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Anna Marie Nefzger
Anna Marie Nefzger was born 86 years ago, the second child of Daniel and Olga Neuhardt Schlenker on their farm six miles south of Watkins, (which was five miles southwest of Brockway). She was a first-generation American as both parents were Germans born in Russia. Her mother died when she was only three years of age and her father then married
her mother’s sister, Mary Neuhardt. As the oldest child, she helped her dad in the fields and working outside.
She attended the Gackle School for eight years and Brockway High School for three years. She then moved to Oakland, Calif., to help her aunt and uncle in their donut shop, graduating from Castlemont High School in 1944, at the height of the war. She then contributed to the war effort working in a fruit cannery and afterwards in a title/abstract office.
She returned to Montana in 1949 and worked in the County Assessor’s Office until she married
Donald Deane Nefzger on Sept. 1, 1950. Together, with their three children, they farmed several sections of wheat, barley and safflower, and ran a few head of cattle near Vida. Mrs. Nefzger worked as hard as any man on the farm, driving tractor and truck, tossing hay bales and mowing the 10 acres around the house. Her most enjoyable summer was having her “work crew” of nephews Mike Schlenker and Jim Ruckman helping her do many long-over-due projects around the farm.
She began working at McCone Electric Cooperative in July 1960, retiring as Billing Supervisor in December 1974 when she returned to the farm. n 1976 she was the first woman elected to McCone Electric’s board of directors where she served for 15 years, traveling to Atlanta, Portland, Las Vegas, San Diego and Anchorage. She was an outdoors person, but also enjoyed making latch-hook rugs, collecting coins and bowling. She was a member of the Germans From Russia Historical Society and was active in politics.
She joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary Post 4813 in July 1949 under her father who was a World War I veteran, where she advanced through local, district and state posts, serving as State President in 1969-1970 and several local positions after that. Travels with the VFW took her to Miami, Kansas City, Chicago, Seattle, Yakima, Minneapolis, Detroit, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Omaha, Dallas, Honolulu and Washington, D.C., as well as nearly every town in Montana.
She played accordion and guitar in her younger days and piano and organ at the Congregational Church in Circle for 30 years as well as being church secretary/treasurer. She and her sister, Verna, sang German songs on many occasions.
Mrs. Nefzger moved into Wolf Point in 1986 and worked in the Admissions Office at Trinity Hospital for six years until she began working with the Green Thumb program at Northeastern Montana Job Service from which she retired in 1999. From 2000 to 2003 she was a Retired Senior Volunteer in the VISTA Program with “America Reads” where she was a tutor at the Southside Elementary School one day a week listening to first-, second- and third-graders read. She was treasurer of the Wolf Point Senior Citizens and one of five directors.
She moved to Glendive in October 2003 and began singing with Timeless Praise ladies group at the Glendive Evangelical Church. She loved her yard full of trees, shrubs and flowers of all kinds and kept busy watering, raking and chasing squirrels away from her bird feeders.
In October 2008 she moved into Grandveiw Retirement Apartments and participated in most daily activities. She especially enjoyed daily exercise, Bible study, jigsaw puzzles and coffee with her many friends.
Her most memorable trips were to meet 11 of her 15 first cousins in Germany in September 1993 with her daughter Deanna and then visiting Israel and the Holy Land, “walking where Jesus walked, ” in June 1999 with her son Darrell and his wife Patti. She also enjoyed going to Saskatchewan Roughriders football games with her son Dan who was taking classes at nearby Briercrest Seminary at the time.
On May 15, 2012, she fell while sweeping her patio at Grandview and broke both bones in her left leg, just above the ankle. She had broken many bones in the past, but after a very painful 12 weeks, her osteoporitic bones and incision still had not healed and Jesus finally took her home to be with Him.
She is survived by three children: Dan Nefzger of Vida, Deanna (Craig) Hostetler of Glendive, and Darrell (Patti) Nefzger of Bloomfield; one sister, Verna Bjoralt of Circle; two brothers, Leo Schlenker of Bozeman and Emil (JoAnn) Schlenker of Tacoma, Wash.; a brother-in-law, John Ruckman of Denver, Colo.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Deane Nefzger on New Year’s Eve 2005; her parents, Dan and Olga; her step-mother, Mary; her brothers, Delmer and Ernest; her sister, Esther (Ruckman); two siblings, Ruth and Alvin, who died in infancy; sisters-in-law Inge, Elaine and Doris; and brothers-in-law, Orville and Howard.
