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Edwin Marion Ewen
PLAINS – Edwin Marion Ewen, 74, of Plains, passed away on Friday, Oct. 6, 2000, at St. Patrick Hospital of natural causes.
He was born on April 24, 1926, in Worden, to Stephen and Eleanor (Stromme) Ewen.
Edwin served in the U.S. Army during World War II in France. He received two Purple Hearts.
On Feb. 22, 1947, he married
Frances Osmond in Billings. He was a man of many talents and worked in numerous occupations throughout his life.
Edwin loved children and horses. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, gardening and playing cards.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. Survivors include his wife, Frances Ewen of Plains; six children, Linda Laager of Lancaster, Minn., Sharlene Rivinius of Plains, Shirley Wilson of Trout Creek, James Ewen of South Beach, Ore., Roy Ewen of Ft. Worth, Texas, and Marilyn Braught of Clackamas, Ore.; three sisters, Ada Bohl of Pompeys Pillar, Mont., Marjorie Durand of White Plains, N.Y., and Marlene Spooner and her husband, John, of Toole, Utah; three brothers, Keith Ewen and his wife, Doris, of Ballantine, Mont., Robert Ewen and his wife, Theresa, of Billings and Richard Ewen of Bridger, Mont., 22 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Sanders County Fairgrounds Pavilion. A reception will follow at the VFW Hall.
Honorary pallbearers will be Doyle Chenoweth, Bert Stobie, Gunner Johnson, Anton Johnson, Merlin Ehlers and Clarence Rivinius.
The family suggests memorials to the Plains VFW, the American Heart Association or to the Plains Paradise Senior Citizens Center.
Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory.
Preston L. Funkhouser Jr.
BELLA VISTA, Ark. – Preston L. Funkhouser, Jr., 80, died Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000, in Bella Vista.
Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Bella Vista Funeral Home & Crematory.
Oscar Kristian Hanson
Oscar Kristian Hanson, 74, was born Nov. 20, 1925, in Billings. Oscar passed away Oct. 9 at Valley Nursing Home after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was the son of Antone and Karen Hanson.
Oscar attended school in Billings, then joined the Air Force. He and Ardis Bartz were married
on Nov. 16, 1947, in Barber. They enjoyed a wonderful marriage of over 52 years.
After 36 years of loyal employment to Exxon Refinery, he retired in 1984. His life was fulfilled with his family, hunting, dancing and hand-feeding his pet cows with his faithful dog “Sam” by his side.
Oscar is survived by his wife, Ardis; his two sons, Rodney B. (Carol) Hanson of Buffalo, S.D., and Butch (Sonya) Hanson of Billings; grandchildren, Marci (Blaine) Hardy of Alabama, Sheri (Casin) Rader of Billings, Cristy (Kevin) Carpenter, also of Billings; three brothers, Clarence (Dorothy) Hanson of Billings, Harry (Helen) Hanson of Billings and Melvin Hanson of Oregon; and three sisters, Anna Miller, Alma Vantrict and Margie Smith, all of Billings.
Memorials may be given to Alzheimer’s Association; Nat’l Processing CNTR, PO Box 64421, St. Paul, MN 55164-9355.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist. Interment will follow at Yellowstone Valley Memorial Park.
Lloyd R. Ivie
Lloyd R. Ivie, age 80, of Billings, passed away at home on Sunday morning, Oct. 8, 2000. He was born July 26, 1920, in Broadview, to Raye P. and Estelle M. (Barnes) Ivie. He graduated from Broadview High School in 1938. He entered the Air Force and served during WW II.
On June 15, 1947, Lloyd married
Frances L. Johnson in Billings and began farming and ranching at Acton, Mont. He retired and they moved to Billings in January, 1990.
Lloyd was an active member of American Lutheran Church, served on the Molt Farmers Elevator Board, Acton and Broadview school boards and St. John’s Lutheran Foundation Board. He was a member of the Rapelje Masonic Lodge, # 122, Scottish Rite Bodies, Al Bedoo Shrine Black Horse Patrol, Elks and American Legion.
Lloyd enjoyed bowling, golfing, cards and was an excellent dancer.
