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Anthony Bear Don’t Walk Sr.
Jesus called our beloved father, brother, uncle and grandfather, Anthony Bear Don’t Walk (also known as Tony Bear) to be with him on that day, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, forward in Paradise.
Tony was born to Ray and Emily Crissler Bear Don’t Walk on Jan. 8, 1938. He grew up on the family farm and attended schools in Lodge Grass. He went on to the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kan., and studied the trade of a brick layer.
Tony worked as a brick layer and contractor in California, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Kansas and Montana. He helped to build a church for Rev. Stoneking in Los Angeles. Tony built many fine buildings in Billings, such as the Sheraton Hotel, the fire station on the North Side, and a retirement home. As a contractor he built the Lodge Grass Indian Health Clinic. His contributions to us in this field will live on and continue to serve his people for many years. He also worked as an Indian guide at Disneyland.
In his younger years, he was a champion Golden Gloves boxer under his cousin and trainer, Pat “Lefty” Rawlins. In his young adult years, he trained many young Crow Indian boxers to become champions in this sport. He boxed along with Eddie Alden and Small Change Bad Horse, a national Golden Gloves champion. He called Ernie “Indian Red” Lopez, a world boxing champion, friend and a sparring partner.
In the rodeo field, Tony was a champion saddle bronc and bareback rider. He had many friends from the Crow Reservation that he traveled with to the rodeo events. He was a member of the Catholic Church and child of the Greasy Mouth Clan.
Tony married
Penny Powers and together they had three children, Anthony Ray Jr., Emily and Ernie. They were later divorced. He married
Cindy Jessen and together they had one daughter, Codi. They were later divorced. He married
Lenora Pretty Weasel and they were later divorced. He married
Helen Eues and together they had two children, Michael and Zachary.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Emily; a sister, Myrtle; a son, Zachary; and his big brother, Raymond.
Survivors include three sons, Ernie Bear Don’t Walk of Minnesota, Michael Eues and Anthony Bear Don’t Walk Jr. of Billings; two daughters, Emily and Codi Bear Don’t Walk of Billings; two brothers, Urban and Lewis Bear Don’t Walk Jr. of Billings; one sister, Theresa Ellis of Billings who “walked the walk” with Tony when he became disabled in 1982. She never ventured far from Tony and he knew she would always be there for him. She loved her kid brother and never wavered in her dedication and steadfast loyalty to him; 14 grandchildren; many cousins in Montana and North Dakota; his uncle, Frederick Crissler of Anaconda; and his adopted family, the Arthur Stewart family of Crow. Tony is also survived by his faithful attendant and nephew, Kennedy Ray Parker. Ken remained by Tony’s side for 16 years.
Tony will always be remembered for the great love he had for his children, grandchildren and family. His ability to work hard, to have a sense of humor that knew no bounds, his generosity and desire to help others to make this world a better place to live, his great strength, his kindness to the young and old alike and for his gentle and tender spirit. He was a professed Christian and carried his cross for many years, and then Jesus said, “Come home, Tony, your work is well done on this earth.”
Praise be to God and thank you for giving us Tony for a little while.
Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Friday in the Lodge Grass Catholic Church. Interment will follow in the Lodge Grass cemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Catherine A. Bell
RED LODGE – Catherine A. Bell, 79, of Red Lodge, formerly of Absarokee, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at Cedar Wood Villa.
Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Red Lodge cemetery. Olcott Funeral Chapel is in charge.
Kenneth L. Cornell
SHERIDAN, Wyo. – Kenneth L. Cornell, 66, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at the Sheridan VA Medical Center.
Memorial services will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Church of Christ on Big Horn Ave. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. at Mount Hope cemetery in Springview, Neb.
John Crystal
John Crystal, 89, passed away of natural causes on Aug. 30, 2000, at Billings Deaconess Hospital
John was born Nov. 21, 1910, in Ta-coma, Wash., to Conrad and Marie Crystal. His younger years were spent in the Fromberg area before moving to Billings. John worked for Billings Hardware before joining the Navy. Upon returning from naval duty, he worked until his retirement for Yellowstone County.
After retirement Eleanor and John were custodians for many years for the First Baptist Church.
John married
Eleanor Browning on Dec. 21, 1940. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.
He was a long time member of First Baptist Church and Fraternal Order of Eagles.
John was preceded in death by his parents and nine brothers and sisters. Survivors include his wife, Eleanor; son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Connie Crystal; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the First Baptist Church. Interment will follow services at Sunset Memorial Gardens with military rites.