Visitation will be Friday, Aug. 17, 2012, from 2 to 7 p.m. with the family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Circle, which originally was the Congregational Church to which she belonged for 30 years. Funeral Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012, at the Clayton Stevensons Memorial Chapel in Circle followed by interment in the Veterans cemetery in Circle. A light lunch will be served at the chapel after the interment by the ladies of Bethlehem and Red Top Mennonite Churches and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.
Delane Nixon
A Tribute to the life of Delane Nixon, 63, of Belle Fourche, S.D., will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Cadillac Ranch near Belle Fourche.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Belle Fourche with Father Dennis Tyler officiating.
Mr. Nixon died Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in a vehicle accident near Belle Fourche.
He is survived by his wife, Maura Jo (Hanify) Nixon of Belle Fourche; daughters, Kerry Frei of Red Owl, S.D., Robyn Miller of Saratoga, Wyo., and Molly Garrett of Bill, Wyo.; seven grandchildren; his mother, Maxine Nixon of Belle Fourche; and brothers, Don Nixon of Alzada and Dallas Nixon of Belle Fourche.
Karen Christine Hamilton
Karen Christine Hamilton, 73, of Miles City, died Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in Billings.
She was born April 3, 1939 in Wyoming, a daughter of Layton and Dorothy Luk Silvernale.
She is survived by two daughters, Laura Hamilton and Kim Bolek.
Cremation has taken place. No services are planned.
Bullis-Graves Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.
June "Elaine" Wood
June “Elaine” Wood, age 93, died peacefully in her sleep Aug. 9, 2012, at Eagle Cliff Manor in Billings.
She was born June 12, 1919, in Miles City to Leslie and June Wood Bell. Her parents and their two other children, Bill and Marisue, lived on a ranch near Broadus. During the Depression they moved to town where Elaine graduated as the salutatorian of her high school class. She received her nursing degree at Columbus Nursing School in Great Falls.
During World War II she served her country as an officer in the US Army stationed at a hospital in London caring for the troops wounded during the D-Day invasion. After the war ended Elaine returned to Miles City and worked at the Holy Rosary Hospital. She continued her nursing career at the Veterans Hospital where she retired after 35 years. In 1983 she moved to Billings to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughter, Michele Wilcox, who lives in Billings, and her son, John (Venetta Morger) Wood, who lives in The Woodlands, TX. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Leslie Taft, who lives in Billings, granddaughter Christina Hueske, who resides in Shelton, WA, granddaughter Tenley (Ken) Huste, who lives in Spring, TX and grandson 2nd LT Morgan Wood, who resides in Fort Rucker, AL, as well as seven great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11am, Friday, Aug. 17, at Smith Funeral Chapels on 925 South 27th in Billings, and her ashes will be laid to rest near Broadus.
Marie Shefelbine
Marie Shefelbine died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, just 10 days shy of her 93rd birthday.
Mrs. Shefelbine was born Marie Gidley on Aug. 15, 1919, at Brockton.
She and Orville Shefelbine were married
on Sept. 19, 1938, at Glasgow and they moved to New Deal where Mr. Shefelbine went to work for the Civilian Conservation Corp at Fort Peck. After Fort Peck, they moved to a small farm on Red Water and later purchased their farm just west of the Sunnyside School in McCone County.
Mrs. Shefelbine had a wry sense of humor that endeared her to people. She loved hugs, both to give and receive. She loved to garden and was always anxious in the spring to get her bedding plants in the ground so they could begin producing their beautiful colors.
She was not afraid to tackle most any job and was quite handy with carpentry tools. Growing up in the dirty thirties made a big impression on her and she learned to do a lot with a little. Her family was her joy.
Mrs. Shefelbine spent the last five years of her life in the McCone County Nursing Home where she was lovingly cared for by the staff there. Her feisty attitude and wry sense of humor kept them guessing and brought chuckles to those who cared for her.
She is survived by a brother, Jimmy; two sisters, Thelma and Alice; three sons, Orville (Nancy) of Anchorage, Alaska, Leslie (Annita) of Laurel and Vic (Janet) of the family farm; a daughter, Kathy (Ron) McFarland of Circle; and six grandchildren, James (Kelly) Shefelbine of Florida, Kelly (Che’) Eissinger of Cody, Wyo., Brad (Shannon) Shefelbine of Australia, Scott (Kari) McFarland of Belgrade, and Lara and Lucas of the family farm; and six great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Orville; a brother, John; a sister, Faye; and a son, “Baby” Shefelbine.