He is survived by his wife, Frances, of 53 years; one son, Larry of Mason, Ohio; three daughters, Lynnette (Dan) Downs of Molt, Lavonne (Jim) Seitz of Acton, and Lugene (Brian) Peissig of Eden Prairie, Minn.; eight grandchildren, Brian (Denise) Ivie, Eric (Sheri) Ivie, Justin, Jennifer and Brianne Downs; Jonathan, Christopher and Timothy Seitz; one sister, Pauline Roth of Sacramento, Calif.
Lloyd was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Kathleen Cash, an infant brother, Lawrence and an infant daughter, Laurie Rose.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at the American Lutheran Church, 5 Lewis Ave. Interment with military honors will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Visitation will start 5 p.m. Tuesday at Smith’s West Chapel, 304 34th St. West.
Memorials may be made to Christikon Bible Camp; 1108 24th St. West, Billings, MT 59102; Broadview Community Center or charity of one’s choice.
James Matthew Scherger
HARDIN – James Matthew Scherger, 32 of Hardin, passed away Friday, Oct. 6, 2000. James, affectionately known as Jimmy, was born Feb. 25, 1968, in Billings, the son of Mary J. Studer and Robert H. Scherger. He graduated from Billings West High School, class of 1986.
Jim was preceded in death by his father Robert H. Scherger and all his grandparents.
Survivors include his mother, Mary of Billings; his siblings, Clare Ann Scherger Roberson and husband Gary of Lincoln, Mont., Mary Kay Hill of Billings, Robert D. Scherger of Billings, Joseph P. Scherger and wife Michele of North Platte, Neb., and John J. Scherger and wife Karen of Dallas, Texas; eight nieces and nephews, Ericka and Benjamin Hill, Sias, Adria, Aensley and Lanae Scherger, and Drew and Leslie Scherger. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Jim had a deep faith and attended church at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hardin under the pastoring of Fr. Fabian. Jim enjoyed outdoor activities and had a passion for hunting and fishing that led to a career as a fly fishing guide on the Bighorn River. Jim was a licensed outfitter who was respected for his skill, integrity and experience. Jim always insured that his clients enjoyed themselves with a focus on the “experience” rather than the number of fish caught – although catching fish was never a problem when you were with Jim.
Jim will always be remembered by family and friends as a sensitive, kind, and loving person. On the river, Jim was at home and found serenity and joy.
A Vigil Service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at noon Thursday, Oct. 12, at St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral with Rite of Committal in Yellowstone Valley Memorial Park. Memorials may be directed to the James M. Scherger Memorial Fund, c/o First Interstate Bank, 402 N. Center Ave., Hardin, MT 59034, Attn: Vic Uffleman.
Leta ‘Lee’ Coates Schwerma
Leta “Lee” Schwerma, 49, of Roundup, died Sunday, Oct. 8, 2000, after a courageous five-year battle with cancer.
Visitation will be Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cremation & Funeral Gallery, 29 8th St. W., Billings. Cremation will follow.
Memorial services are at 11 a.m. Saturday Oct. 14, at Ferries Funeral Home, Sheridan, Wyo., with Rev. Gary Pearson, pastor of Bull Mountain Community Church, officiating. Interment will be in Mount Hope cemetery in Big Horn, Wyo.
Mrs. Schwerma was born May 23, 1951, in Sheridan, Wyo., the youngest of six children of Floyd and Vera (Galbreath) Coates.
Lee worked as a secretary during the years before she met and married
John H. Schwerma on June 9, 1984, in Billings.
John was in the military and they lived in Texas and South Dakota before John retired and they returned to Billings. Eventually they purchased property near Roundup where they have lived since.
Lee enjoyed gardening (especially herbs), sewing, reading and helping John with his flea market business. She was a member of Bull Mountain Community Church in Roundup.
Lee was preceded in death by her mother in December of 1998, her father in December of 1976, and two step fathers.
She is survived by her husband, John, at home; three sisters, Mona Coates Brown of Sheridan, Wyo., Lily Coates Bumbaca of Clearmont, Wyo., and Betty Coates Forner of Vancouver, Wash.; two brothers, Les Coates of Hardin, and George Coates of Rose Prairie, B.C.; two step sisters, Judy Best Halstead of New Mexico and Connie Best Widdison of Gillette, Wyo., and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Memorials may go to the Leta Schwerma Pulpit Fund at the Bull Mountain Community Church located on the Shining Mountain Christian Ranch, 117 Old Divide Road, Roundup, MT, 59072.