Memorials may be sent in John’s memory to the First Baptist Church; 218 N. 34th St., Billings, MT 59101.
Virginia L. Ferris
WATSONVILLE, Calif. – Virginia Lee Cooper Ferris died on Aug. 14, 2000, in Watsonville, after a lengthy illness. She was born on Aug. 16, 1936, in Deadwood, S.D., to Ora Cooper and Ester Bonnie Moore Cooper.
Virginia is survived by her daughter, Patricia Ellison of Florence, Colo.; her son, Michael Ferris of Great Lakes, Ill., and her son, Timothy Ferris of Bridger, Mont.; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her brother, Gary Cooper, and sister, Mary Daniels, both of South Dakota, and several nieces and nephews
A memorial service will be held on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. at Valley Health Care Center in the Activities Room.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a gift fund for Valley Health Care Center in care of Pastor Curran T. Gunn, 1025 Lewis Ave., Billings, MT 59102.
Leo ‘John’ Fochs
John Fochs, 57, passed away Aug. 30, 2000. He was born Dec. 3, 1942, in Harlowton, Mont., the son of George L. and Helen Bet-tinger Fochs. He was raised in Shawmut, Mont. He at-tended schools in Shawmut, Harlowton and Livingston, Mont.
John worked at Montana Truck and Car Salvage for over 33 years. He enjoyed working with trucks and cars. He always knew how to make the engine run. He could often be found at the local car races, and took in the WinterNationals in Pomona, Calif., which he truly enjoyed.
He always looked forward to spending time in the outdoors – camping, hunting, fishing and boating, and could almost always be found spending his weekends at the ranch of Paul and Raymond Fochs. He loved to travel and enjoyed photographing the sights and scenes around him.
He is survived by his mother, Helen Fochs of Billings; sisters, Mary Drogitis of Billings, Diane and her husband, Lloyd Maichel of Billings, and Dolores Fochs of Omaha, Neb.; brothers, Mike and his wife, Cheri Fochs of Denver, Colo., David Fochs and companion, Betty Hanson of Harlowton, William and his wife, Karen Fochs of Billings, and Thomas Fochs of Los Angeles, Calif. John is also survived by the children and grandchildren of his beloved Marge Douglas, with whom he shared over 22 years of his life: Diane (Kelly) Bradley and their children, Aaron, Peter, Paul, Donita (Ken) Dierenfield and their children, Michelle, Jennifer, Nathan, and Tricia, David Douglas, all of Billings, and Dean Douglas of Texas.
John and Marge, inseparable in life, together in eternal peace.
John had many nieces and nephews who were all special to him.
Visitation for family and friends will be from 12 - 2 p.m. Thursday at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist. Memorial services will be held at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in the Billings Heights, 226 Wicks Lane, on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 11 a.m. The family requests that memorials be made to Big Sky Hospice at P.O. Box 35033, Billings, MT 59107.
Ruth Heidner
WOLF POINT – Ruth Orpha Heidner, 85, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at Trinity Hospital.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Gospel Fellowship Church in Wolf Point. Visitations will be held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Clayton Memorial Chapel. Interment will be in Greenwood cemetery.
Dan R. Hunt
Dan R. Hunt, 87, of Billings, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2000. The son of Roy and Hazel Hunt, he was born Aug. 17, 1913, in Swan, Iowa, where he lived until 1927. He then relocated to California and graduated from Compton High in 1931 where he was very active in sports and received a football scholarship to Drake University.
He married
Maxine Vander Ploeg May 20, 1939. They lived in Iowa until 1948 and moved to Red Lodge where he was in the hardware business. In 1950, he relocated to Billings where he worked in real estate, insurance and auto sales. In 1975, he purchased a mobile home park in Laurel. He returned to Billings in 1990.
Dan enjoyed golfing, hunting, fishing, and all sports. He loved to travel. He was a Laurel golf club member for 20 years.
He is survived by his spouse, Maxine Hunt; two sons, Gary and Kenneth Hunt; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial will be 10 a.m. Friday at Cremation or Funeral Gallery, 8 St. W. and St. John’s. Inurnment will take place at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be made to Optimist Club of Billings, 1434 Granite Ave., Billings, MT 59102.
Arrangements were made by Cremation or Funeral Gallery.