Per her wishes, Mrs. Shefelbine will be cremated and a private family service will be held at a later date.
Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home of Circle is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice or to the McCone County Library.
Robert D. "Bob" Johnson
Robert D. “Bob” Johnson, 75, longtime Miles City businessman, died early Saturday morning, Aug. 11, 2012, at the Friendship Villa Care Center.
Mr. Johnson was born Aug. 31, 1936, in Poplar, the son of Donovan E. and Beth M. Wallace Johnson. He went to grade school and graduated from Poplar High School in 1954. He was one of three students who contracted rheumatic fever in his junior and senior year, and was allowed to challenge his classes in order to graduate on time. He started working at the local theater when he was 15.
In 1956 Bob and Donna Anderson were united in marriage. Shortly after their marriage he was offered a position to manage the theater in Havre. He and his wife moved there to pursue his career and start their family of five girls. He took an interest in the city by joining the Chamber. He also was a member of the Jaycees and Elks.
Mr. Johnson came to Miles City in 1975 to be the manager of two indoor theaters and the drive in theater. He met and married
Jan Jaynes in 1977 and to this union one daughter was born. Mr. Johnson renewed his interest in chamber activities and was president in 1984. He also was a member of the Ton and Country Club and the Elks.
His survivors include his wife, Jan; his mother; six daughters, Debra Wood of Sidney, Dawn Steveson, Danette (David) Olguin, Beth (Greg) Schneider and Susan Hall, all of Miles City and Charlyn (D.J.) Marsh of Billings; and two sisters, Sharon (Frank) Ojile of Minneapolis, Minn., and Betty (Roy) Solberg of Big Sandy, MT.
He also leaves a legacy of 15 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren (and, yes, there are some boys).
Mr. Johnson was preceded in death by his father in 1958.
The family will receive friends Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, at 11 a.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Interment will follow in the Custer County cemetery.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Henry A. Neibauer
Henry A. Neibauer, 91, died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, at the Holy Rosary Extended Care Facility in Miles City.
Mr. Neibauer was born in Mandan, N.D., the son of Anton and Elizabeth Dworshak Neibauer. He attended grade school in Hazelton and worked on the family farm until he enlisted in the United States Army and served his country faithfully for four years.
He married
the love of his life, Esther Wahl, on Sept 2, 1948, in Mandan, N.D. They continued farming until they moved to Dickinson, N.D., and to Killdeer working in the oilfield.
They moved to Miles City in 1957 where he worked for Midland Lumber for many years until retirement. Raised with a strong work ethic, Mr. Neibauer then worked at the Olive Hotel and Motel 6 making Miles City their home.
He was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and even helped build the original building. Mr. Neibauer was a devout Christian man, and enjoyed working in his yard.
His survivors include his wife, Esther of Miles City; two sons, Jerry (Deborah) Neibauer of Miles City and Mike (Kim) Neibauer of Miles City; one daughter, Peggy Erickson of Billings; one brother, John Neibauer of Mandan, N.D.; and one sister, Rose Becker of Billings.
Mr. Neibauer also is survived by four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Helen Fetch; one son, Alexander; and two grandsons, Andy Neibauer and Kevin Blank.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, followed by a prayer service at 6 p.m. in the Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral Services will be Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, at 1 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church. Interment will be at the Eastern Montana State Veterans cemetery with full military honors. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.
Mary Ann Mallett
Mary Ann Mallett, 77, of Miles City died Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, at the Holy Rosary Healthcare in Miles City with her children by her side.
Mrs. Mallett was born into a family of 13 on Nov. 16, 1933, in Miles City, the daughter of Joe and Edna Zwoliki Kiel. After her schooling she helped her sister herd sheep in Nebraska then moved back to Miles City where she worked for Bill Mathers.
She married
James Mallett on Nov. 12, 1955, and together she ranched along with her family until the time of her death.
Honesty and integrity were two virtues which Mrs. Mallett lived by. Most people worked to live; she lived to work and made the best apple pie in the world.
Her survivors include a son, Monte (Sonya) Mallett of Powderville; two daughters: Tammy (Mike) Pecha of Powderville and Jane Piercy of Billings; two sisters: Alice Grasby and Virginia “Ginny” Freize, both of Miles City; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James Allen Mallett in 2001; 10 brothers and sisters; one grandson, James Earl Clark; and one daughter, Sheila June.