Craig Donald Sillivan
QUARTZITE, Ariz. – Craig Donald Sillivan, 70, a resident of Quartzite, Ariz., died Oct. 7, 2000, in Gold Hill, Ore.
Craig was born on July 9, 1930, in Ryegate. He grew up on the Sillivan family ranch in the Big Coulee, south of Ryegate, and attended Ryegate High School.
He served as a deputy sheriff for Golden Valley County in the early ’50s. From 1954-1960, Craig ranched, then he worked as a land leveler in Eastern Montana operating heavy equipment.
He worked as a mechanic in Quartzite, Ariz., for many years. He loved his family, friends and music. Craig enjoyed competition shooting and riding motorcycles.
He is preceded in death by his sister, Sara (Sillivan) Jellison Piety of Joliet, Mont., in 1995, and a brother, Wayne Sillivan of Columbus, Mont., in 1997.
Survivors include long time companion and friend, Delores Tibbels of Quartzite, Ariz., and a brother, Warren Sillivan of Ryegate, Mont. Many nieces and nephews survive him.
Cremation has taken place with no services planned. Friends and relatives are invited to witness Craig’s burial at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Rockvale cemetery just south of Laurel, Mont.
Memorials may be made to Assured Home Health and Hospice in Billings. Sympathy cards may be sent to: The Craig Sillivan Family, HC41, Box 103, Acton, MT 59002. Arrangements are by Abbey Funeral in Medford, Ore.
Susanna Stahl
FLATWILLOW COLONY–“I lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help” Psalm 121:1.
Our dear sweet mother, Susanna Stahl, went home to be with Jesus on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 8, 2000. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Our hearts ache and the emptiness is unbearable, but we have comfort in knowing that you are now sweetly resting in the arms of Jesus.
Mom was born April 3, 1931, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, to George and Susanna Hofer. In 1950, she married
Eli Stahl of the King Colony in Lewistown. They moved to the Flatwillow Colony at Roundup in 1979. Her husband, infant son David and a great-granddaughter Sierra preceded her in death.
Our mom was diagnosed with leukemia on her birthday of this year. We will remember her as a Godly, gentle, beautiful woman who loved Jesus, the church, her Bible, her children and grandchildren. Her many interests included gardening, sewing, reading, flowers and, most of all, opening her home to many that she loved like her own.
Those left to mourn her passing are her children, Eli and Laura Stahl of the family home, Suzy Stahl of Miles City, Ken (Becky) Stahl, Tim (Becky) Stahl, Jonathon (Ann) Stahl, Debbie (Mick) Wollman, all of Flatwillow Community; Ruth (Jake) Walter of Judith Gap, Marie (Frank) Walter of Odessa, Wash., and a beloved son Perry Sorenson of Roundup; her three sisters, Rachel Hofer of the Felger Farm at Lethbridge, Alberta, Ann (Sam) Hofer of Tabor, Alberta and Lizzie (George) Hofer, of Raymond, Alberta; two brothers, Darius (Anna) Hofer of Lodge Grass and Peter (Sara) Hofer of Odessa, Wash. Her grandchildren are Brad (Helen) Stahl, Toby (Nan) Stahl, Titus, Keturah, and baby Hope Zoe Stahl, Tamara and Wes Stahl, Whitney, Roman, and Cameron Wollman, Jamie, Joseph and Taylor Anne Shirley Stahl, all of the Flatwillow Community; Calvin, Melanie, and Jackie Walter of Judith Gap, Sheldon Ronnie, Cynthia, David and Denise Walter of Odessa, Wash.; her aunts, Rachel and Barbara Walter of Lethbridge; four sisters-in-law, Susie Hofer, Annie (Dave) Stahl, and Rachel (Paul) Stahl, of Flatwillow, and Katie (Joe) Hofer of Harlem. Also mourning her passing are Muriah and Sonya Stahl, and Caleb (who has already asked where grandma is), Almonzo, Veronica, and Debbie Troyer of the school and all those who loved her at Flatwillow Community.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the New Life Assembly of God Church, 903 Main Street in Roundup. Wier Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Officiating are her sons, Eli and Tim Stahl and her nephew Rueben Stahl. Burial will be at the colony cemetery with a reception immediately following. Momma dearest, you were tired, and we could not hold you to this earth. We rest, knowing you are with Jesus.
