in Negaunee, Mich., in 1910. Her parents, Tom and Anna Michaelson, brought her to Montana when she was just an infant with her 2-year-old sister, Mildred. Their homestead was five miles south of the Canadian line, near Hogeland. Florence was a little imp and had a mischievous streak. As a preschooler she took a pair of scissors and cut off the curly lock of hair dangling over her favorite uncle's forehead as he lay napping on the couch in their front room. Because she was small and slight, her parents worried about her making the daily trip on horseback to the country school several miles away. They held her back an extra year, even though her older sister got to go to school when she turned 6. Florence still questioned their judgment 80 years later.
Florence grew up when times were tough. In winter, she and her sister wrapped their leggings with gunny sacks for warmth - removing them before they rode into view of the country schoolhouse. She and her sister "batched" alone in Harlem with their younger brother, Tommy, after finishing elementary school, because the 30-mile trip from their farm was just too far to make every day.
In the teeth of the Depression when many young people didn't finish high school, the Michaelson girls went on to college. Florence got her bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota in home economics in 1931. She taught school for a year at Hogeland, then landed a job as a county extension agent the following year in Lewistown. She met a handsome young man, Clyde Howard, at a dance in Bozeman where he was just finishing up his bachelor's degree. Part of his attraction to this determined and pretty young woman was her commitment to go back to the University of Minnesota for master's work.
Clyde and Florence got married
in Lewistown, Sept. 1, 1937, and then each of them got busy working on their masters' degrees a few weeks later. Florence's interest was nutrition and foods. She loved cooking and tasting new things and teaching others to cook - skills passed on first through her work, then to her children and then to her grandchildren.
After leaving the University of Minnesota, both Clyde and Florence got good jobs for the times. Each week when Florence deposited her paycheck in savings, the young teller with frayed cuffs at the local bank with his own family to support told her that he both admired her and was a touch envious. Clyde and Florence were frugal, living on Clyde's salary alone. They moved to Billings in 1940, using their savings to buy 30 acres out on Poly Drive, now part of west-end Billings. Then, St. Vincent Hospital was outside the City limits.
They had three boys. All of them grew up under the umbrella of Florence's commitment to hard work and a good education, as well as feasting on culinary traditions that their mother created. All of her boys learned to fly an airplane, ride a horse, build a fence, and cook a good meal. All of her boys have advanced college degrees.
The story of the last years of Florence's life is a story of diminishing abilities and independence. She began to forget ordinary words. She couldn't remember the word for "rain." Her hand began to shake - until she could no longer write. She forgot how to operate a light switch. Finally, she became unable to speak.
What was amazing is not that Alzheimer's took so much from her, but what she did with what she had left. The week before she died, she still gave you that sidelong look and smile so familiar to her children since childhood. She was still kind, reaching to lightly touch and stroke the face of someone speaking to her. This woman who made so much from so little at the beginning of her life, was still making so much of so little at the end.
Florence is survived by her "baby" brother, Harry Michaelson and his wife, Evelyn of Springfield, Ohio; her sons, Hayden Howard and wife, Molly of Dallas, Texas, Colin Howard and wife, Elizabeth of Spokane, Wash., and Corbin Howard and wife, Joyce of Billings; and nine grandchildren scattered literally from coast to coast. Her family asks simply that you think of her the next time you're rolling out that "from scratch" pie crust or putting together a good stew. If you wish also to remember her in another way, you may consider a donation to St. John's Lutheran Home or to Big Sky Hospice, whose staffs did so much to make meaningful and dignified, Florence's last days on this earth.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at Smith West Chapel, 304 34th St. W. Cremation will follow.
Col. Willard T. 'Casey' Brannon
BENBROOK, Texas - Col. Willard T. "Casey" Brannon, 76, retired USAF, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 29, 1999, in Benbrook. Funeral services wee held on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 1999, at the Greenwood Chapel at Greenwood Funeral Home. Graveside service was held on Oct. 5, 1999, at Graceland cemetery at Jermyn (Jack County). Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Willard Theodore Brannon was born May 9, 1923, in Billings, Mont., to Maggie and Louis Brannon. After graduation from Billings High he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He participated in the China-Burma-India Campaign in World War II, and he was a weather man/typhoon hunter in the Pacific. He also participated in the rocket development program at the White Sands Missile Range. As a communications officer he was commander of the 33 communications squadron at March AFB.
