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Lester Wayne Merha
Lester Wayne Merha, 87, of Harrison died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000, at his home.
He was born to Victor Hugo Merha and Hattie Anna Hoefs on Dec. 15, 1912, at Norfolk, Neb. He graduated from school in Tilden, Neb., and attended college in Moscow, Idaho. After spending time in Dubois, Wyo., on a ranch, he moved to Tulsa, Okla., to be with his parents where he enlisted in the service in 1942. He was with the First Special Service Force during World War II. He married Vicki Nelson in Helena while stationed there during the war on March 23, 1943.
He is survived by his wife, Vicki; four daughters, Nancy and Riley Wilson of Harrison, Christy and Lewis Stahl of Harrison, Connie and Pete Olind of Norris and Jody and Jack Baker of Spokane; 13 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; a sister, Edith Williams, of San Mateo, Calif.; and a niece, Shirley Patch, and her three children of Rancho Palo Verde, Calif.
They moved to Sheridan, Wyo., in 1949 where he worked for Jersey Creamery and later the Veterans Administration Hospital through 1965. He then transferred to the V.A. hospital in Walla Walla, Wash., and retired as chief purchasing agent in 1973. They then moved back to Sheridan, Wyo., and he actually continued his writing career belonging to Western Range Writers and publishing 13 books written on his beloved West. They moved to Three Forks in 1979 where they resided until 1990, when they moved to Harrison.
He was active in American Legion, Three Forks Historical Society, Library Board, Western Writers of America and the First Special Service Force.
Memorials: Headwaters Museum at Three Forks, St. Labre Indian School, or charity of donor's choice.
Funeral services were held on Monday, Sept. 18, at the K&L Mortuary Chapel at Harrison and the Rev. Ron Lang officiated. Interment followed in the Harrison Cemetery with military graveside honors.
Ronald Everett Bedell
Ronald Everett Bedell, 62, of Bozeman, formerly of Keene, N.H., died of cancer on Sept. 15, 2000, at his home, surrounded by loved ones. He was born Aug. 7, 1938, in Haverhill, N.H., the son of Ronald Eugene and Marjorie (Hartwell) Bedell.
Ron graduated from Woodsville High School in Woodsville, N.H., in 1956. He served in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1960. For the next eight years Ron worked for General Electric as an Electrical Technician in Turkey, Trinidad and Germany. He then returned to the United States where he received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Denver in 1971. He received a master's degree in business administration from Plymouth State College in Plymouth, N.H., in 1984.
Ron joined Boise Cascade Corporation in Boise, Idaho, in 1971 as an auditor, transferring to the Brattleboro, Vt., division in 1975. Much admired by his colleagues, he diligently worked as a controller in Brattleboro for Boise Cascade (later Specialty Paperboard, Inc. and now Fibermark, Inc.) until his retirement in October 1998.
Following his retirement, Ron and his new bride, Sue, moved to Big Sky Country to be near his sons and enjoy his pastimes.
Ron's life was his family; he was affectionately known as Bud, Buzzy and Big Ronnie. Throughout his life, Ron loved to ski, often combining his desire to travel by going to some of the world's great resorts with family and friends. During the summer he could be found competing with neighbors and friends on area golf courses. He loved the quiet time tending to his beautiful flowers, which surrounded his home. In the fall, he made time to create delicious apple pies for his family. Weekends often found Ron and Sue dancing the night away at the local American Legion and Elks clubs.
Ron was a member of the senior softball "Over The Hill Gang" in Keene, N.H., the National Ski Patrol at Haystack Mountain and Mount Auscutney in Vermont, King Ridge Ski Area in New Hampshire and was a volunteer patroller at Big Sky Resort in Montana. A caring soul, Ron volunteered for the winter Special Olympics, Relay for Life (he was the computer chief and luminaria co-chair) and as a Tax-Aide for AARP in Bozeman and Livingston. He also enjoyed working with the children of Eagle Mount Ski Program and Big Sky "Kids" (adventure ski and field day camps for children with cancer).