Family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Funeral services will be Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011, at 11 a.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Interment will follow in the Eastern Montana State Veterans cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Powderville Hall or charity of one’s choice.
Louis Gilbert (Gil) Leibinger
L. Gilbert (Gib) Leibinger was born on June 7, 1930 to Louis Herman Leibinger and Thelma Rice Leibinger.
He was raised in Miles City, MT and attended local public schools. His talent as a pianist was discovered early, and he played his first “gig” at age five in the storefront window of a Billings, MT department store. By his mid-teens he was playing in clubs and with dance bands. During this period he also commuted to Chicago on his father’s railroad pass to study piano with Rudolf Reuter at the American Conservatory of Music.
Gib graduated from the University of Montana in Missoula where he directed various choral groups and served as accompanist for the University’s acclaimed touring group, The Jubileers, also composing songs and musicals for their repertoire. Here he met his first wife, singer Jinx Van Horne. After breaking his back in a car accident, he turned from his pursuit of a career as a concert pianist to composing and conducting.
Yale University offered him a graduate fellowship, so he went east to hone his skills as a writer/composer of musical comedies. While at Yale, he was the Director of the Yale Freshman Chorus, studied with Quincy Porter, and was musical director of several campus musical productions. Collaborating with future Broadway playwright A.R. (Pete) Gurney, Gib wrote scores for three musical shows. One of their musicals, Love In Buffalo, received a popular main stage production at Yale and another, Around the World in 80 Days, was published by Dramatic Publishing Company and performed nationally and internationally for decades.
After receiving his MFA degree from Yale Drama School, he headed for New York City. There he became the Administrative Director of the American Choral Foundation, publishing a cutting edge newsletter, reviewing new compositions, and traveling around the country organizing workshops for music professionals and working with state arts councils. For three years, he was a member of B.M.I’s Musical Theater Workshop for composers and lyricists, headed by Broadway conductor, Lehman Engel. Here he met another of his favorite lyricists, Ed Wilson, a drama critic for the Wall Street Journal. Other New York ventures included acting as music director for a Barnard-Columbia College production of The Boys From Syracuse and singing in the New York Collegiate Chorale, founded by Robert Shaw.
His next stop was Denver, CO where he continued to maintain the combination of jobs so frequently required to make a living in the arts — in his case, as a performer/composer, teacher, and church musician. Gib was music director for a number of Bonfils Theater productions. His composing projects included a score for a Colorado Women’s College production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle that the Denver Post critic insisted must have been written by Kurt Weill. He developed outstanding programs in music and drama at two private schools (Kent and Denver Country Day), was a pianist in area restaurants and clubs, and filled his weekends with teaching private piano and fulfilling the duties of a church music director including a long tenure at Trinity Lutheran Church in Littleton, CO. Somehow he also managed to complete a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Colorado in Boulder and finished his final project with an adjudicated performance featuring his fine church choir.
By 1970 he had married
Rebecca Orcutt, and when their children reached school age, he began searching for “just one job.” Inspired by the combined enthusiasm of Pete Simpson and Bob Wilson, he applied for a vacant position in the Music Department at Sheridan College in 1979. He was selected for the job and took on the mission to “continue the development of the Choral Program, teach piano and theory, work closely with the community on music projects, and start a music theatre program which could embrace the talents of the Sheridan Community as well as the college students.” And he proceeded to do just that!
