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AUSTIN LEE SCHEETZ
Austin Lee Scheetz, 4, of Red Lodge, died December 15, 2002 with his mother and sister in an automobile accident.
Little Austin was born on May 7, 1998 in Red Lodge. He enjoyed hanging out with Grandma while his mom was at work and his sister was at school. Austin was so full of life — he enjoyed fishing and had a special love for horses. A room would light up with Austin’s presence as he played with his matchbox cars, trucks and “Big Guy Tools.” Austin was known for being a little helper.
He would give Dad a hand in the garage, help his great-grandpa gather eggs out of the hen house and enjoyed riding motorcycles with Uncle Roy. You had never seen a smile so big and bright until you saw Austin.
Austin is survived by his grandmother, Georgie Scheetz, Daddy, Willie Hernandez, aunts and uncles, Roy Scheetz, Julie (Sonny) Stethem, Wes & Deb Wetherelt, Bill & Ann Wetherelt, Allen & Laurie Wetherelt, Pam Scheetz, Sharon & Steve Iverson, Terry Scheetz, Tom Scheetz, Curt Handeland, Marcie and Melody, grandfather Terry Handeland, and great-grandparents, Hazel and Glenn Wetherelt, Clarence and Agnes Scheetz and Don Handeland.
His grandfather, Allen Scheetz, precedes him in death.
A memorial service for Austin was held Friday, December 20, 2002, at the Veteran’s Memorial Civic Center in Red Lodge. Interment of ashes will be held at a later date in Broadus. Memorial may be sent to Wells Fargo c/o The Lisa Scheetz Memorial Fund.
Dahl Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements.
LILLIAN MILDRED BRATSKY SALO
Lillian Salo, 60, of Belfry, passed into the arms of the Lord on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002.
She was born in Billings on March 28, 1942 to Leo and Frances Bratsky of Bridger.
Lillian was raised in Bridger and attended Bridger schools. After high school she enlisted in the Marines and was one of the first women Radio Control Tower operators. In 1980 she met the love of her life, Frank Salo, a longtime resident of Red Lodge. They were married that year and spent the next 22 years deeply in love.
Lillian had many loves in her life. As a dispatcher for the City of Red Lodge and Carbon County, she discovered a passion for helping others. In 1994, after a couple years at Montana State College of Technology, she earned her LPN degree. It was in nursing that she found her greatest fulfillment. She worked at Beartooth Hospital and Cedar Wood Villa Retirement Home, both in Red Lodge. She also conducted foot clinics and blood pressure clinics in Joliet, Belfry and Red Lodge. Her passion for her work was very powerful, and she will be greatly missed, as she touched many lives in her short time on earth.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Leo, Chuck and Joseph (an infant, 8 months).
Lillian is survived by her husband, Frank Salo of Belfry; brother Hank (Betty) of Bridger; sisters, Mary Joy of Seattle and Frances (Leo) Kelsey of Bridger; a sister-in-law, Louise Bratsky of Bridger; her children, Dawn (Bill) Schultz of Huntley, Kip Salo of Alaska, Kevin St.Clair of Red Lodge, Greg St. Clair of Olympia, WA, Frank (Laurie) Salo of Billings, Russ (Monica) Salo of Joliet, Lynn (Clinton) Kramer of Joliet, Destiny (Vern) McLaughlin of Shady Cove, OR, and Delight Wyatt of Utah; 16 grandkids and 2 great-grandkids; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Memorial services were held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, December 23 in the Belfry School Multi-urpose Room. Cremation has taken place, with Smith-Olcott Funeral Chapel of Red Lodge assisting the family with arrangements.
EMMA MILLION
Emma Million, 89, of Roberts. Cremation has taken place at Dahl Crematory in Bozeman. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at Dahl Funeral Chapel in Red Lodge, followed by a reception.
EMMA MATILDA MILLION
Emma Matilda Million, 89, of Bozeman, passed away Monday, December 16, 2002 at Gallatin Nursing Home. Emma was the fifteenth of sixteen children born to Frederick and Martha Hergert in Preemption, Illinois, March 23, 1913. Soon after her birth, Emma’s family moved to Royal, Neb., where she was raised. She graduated from high school in Royal in 1930. Following high school Emma remained in Royal, and in 1933 she married William J. Million. William and Emma had 2 children before moving the family to a ranch outside Roberts in 1940. Emma remained in the Roberts area until moving to Bozeman in January 2002.