James W. “Blackie” Swanson
BUFFALO, Wyo. – Funeral services for James W. “Blackie” Swanson, a 74-year-old Buffalo man who passed away Sunday at his home in Buffalo following a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, from the Adams Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tom Saur officiating. Visitation will be held at the funeral home at 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Tuesday and at 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Military graveside services will be conducted in Willow Grove cemetery following the funeral. Friends may donate in Blackie’s memory to the Buffalo Senior Center or Johnson County Home Health in care of the funeral home.
James W. “Blackie” Swanson was born May 25, 1926, in Rapid City, S.D. He was born the second son to Swanie Swanson, who emigrated as a child from Sweden, and his adored mother, Ethel “Sadie” Snyder.
Dad grew up during the Depression, and living in the Black Hills greatly influenced his youth. He developed a great appreciation for this earth and the beauty of God’s creations. Biking and swimming were his childhood pastimes and in doing so, he tanned readily and earned his nickname “Blackie.” He rode his bike up to Mt. Rushmore during the years it was being built. His grandfather, Theodore Swanson, worked as a carpenter on the monument.
At age 17, Dad enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a Tech-Sergeant for Communications in Germany. He was a natural communicator with a wonderful sense of humor and the “gift of gab.”
He returned to Rapid City after the war and graduated from Rapid High in 1947. Dad attended the School of Mines in Rapid City and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1951 and his Masters degree in 1952, both from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
On Nov. 29, 1953, he married
his sweetheart, Joy Irene Bagley. They went on to raise four daughters and lived in Billings until 1975.
Dad’s career in the “Oil Patch” began with Shell Oil Co. in 1952. He made many lifetime friends among his co-workers there. In 1959, he went to work for Mule Creek Oil Co., founded by Fortin and Hancock. In 1970, he decided to become independent as a well-site consulting geologist. In 1974, while employed by Webb Resources, he worked in Bogota, Columbia, for six months.
Upon his return, he decided to move the family to Buffalo, Wyo. Since the majority of his work was in the Powder River Basin, his distance back home would be shorter. Dad and Mom spent 25 wonderful years in Buffalo. Dad’s second love was golfing, and he walked many rounds on the Buffalo Golf Course. His other hobbies included skiing, cribbage and photography. He was an avid sports enthusiast. He will be remembered by Mom and us children as a supportive and encouraging force in our lives and a wonderful, devoted husband and father.
Dad is survived by his loving caregiver, our mother, Joy; his four daughters, Jan and her husband Pierre Holland of Billings, Julie and her husband Hugh Unangst and their children Erik and Kelsi of Covington, Wash., Jodi and her husband Mark Longo of Billings and Jolene and her husband Scott Musselman and their children Aubrie, James and Shea of Littleton, Colo.; two brothers, John Swanson and family of Rapid City and Bob Swanson and family of Pueblo, Colo.; many nieces and nephews, cousins and close friends, Adrian Padon, John Eagen, Bob Baxter, Lee Garett, Dave Schaenen, Bob McKee, Laddi McDade, Vern Hunter and too many more to list. He was preceded in death by his parents, his niece Debra Swanson and young cousin Alec Mavity.
Hazel M. Erickson
MALTA – Hazel M. Erickson, 88, died Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2000, at the County Home from natural causes.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, at the Adams Memorial Chapel. Interment will take place in the Malta cemetery.
Merlin C. Boyer
Merlin C. Boyer died coming back from fishing, the thing he loved to do most. He was born May 16, 1939, the son of Benjamin and Genevieve (Fowler) Boyer in Billings and was raised in Miles City.
He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1957. Merlin was a member of the Eagles Club for 40 years. He was mechanically gifted and went to school to become a master mechanic, a profession he enjoyed for a number of years. Merlin decided to change professions and became a maintenance engineer at the Yellowstone County Courthouse where he loved doing his job.
He is survived by his wife, of 36 years, Sharon (Lacey) Boyer; two sons, Larry and Merlin and his wife, Kam, a brother, Benjamin Boyer; and five grandchildren, Ryan, Amber, Damian, Jeremy and Mercedes. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews who all loved him very much.
In lieu of flowers please send donations in Merlin’s name to the American Cancer Society, 2116 Broadwater Ave., Billings, MT 59102.
A celebration of his life will be held 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at the Smith Downtown Chapel. Cremation has taken place at Smith’s Crematory.