Ron was preceded in death by his father, Ronald Eugene Bedell.
Survivors include his wife, Sue (Ellsworth) Bedell of Bozeman, formerly of Keene, N.H.; two daughters, Susanne (Bedell) Fisher of Bridgewater, Mass. and Diane (Ellsworth) Stone, husband Greg, of Deerfield, N.H.; three sons, Mikael Eugene Bedell, wife Cheryl Ann Bracht, of St. Ignatius, Peter Jeffrey Bedell of Big Sky and Greg Ellsworth of Denver, Colo.; three grandchildren, Brandon and Annelise Fisher of Bridgewater, Mass. and Mettalise Bracht-Bedell of St. Ignatius; his mother, Marjorie (Hartwell) Bedell of Northampton, Mass.; two sisters, Pat Shene of Lyndonville, Vt. and Elaine Achenbach, husband Red, of Shoemakersville, Pa.; brother, Jim Bedell, wife Martha, of Ware, Mass.; former wife Anne-Marie Bedell of Hendersonville, N.C., and Denmark; cousin Paul Bedell, wife Elaine, of Monroe, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at the Big Sky Ski Resort at a later date.
Memorials may be made in his name to Big Sky "Kids" c/o Eagle Mount, 6901 Goldenstein Lane, Bozeman, MT 59715.
Danielle S. Richardson
Danielle Suzanne Richardson, 38, died April 2, 2001, at her home, in Snohomish, Wash. She was born May 20, 1962, in Bozeman, Mont., to Del and Gladys "Storm" Samson. She was adored by her parents and dearly loved by her two older brothers, Gary and Tom Voorhees, her younger sister, Michelle Thiel and her nephew, Max Thiesen.
Shortly after she was born, her mother held her up to the window of her Deaconess Hospital room so her brothers outside, on the sidewalk below, could see her. In those days they were not allowed to come up to the room and see the new baby. The boys could not wait to get their new sister home, so they could play with her.
When Danielle was 6 months old, Del and Gladys traveled with her and both boys to Europe for six months. While in Spain, people would ask to hold and show her to others for her blond hair and blue eyes. New acquaintances often remarked about her uniqueness and she always made a striking impression.
Danielle was a musical and artistic child. She could draw and write beautifully and had a witty sense of humor. She and her sister played with stuffed animals beneath their great dining room table, which made a magnificent house for little bears. They played with frogs in the frog pond at the family's cabin on Bear Canyon road. Here Danielle developed her fondness for reptiles, enjoying evening campfires and being outside with friends and family.
Later in her teens she taught herself to sew extraordinary stuffed animal toys, including a bear for her mother. She also taught herself to tat lace edging on handkerchiefs.
Her talents knew no bounds. She played violin through high school and later performed regularly in the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra during 1991 and 1992. Inspired by her father, classical music became a theme throughout her life. Danielle had a fondness for English literature and science fiction. She was extremely well read and consumed volumes of many great, and often difficult, English works, plays, and operas. Her favorite story was "Nicholas Nickleby" by Charles Dickens.
She also expressed a love for horticulture and graduated from Montana State University with a B.S. in Plant Pathology in 1990. She practiced her skills with a plant care company in Seattle. It was well within her realm of capabilities to rescue the unhealthiest plants and bring them back to life. She was known for being very gentle and intuitive with animals of all kinds, and she kept an array of unusual pets. She always knew what to do when a creature of nature was suffering.
Just over 10 years ago, Danielle moved to Seattle in search of a new life, choosing the area based on special memories there shared with her parents as a child. She was on a search to renew her Christian faith.
It was at this time that she met Steve Richardson, of Pennsylvania, at her first place of employment in Seattle. They became very close friends and explored their faith together. Soon after, they dated and later became engaged. They were married and shared nine precious years together. They were forever learning about life and love from each other. They explored and took many interesting journeys together, always learning or seeing something new. They purchased a lovely little house in Snohomish, where Danielle kept an exquisite biblical garden.