He married
Willie Conley, of Jermyn, on Aug. 22, 1948, in Fort Worth. They enjoyed traveling and raising three daughters as an Air Force family. In 1973 he retired after 30 years of service in the Air Force and moved his family to Fort Worth. He worked for Management Recruiters of Arlington until he retired. Casey and Willie continued to travel and visit family and Air Force friends for many years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Willie Brannon, in 1998.
Survivors include his daughters, Geri L. Wellborn and her husband, Gary of Norman, Okla., Cristie Moss and her husband, Randy of Fort Worth and Lt. Col. Tracey A. Walker and her husband, Marvin of Hurlburt Field AFB, Fla.; his mother, Maggie Brannon of Billings; a sister, Bernice Grosjean of Afton, Wyo.; six grandchildren and a host of other family and friends. He will be greatly missed by all.
Lawrence L. Brown
SHERIDAN, Wyo. - Lawrence Leroy "Larry" Brown, 53, died Tuesday, Oct. 5, 1999, at Sheridan Manor.
Visitation will be 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Kane Funeral Home. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Immanuel Lutheran Church with interment in the Sheridan Municipal cemetery.
Agnes Everson
PLENTYWOOD - A funeral service for Agnes Everson will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, 1999, at Plentywood Lutheran Church. Pastor David C. Curtright will officiate and burial will be at Ebenezer cemetery near Antelope. Agnes, 76, died on Monday, Oct. 4, at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in Plentywood.
Agnes was born April 10, 1923, on the family farm near Antelope, the daughter of Andrew and Millie (Jorgensrud) Christensen. She graduated from Antelope High School and went on to attend Northern Montana College in Havre. Agnes then moved to Seattle where she lived and worked for a few years. She returned to northeastern Montana and worked in Reserve at the First National Bank.
After her marriage she bore two children, Gayle and Wayne, whom she raised as a single parent after 1963. During the 1950s she worked for J. C. Penney Co. and later returned to banking at Security State Bank in Plentywood until her retirement in 1986.
Agnes liked to entertain, bake, play bridge and hostess dinners for her family and friends. She enjoyed flower gardening and also had a raspberry patch. After retirement she was an active quilter at Plentywood Lutheran Church and did volunteer mending at the nursing home. While visiting Gayle in Atlanta she had an opportunity to watch the Braves play in person, and she always enjoyed them, even on TV. Her grandchildren were a special delight for her and it was a joy for her to watch them participate in sporting events.
She was a member of Plentywood Lutheran Church and was treasurer of WELCA for approximately 13 years. She was also a member of Plentywood Golf Club. Agnes was a person who was always gracious with her time and talent.
She is survived by her children: Wayne and wife Jill Everson of Plentywood and Gayle Box and her husband, Ron of Atlanta, Ga. Also surviving are seven grandchildren: Taylor, Tanner and Trent Everson and Kevin, Chris, Ryan and Kelsey Box; two brothers, Alvin and his wife, Myra Christensen of Antelope and Kenneth and his wife, Pat of Kansas City, Mo. She is preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, John and Clifford; and three sisters, Clara DeSonia, Alice Rasmussen and Alma, who died as a small child.
Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood is in charge of arrangements. The family requests that Memorials be sent to: Plentywood Pioneer Manor and Sheridan Health Care Foundation.
Norman Hollatz
PLENTYWOOD - Norman Hollatz, 76, died Sunday, Oct. 3, 1999, at Sheridan Memorial Nursing Home.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Trinity Lutheran Church with interment at Outlook cemetery.
Arnie V. Holzwarth
HELENA - Arnie V. Holzwarth, age 67, of Helena, died Oct. 4, 1999, at St. Peter's Hospital due to complications of emphysema. Arnie was born on Dec. 11, 1931, in Bloomfield, to Elmer and Jennie Holzwarth. After graduating from Custer County High School, Arnie worked for the city of Miles City. During this time he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Alaska.