Emma spent her life as a mother and housewife. She loved the outdoors, where she would garden and tend flowers, as well as life on a ranch. Emma also enjoyed bowling and playing bridge with her friends. She was further known for her knitting, and was a sweepstakes winner several times, at the Bozeman Winter Fair. Emma’s interests also included writing poetry, which she shared with and is collected by her family.
Emma is survived by her daughter, Sharon (Gene) Hockett of Bozeman; Brother in law, Roy Million of Roberts; Sister in law, Leona Mattison of Orchard, Neb.; daughter-in-law; Karen Million of Roberts; grandchildren; Susan (Barry) Mills, of Atlanta, Ga., Robin (John) Hein, of Helena, Kim (Raul) Cortes, of Fairfield, Calif., Sherrill King of Bozeman, Lisa (Richard) Bradley and Shelly (Dale) Heil, both of Billings, Tracy (Chris) Dull, of Bozeman, and Lance Million of Roberts; 12 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, all her siblings, husband William Million, and son Merle Million.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service was held Saturday, December 22, 2002 at Dahl Funeral Chapel in Red Lodge. Memorials may be made to the Roberts United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 242, Roberts, MT 59070.
PAUL MYDLAND
Prominent Montana Angus rancher Paul Mydland unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack on December 26, 2002 in Bullhead, Ariz. where he and his wife were spending the winter. He was born March 24, 1935 to Trygve M. and Glida (Wakeman) Mydland in Vernon County, Wisconsin where he lived until 1950, when his family moved to a ranch they purchased near Joliet, Montana. After graduation from Joliet High School, he became the head of the family when his father died an untimely death in 1955. Paul married Janiece Bell on January 27, 1956.
He will be remembered for his common sense approach to life and enjoyed his grandkids, his cows, surfing TV with his remote, reading history novels, and riding his motorcycles. In his last generous act, his wishes to be an organ donor were carried out by his family.
Together with Janiece, Paul began building a breeding performance registered Angus herd in 1961. He was one of the first to introduce artificial insemination into a registered breeding program. From the inception of the Midland Bull Test program at Columbus, Mydland Angus bulls have been high performance consignees. He was a member of NILE for 32 years; a charter member, director, and past president of the Midland Empire Angus Association, and a director of the Montana Angus Association. He also served on the school board of Joliet High School, on the board of the Rock Creek Water Users Association, the board of the RC&D, and was a long time member of the Red Lodge BPOE.
In 1992 Paul and Janiece retired from ranching and managed the Esquire Motor Inn and Galley Lounge in Billings for 6 years.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors are his wife Janiece; daughter Debbie Mydland (Bill Anderson), Joliet; sons David (Linda) Mydland of Shelby, MT, and Danny (Corie) Mydland of Joliet; Grandpa Paul’s grandchildren, Darin, Dillon, Adam, Tayler, Levi, and Logen; sister JoAnne (Vic) Miller, Billings; brothers Trygve M. (Beverly) Mydland, Jr. of Silverdale, WA; Lyle (Phyllis) Mydland of Bellingham, WA; Argyle Mydland of Bayview, ID; and Vernon (Diana) Mydland of Coeur d’Alene, ID; numerous nieces and nephews, and many, many friends.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will take place at high noon on Saturday January 4 at the Joliet High School Gymnasium. Interment will follow at the Rockvale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to donate memorials may do so to the Joliet Volunteer Fire Department.
SONJA H. SPENCER
ROBERTS — Sonja H. Spencer, 55, passed away at her home in Roberts, Montana, in the early morning hours of December 24, 2002. Sonja is spending Christmas with Jesus.
Sonja was born June 9, 1947 in Billings, Montana to Harold and Mickey Hoines.
Her father, Harold, preceded her in death, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Sonja attended grade school in Luther and high school in Red Lodge. Sonja was married to Bill Bossert in 1965.