In recent years, Danielle worked for Paraphernalia Inc. in Arlington, as an industrial seamstress, designing and sewing flight gear and parachutes for the military and other flight entities. She felt at home with her coworkers who valued her wit and will miss her immensely.
Danielle's humor was brilliant. She was unique as a child and never said things just because "she should." She said what she meant; all that she did was purely original. She somehow maintained the fresh genuineness that originated from childhood.
Though Danielle and Steve did not have any children, they were very close to her nephew, Max. Danielle was an adult who knew the language of children and shared their ability to see life in its most simple and marvelous form. The two of them shared many moments; laughing hysterically about things only they understood. Danielle was adamant that Max be allowed to express his ideas and joys freely as his own, unshaped by others and to be embraced always for just who he was.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 21, at 11 a.m. at the Bozeman United Methodist Church.
The family suggests donations to Compass Health, P.O. Box 2870, Everett, WA 98203 in Danielle's memory.
Lucile Scothorn Collins
Lucile Scothorn Schalekamp Collins died after a long and lingering illness on April 9, 2001, at the Dutch Hearth Care Home in Bozeman, Montana. Lucile had moved to Bozeman in May of 2000 to be close to her daughter Julie and to receive the care she needed and desired.
Lucile's story began on July 2, 1929 when she was born Lucile Frances Schalekamp in Sioux City, Iowa, to Dick and Florence Schalekamp. She grew up in Cherokee, Iowa, as the older sister to Jean and fraternal twins, Paul and Neil.
In 1947 she married Dewitt "De" Thomas Scothorn and the next year, her first child, James, was born. Six years later her daughter, Julie, came into the world. She lived in Cherokee for most of her life, becoming actively involved in St. Paul's Methodist Church and maintained her membership even though she later moved away.
Summers (and occasional winters) at Lake Okoboji were an important and wonderful part of family life as the years went by. Swimming, sailing, water skiing, and getting sunburned were anticipated and enjoyed each season by the whole family.
After De's death, Lucile did a turn as the housemother at Chi Omega Sorority at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, from 1978-1980. In 1980 she met Edward Collins of Trinidad, Calif., and the following year they were married. She packed her bags and moved to this peaceful coastal village and into a beautiful house overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
In 1996 Lucile discovered she had ALS, also known as Lou Gerhig's Disease. It was this twist of fate that became her final battle.
Lucile loved to travel. Family vacations and camping trips to Mexico, Yellowstone, the Black Hills, Glacier Park, the Rocky Mountains and many other destinations were common.
Her life in Cherokee included many home and community activities including P.E.O., Meals-On-Wheels, the Republican Party Committee, Kiwanis, and a long-standing member of the Great Books Club. Her years in Trinidad included serving as a docent for the Humboldt County Arts Council, member of the Patrick's Point Garden Club, and a stint at the Happy Cow, a local business. She also worked part time as the Trinidad City Clerk.
Her humor was well known by friends and family alike, and she was the impish perpetrator of many good-natured practical jokes. In her final months the realization that she could no longer move or do so many things for herself, paradoxically became a source of humor. She seemed to delight in ordering all those around her to do her bidding, with everyone laughing.
Strong, single-minded, self-reliant, and stubborn are also words that describe Lucile. Her strength of commitment was known by all. She had her beliefs and was always ready to stand her ground and defend them.
Lucile was preceded in death by her mother in 1969, by her father in 1976, and by her first husband, also in 1976.
She is survived by her daughter, Julie Scothorn, her son, James Scothorn, daughter-in-law, Mariane Gilbert, her three grandchildren, James Lee and twins Willis and Tessa Scothorn (also fraternal), her sister, Jean Kunkel and brothers, Paul and Neil Schalekamp.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 19 at St. Paul's Methodist Church, 531 West Main Street, Cherokee, Iowa. A reception will follow.
Please consider a memorial gift to Dutch Hearth Care Home, 991 Pache Road, Belgrade, MT, 59714, or to Gallatin Hospice, 915 Highland Blvd., Bozeman, MT, 59715.