In 1954, Arnie went back to work for Miles City. On Jan. 3, 1955, Arnie married
Betty R. Orgain in Billings. In July of 1955, Arnie started work with US West and worked primarily in Lewistown, Townsend and Helena. In 1988, after 33 years, Arnie retired from US West.
Arnie was involved with the Rotary Club of Townsend, the Friendship Masonic Lodge No. 37, and the American Legion of Townsend. He also served as police commissioner in Townsend. Arnie's hobbies included fishing, boating, crossword puzzles and cards.
Survivors include his wife, Betty; son, Mike (Mary) Holzwarth and their daughter, Sammie of Colstrip; son, Terry (Jodi) Holzwarth and their children, Kevin, Lindsey, and Jake of Billings; son, Rick of Helena; mother, Jennie of Gettysburg, S.D.; sister, Marion (Earl) Glodt of Gettysburg; sister, Ione (Lester) Schied of Miles City.
Arnie was preceded in death by his father, Elmer, and a brother, Clair.
Visitation will be held at Retz Funeral Home on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999, from 1 to 3 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m. at Retz Funeral Home with interment to follow at the Montana State Veterans cemetery with Military Honors provided by the Lewis & Clark Veterans Council.
Memorials are suggested to the St. Peters Hospital Foundation-Pulmonary Rehab., 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601.
"Our grandpa was so nice! He always played crazy 8's with us! When we were not at his house, he kept busy doing crossword puzzles. He would take us fishing with him when we visited. He also loved to take us to the Ice Cream Parlor when we would visit. We loved him very, very much and we will miss him very much." - Kevin, Lindsey, Sammie and Jake.
Helen L. Irion
OLIVE - Helen L. Linville Irion, age 81, of Olive, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 3, 1999, at her sister's home in Billings. The first child of Earl L. "Doc" Linville and Florida Kennedy Linville, she was born Jan. 2, 1918, at the family home on the Powder River near Broadus.
Helen attended Bridgeview and Broadus schools, graduating from high school in 1934 at the age of 16. She attended Eastern Montana Normal School in Billings from 1936 to 1938, having completed a two-year course in teaching. She received a lifetime teaching certificate. She began a teaching career of 31 years in Powder River County. She retired in 1976 to spend maximum time with her new grandson, Brad, and later, her granddaughter, Stacey. She received a bachelor of science degree from Eastern Montana College in 1970.
On July 3, 1940, Helen married
Alvin Joe Irion in Miles City. They made their ranch home on Mizpah Creek near Olive. The couple had one daughter, Bonita Jo.
Helen enjoyed membership in the Powder River Congregational United Church of Christ, Coalwood Ladies Aid, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and Southeastern Montana Retired Teachers Association.
Helen's was a most remarkable life. She was deeply devoted to her family, friends, and, of course, her students. She treasured the camaraderie she shared with her fellow teachers. Ranching was a natural for Helen. She had great respect for the land. She had a very soft heart for the ranch animals. Always a fine hostess, she prepared bountiful, delicious meals and regaled her guests with her humor and her total recall of family and community history.
An avid "500" card player, she also had a passion for reading. Gardening and canning gave her great pleasure. She took joy in giving gifts of her embroidered handiwork. Helen always had good words and encouragement for all folks at all times. She was most generous to everyone with her time and her care.
Helen is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Bonita Jo and Ted Quade of Olive; grandchildren, Brad Quade of Billings and Stacey Quade of Olive; sisters, Virginia Hyde, Floreine Huckins and Dona Jean Juhl, all of Billings, and Kathleen Day of Laurel; brothers-in-law, F.F. Huckins of Broadus, Marvin L. Juhl of Billings, and Louis J. Day of Laurel; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her brother, Edwin L. "Bud" Linville.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Powder River Congregational United Church of Christ in Broadus with Rev. Karalee Mulkey officiating. Burial will follow at Valley View cemetery in Broadus.
Should friends desire, memorials may be directed to the Helen L. Irion Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Kathy Graff at Rocky Mountain Bank, Broadus, MT 59317; Powder River Historical Society, Broadus, MT 59317; or Henry Malley Memorial Library, Broadus, MT.
Henry Arthur 'Art' Jersey
GALLUP, N.M. - Art Jersey died Sept. 30, 1999, at Gallup. He was born March 6, 1918, at Deer Park, Mont., to Arthur Jersey and Mamie Doig Jersey. He passed his earliest years along the banks of Sixteenmile Creek.