On Sept. 4, 1971, Sonja married C.W. (Bill) Spencer in Red Lodge. Sonja and Bill ranched in the Red Lodge area.
She loved her little grandchildren and all little tykes.
She always greeted everyone with her bright, sunny smile and she never met a stranger. Sonja was there to help everyone.
Sonja is survived by her mother, Beulah “Mickey” Hoines; her husband, Bill Spencer; daughters, Billie Jo Bossert Witte, and her fiancé, Gerald Hutchinson and her children, Kayla and Kayce Witte of Laurel; JoLene (Dirk) Everett, and her daughters Kylee and Gracey, of Boyd, JoLynn (Gary) Ellis, and children Taylor and Shayna, of Red Lodge; her son, Greg W. (Jenny) Spencer, and children, Garett and Kelsey Schillinger, of Roberts; one sister, Loretta (Jerry) Dell of Hoodsport, Wash.; one brother, Everett (Karen) Hoines of Red Lodge Creek; sisters-in-law, Debbie (Gordy) Hill and Diane (Bill) Jones; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services in celebration of Sonja’s life were held at 1 p.m. on Monday, December 30, 2002 at the Roberts High School. Memorials may be given to Roberts Community Foundation, Box 284, Roberts, MT, 59070, or to St. Olaf Church. Following the services, cremation will take place with interment of the urn at St. Olaf Cemetery at a later date.
Arrangements have been made through the Smith-Olcott Funeral Chapel of Red Lodge.
HOWARD JAMES SWANSON
Howard James Swanson, born Jan. 26, 1910, passed away Dec. 18 in Corvallis, Ore. at the age of 92.
Howard was a resident of Red Lodge for 35 years, and was known to most merely as “the telephone man.” He worked for Mountain Bell for 33 years, all of it spent in his beloved mountains of Red Lodge. He and his family owned and operated Alpine Village Motel in Red Lodge for many years.
After retirement, he and his wife, Evelyn, moved to Bozeman and from there to Corvallis, where they have lived for the past 22 years. They loved traveling and meeting new people wherever they went.
Survivors include his spouse of nearly 70 years, Mae Evelyn, of Corvallis; daughters Barbara Thormahlen of Red Lodge and Francia Presley of Bristol, Tenn. and her husband, Bill; sons, Rodney of Billings and his wife, Joyce and Jerry of Eagle River, Alaska and wife, Toni, and Douglas of Anchorage, Alaska and his wife, Vicki. He also leaves behind 20 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held to honor Howard’s memory next July in Red Lodge.
DONALD H. PITTS
Donald H. Pitts passed away on December 24, 2002 at the age of 83 in King City, Ore.
He was born on February 8, 1919 in Billings, Montana. He married Carroll Duxbury in May 1945. She passed away in 1992 in Billings. Donald had been a school custodian, farmer, machinist, and a mechanic on aircraft during World War II. He lived in King City the past two years.
He is survived by his daughters, Carroll Pitts of Wilsonville, Ore., Linda Peterson of Beaverton, Ore., and his brother, Raymond Pitts of Roberts, Mont. He had 4 grandchildren. Young’s funeral home will arrange a direct cremation, with his ashes being sent to Joliet Cemetery in Montana.
LOUIS J. KOLARICH
RED LODGE – Louis J. Kolarich, 87, of Red Lodge, went to be with our Lord on Sunday, January 5, 2003 at Cedar Wood Villa.
Louis was born in Red Lodge on June 21, 1915, a son of Charles and Marie Kolarich. He attended Red Lodge schools, and in March of 1942 he joined the U.S. Army Air Force. After his honorable discharge in December of 1945, he returned to Red Lodge.
Louis worked as a mechanic for Whitcomb Garage, and later for Ray Judd Ford where he retired in 1985. He was an avid bowler, winning many trophies over the years. His other hobbies included restoring old cars and going fishing. Louis was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Parish and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Margurite; his parents; two brothers and one sister. Survivors include two sisters, Betty J. Bourne of Billings and Helen Pipkin in Washington; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, January 9 in Smith-Olcott Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow in the Kolarich family plot in the Red Lodge Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the charity of one’s choice.