Al Keebler
Al Keebler, age 76, died on Aug., 29, 2000, at his ranch south of Billings from injuries sustained in a horse riding accident. He was born at the same ranch in 1924, the son of Homer and Julia Keebler, homesteaders of the property. After attending Fromberg High School, he served in the U. S. Army during WWII at General Eisenhower’s headquarters in London. After the war, he returned to Montana and married
his college sweetheart, Betty Cammock in 1947. He worked within the construction industry and was manager of Midland Materials for 24 years before retiring to the ranch. He loved Montana...but in his retirement he did return to visit the various WWII sites in Europe where he had served.
He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Connie Zimmerman; a son, Les Keebler; a brother, Jean Keebler of Bridger; and grandchildren, Ryan, Brent, and Zach Zimmerman and Allen, Jennifer, Kristi and Jill Keebler.
He belonged to Central Christian Church, Ashler Lodge, York Rite, and Al Bedoo Shrine where he rode in the Black Horse Patrol for 33 years.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, at Smith West Chapel. Interment will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Memorials to the Central Christian Church or the charity of choice.
Dorothy Lewis
BIG TIMBER – Dorothy “Dottie” Rose Lewis, died at home Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at Lowry Funeral Home. Interment will be in Greenwood cemetery in Monroe, Wis.
Marie A. Schloss
COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – Marie A. Schloss, age 81, of Dalton Gardens (Coeur D’Alene) and formerly of Glen-dive, Mont., died on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Wash.
Vigil service will be held at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1, at the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glendive with Father Joseph Ponessa officiating. Rite of Committal will be in the Dawson County cemetery. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements. Survivors include her husband and six children.
Nona Stubblefield
MILES CITY – Nona Stubblefield, 69, died on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at the Holy Rosary Extended Care Unit in Miles City.
Visitation will be held Thursday and Friday at the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home funeral home in Miles City. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, in the Eagles Section of the Custer County cemetery.
Oscar V. Swan
LEWISTOWN – Oscar V. Swan, 77, died Tuesday at his home of cancer.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Leo’s Catholic Church. Cremation has taken place. The Cloyd Funeral Home is in charge.
Jim Takacs
ROUNDUP – Jim Takacs, 67, died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, at Deaconess Medical Center in Billings after a valiant fight with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Jim was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in May 1933, to Joseph and Flora Tarcy Takacs. He moved to the United States in 1958 and resided in Indiana, Georgia, Wyoming, Washington, and Montana.
He owned several businesses in the electrical supply and accounting fields. Jim was a licensed pilot, played hockey, and enjoyed golf.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley; sons, David of Marietta, Ga., Jerry of Alma, Colo., Phillip of Alpharetta, Ga., and Donald of Breckenridge, Colo., Kerry of Greenville, Texas, Terry of Miles City; and daughter, Patricia Beacham of Dublin, Ga.; one brother, Garry of Nashville, Tenn.; grandchildren, Christopher and Lindsay of Marietta, Ga., Michael of Alpharetta, Jennifer, James and Jessica of Greenville, Steven and Julie of Dublin, Ga.
Visitation will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday evening at Wier Funeral Home in Roundup. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church with Rev. John Iverson officiating. Burial will be at Roundup City cemetery. The family will be receiving visitors at 52 Holly Lane. A luncheon will be served at the church following the interment.
Pallbearers will be sons, David, Phillip, Donald, Terr, Kerry and friend, Stan Pisle. Honorary Pallbearers are Jack Fischer, Ken Witteman, Rick Dillman, Rick Carlson, Dave Kuhn, and Dave Salveson.
Arthur L. Antonson
WOLF POINT – Arthur “Art” Leroy Antonson, 83, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Greenwood cemetery with military rites.
Jace B. Ten Broek
WORLAND, Wyo. – Jace Brandon Ten Broek, 30, formerly of Bozeman, Mont., died in a work related motor vehicle accident near Rock Springs on Aug. 28, 2000.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, at Ten Sleep Methodist Church. Interment will be in the family cemetery at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, in McIntosh, S.D.
Viola Brown
SIDNEY – Viola Brown, 91, died Monday, Aug. 28, 2000, at the Sidney Health Center.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church. Interment will be in the Richland Memorial Park. Fulkerson Funeral Home is in charge.
John Bury
SHERIDAN, Wyo. – John Bury, 80, died Saturday, Aug. 26, 2000, in Memorial Hospital of Sheridan County.
Viewing will be from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30, from Ferries Funeral Home. Graveside service will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday in Sheridan Municipal cemetery.