During his tenure at Sheridan College, Leibinger was producer/music director for eight musical reviews and more than 15 full-scale musical shows for the college, the WYO Theater, and the Civic Theatre Guild, including Carnival, The Music Man, John Brown’s Body, Carousel, The All Night Strut, The Fantasticks, and The Drunkard. He and wife Rebecca, a SC English and Communications Instructor, teamed up to direct six shows: Little Mary Sunshine, Hello Dolly, Guys and Dolls, Side By Side by Sondheim, Oklahoma, and the Menotti opera, Amahl and The Night Visitors. Cast members recall how he spent countless hours rearranging music so it would suit their voices and bring out the best in his performers
As director of the Sheridan College Community Choir, Gib joined forces with the Wyoming State Choir for a concert tour of England and Scotland as well as combined performances with orchestras in Rapid City, Denver, Billings, and New York’s Avery Fisher Hall. He challenged the Choir with major works by Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, Orff, Britten, Brahms, and Vivaldi and was a master at coaxing out nuanced and technically refined performances from amateurs and challenging each and every singer to reach his or her greatest potential. He loved the music of John Rutter and introduced the community to many of his compositions. Reviving the college show choir, General Delivery, Gib led these students in over 650 performances in the Sheridan area and in schools throughout Wyoming, serving the college as an important recruiting organization as well as acting as goodwill ambassadors. He also was a pioneer in synthesized music and spent a summer studying its potential at Stanford University in 1988. He secured funding for a Macintosh/Synthesizer Lab at SC and began teaching courses in computers and music, also coordinating and organizing summer workshops for local music instructors, high school students, and business professionals. Some of his students have gone on to become professional musicians and a number of his former students are now music educators in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Nebraska.
He retired from Sheridan College in 1998 and turned to his other great loves, fishing, working on building projects with his family, and composing. His most recent lyricist and collaborator was writer Craig Johnson for whom he wrote three musical scores for WYO shows: Macbeth the Musical, Frankenstein, and their version of A Christmas Carol which became a Sheridan, WYO Christmas tradition.
His family, his students, and all the community members who participated in his concerts and productions remember his generosity, patience, and kind nature. As one recalled, “He made people care about doing things well. It was never about him. It was always about the music and his performers’ growth.” In the words of former student and musical colleague Bob Sallade, “You don’t spend time with Gib without carrying him with you through life.”
A review of the Yale production of his musical Love In Buffalo called Gib “a musician of uncommon talent.” He certainly merited that description. But his family and those who knew him also recognized him as a man of “uncommon kindness.”
He is survived by his wife Rebecca of Sheridan, WY; sons Douglas Leibinger (Rebecca Siegel) of Basalt, CO and Stephen Leibinger (Annie Bauhan) of Bozeman, MT; daughter Kathryn Leibinger of Basalt, CO; four talented and intrepid grand-daughters: Madelyne, Brooke, Evelyn, and Stephanie; his sister Shirley Lahr of Highland Ranch, CO; nieces Cheryl Lahr and Risa Muenchsdorfer; and grand-niece Rachel Ellard.
No service will be held at this time, but a celebration of Gib’s life and the music he loved will be held in late September or early October. The family is in the process of setting up a Performing Arts Scholarship fund in his honor, but also encourages donations in his name to the WYO Theater, the Sheridan Civic Theater Guild, National Public Radio, or the arts organization of the donor’s choice.
Susan Cook Ward Thorn
Susan Cook Ward Thorn died Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011.
She was born in Weymouth, Mass., on June 14, 1943, to Homer and Suzanne Whidden Cook. Mr. Cook died shortly thereafter in a rodeo accident in Madison Square Garden while on leave from the Army. Suzanne Cook remarried
Robert T. (Ted) Ward and Susan was adopted into the new family. She grew up on the 47 Ranch on Brackett Creek and spoke fondly of her days riding her horse Jester along with her siblings Mike, Bill and Charlotte.
She attended the Brackett Creek School and graduated from Catalina High School in Tucson, Ariz. She received an associate of science degree from Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. She worked as a professional bookkeeper in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Montana.
She will be remembered for her gardening passion, her love of flowers and animals, and her generous spirit. She was an avid reader and collector. She enjoyed countless wonderful times with her grandchildren.
Her survivors include her brothers, Bill (Marsha) Ward and Mike (Linda) Ward; her sister, Charlotte (Jay) Parsons; her three sons, Ken (Lee-Ann) Slosser of Potomac, MD, Shane Waddell of Bozeman and Michael (Jodi) Thorn of Bozeman; her grandchildren, Amanda and Melanie Slosser, Jerrid Tretter, Alexander, Lucas and Kaiden Thorn; her best friends, Mary and Gene; her best dog, Hellion; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her fathers, Homer Cook and Ted Ward; and her mother, Suzanne Ward.
Should family and friends desire and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the women’s crisis center, Haven, located in Bozeman. At her request, no formal services will be held. Her burial has taken place at Mountain View cemetery in Livingston. A celebration of her life will be held during an informal open house at the home of Mike and Linda Ward during the evening of Friday, Sept. 16, 2011. Friends and family are welcome to attend between 5 and 7 p.m.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service, 113 S. Willson Ave. in Bozeman.