While attending high school in Butte, Mont., Art began working for the Milwaukee Railroad. In 1941, he was inducted into the U.S. Army, serving in the Aleutian Islands and in Japan until 1945.
He married
Patricia Palmer in Livingston, Mont., in 1947. They lived in Three Forks, Mont., and in Harlowton, Mont., where he continued railroading. They later moved to the family farm at Toston, Mont. In 1998, he and Pat moved to Gallup.
Through the years, Art was an enthusiastic gardener and also enjoyed fly fishing and geology very much.
Art was preceded in death by a daughter, LeeAnne; a brother, Bill; and parents, Art and Mamie.
Remaining family members are wife, Pate; son, David and wife, Michelle; and daughters, Janelle Jersey of Gallup and Susy Corneliusen and husband, Allen of Ronan, Mont. Two granddaughters, Kadi Corneliusen of Telluride, Colo., and Ambree Blixt and husband, Shawn of Pablo, Mont., also mourn his passing.
A memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Church in Townsend, Mont., at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, with Father Joseph Byrne officiating. Military rites will be conducted at 3 p.m. at Fairview cemetery in Three Forks.
Dixie (Dix) Serr Palmer
Dixie (Dix) Serr Palmer died Tuesday morning, Oct. 5, 1999, in Billings. She was born in Sterling, Colo., the daughter of the late Alexander and Beulah (Swinney) Serr.
Dixie was raised and educated in Sterling. She attended the University of Colorado and the University of Wyoming and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She spent several years in Washington, D.C., and New York City, before making her home permanently in Billings. She served as an assistant with the Office of Strategic Services in England and France during WWII, and later worked with the CIA in Washington.
Survivors include her two sisters, Ellen Serr Powell of Billings, and Bertha Serr Beaumont of Deer Lodge; and several nieces and nephews.
Cremation has taken place and a graveside service will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Mountview cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Big Sky Hospice, P.O. Box 35033, Billings, MT 59107 or the charity of one's choice. Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist has charge of arrangements.
Dave Parenteau
LAUREL - Dave Parenteau, 52, of Havre, passed away at the home of his twin sister, Diane Sayler, on Oct. 3, 1999 of cancer.
Dave and his twin sister were born on Aug. 9, 1947, in Billings, to Louise and Mitchel Parenteau.
He lived in Laurel for the majority of his lifetime, and had graduated from Laurel High School in 1965. Dave started working for Northern Pacific Railroad in Laurel, and at the time of his death, was employed with B.N.S.F., in Havre, as a Locomotive Engineer.
David enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, watching sports on T.V., and spending time with his family and friends. He was a proud Vietnam vet, serving from 1966 -1972.
David was preceded in death by his father, Mitchel Parenteau; a nephew, and his grandparents.
He is survived by his children: Shawna Parenteau of Billings; Lynnetta, Becca, Tricia Parenteau, all of Aries; Chelle, Brian, of Arlee; and Ricky of North Carolina. He is also survived by his mother, Louise Parenteau; his twin sister, Diane Sayler of Laurel; a sister, Sharon Ward of Phoenix, Ariz.; several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. David, we love you and we will miss your sense of humor.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial Service will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Smith Funeral Chapel-Laurel. Inurnment will be at the Laurel cemetery with Military Honors.
Memorials may be made to Big Sky Hospice, or Bear Paw Hospice in Havre.
Melvin L. Savage
Melvin L. Savage, 71 of Billings, formerly of Albuquerque, N.M., died Monday evening, Oct. 4, 1999, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings. The son of George and Jewell (Coonfield) Savage, he was born in Los Angeles, Calif., July 25, 1928.
Survivors include his children, Brenda Williams of Virginia, Dana Pike of Texas, Jennifer Burgess of Colorado, Sandy Lightfield of Montana, Dwight Hughes of North Dakota, and Randy Savage, Tom Savage, and Mona Juve, all of New Mexico; 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jaenene, on Jan. 6, 1997.
Graveside services with military honors will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the Santa Fe National cemetery, Santa Fe, N.M. Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist has charge of local arrangements.
