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KENNETH N. SUMNER
MISSOULA -- Kenneth N. Sumner, 64, of Polson, died on Feb. 19, 2002, at Community Medical Center here from natural causes. He was born on July 31, 1937, in Glasgow, to Dagney and Oscar Sumner. Ken attended schools in Washington. In the 1950s he moved to Polson with his family. Ken worked at the Polson Plywood Mill and at his family's business, the Cottage Hotel in Polson. Most recently Ken worked at Pier 93 in Polson. He was preceded in death by his parents. Cremation has taken place. A graveside memorial service was held on April 3 in Polson.
ELLEN BRICE SWOPE
LONEPINE -- Ellen Brice Swope, 92, longtime Lonepine resident, died on April 18, 2002, at Evergreen Nursing Home in Polson. She was born on Feb. 16, 1910, in Middleton, Wis., the daughter of Willis and Fern Stark Green. She graduated from Miles City High School in 1930 and then received her degree from the business college there. On Nov. 6, 1933, she married Charles Fredric Swope in Miles City. The couple ranched in the Lonepine, Polson, Kila, Belgrade, Livingston and Thompson Falls areas. She became a resident of the St. Joseph Assisted Living Center in Polson in 1999. She was involved with numerous local organizations. She is survived by five sons and their spouses, Chuck and Ramona (Hot Springs), Clarence (Broadus), John and Nancy (Lonepine), Lee and Nelda (Astoria, OR), and Ronnie and Carol (Polson); four daughters and their spouses, Fern and Rex Merritt (Polson), Kathleen Timlick (Burien, WA), Bertha Goettlich (Hot Springs) and Evelene and George Fulton (Broadus); 28 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1989 and two grandchildren. Services were April 22 in Lonepine Hall. Burial followed at the Murray Memorial Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Lonepine Rural Fire Dept., 63 Garden Creek Road, Hot Springs, MT 59845, or to the charity of the donor's choice.
LILLIAN J. THOMAS
SEATTLE -- Lillian J. Clairmont Thomas died of natural causes on Jan. 25, 2002, in Burien, Wash. She was born on Sept. 19, 1905, at the Clairmont family ranch in Pablo to Mary Rose (Morigeau) and John Clairmont. She received her education at Clairmont School and at the Ursuline Academy in St. Ignatius. She married Evan W. Thomas on Dec. 25, 1927, in St. Ignatius. The couple lived in Pablo, Ronan and Bigfork, before moving to Seattle in 1942. Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Evan; a son, Evan Wayne; a daughter, June Marie; two brothers, Harold and Lawrence Clairmont; two sisters, Alice Sly and Bernice Bryant; and her parents. She is survived by three children: Ellis W. Thomas (Seattle), Beverly Prickett (Everett, WA), and Mae McBane (Toledo Bend, LA); six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two brothers, Gene Clairmont (Polson) and Phillip Clairmont (Seattle); two sisters, Ruth Hall (Polson) and Myrtle Whittle (Seattle); and numerous nieces and nephews and their children. Funeral Mass was held on Feb. 1. Internment followed at Riverton Crest Cemetery in Tukwila, WA.
JOHN TISKUS
POLSON -- John Tiskus, 54, died at his home here on March 31, 2002. He was born on Dec. 20, 1947, in Cambridge, Mass., to John and Kathryn (Greeley) Tiskus. He attended Catholic schools in Billings, graduating from Billings Central High School. He graduated from the Univ. of Montana with a degree in economics. John worked as a financial adviser. He married Berl Fleury on Nov. 18, 1983, in Billings. He was past president of Polson Chamber of Commerce and Polson Rotary Club. He was a member of the Parent Advisory Boards at Polson High School and Polson Middle School, was a member of the City/County Planning Board and the Elks Club. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son, Joey. He is survived by his wife (Polson); two daughters, Kate and Jenny Tiskus (Polson); a brother, William Tiskus (Billings); one aunt and two nephews. Memorial services were held on April 6 in Polson. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Polson Girls Softball Association or to Lake County Hospice.
LEO TURK
DAYTON -- Leo (Dick) Lendois Turk died on Jan. 29, 2002. He was born in San Antonio on Jan. 9, 1921, to Jim Humphreys and Dora (Cooke) Turk. His career included service with the Horse Drawn Artillery and the U.S. Army Air Corps. He spent time in Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Africa, Italy, Germany and Vietnam. When he retired from the USAF after 21 years, he worked as a U.S. technical representative in Germany. He and his wife, Mary, traveled and lived all over the world, including Ecuador, India and Nepal, before retiring in Dayton. His parents and two brothers, James and Mervin, and a sister, Mary Margaret, predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Mary (Dayton); a brother, Paul (San Antonio); and Schatzie, his four-legged companion. Cremation has taken place. Dick did not want any ceremony; however, a reunion is being planned. Per his request, his ashes are to be scattered over the Atlantic Ocean. Remembrances may be made to your local humane society or to cancer research.
PATRICIA LEE VERMEDAHL
POLSON -- Patricia Lee Vermedahl, 57, died at her ranch near here on Feb. 27, 2002. Pat was born to Verda and Leonel "Lee" Bell on Aug. 21, 1944, and was a member of the Salish Kootenai Tribes. She was the oldest of six children raised on their ranch west of Ronan. She became an avid horsewoman, and by the age of 21, she had trained 21 horses. She attended school in Round Butte and Ronan High School where she rode 20 miles round trip each night to participate in the rodeo Mounted Drill Team. She was a member of the Ronan High School Honor Society and played bit parts in plays, worked on backdrops and props, and assisted with wardrobe and make-up. She won the State Choir contest and received a scholarship for the St. Patrick's School of Nursing in Missoula. While there, she sang in the choir and studied in surgery, OB/GYN, geriatrics, medical and surgical recovery.
In May of 1964 she married Walter Vermedahl.
In 1965, she created, directed and led the Flathead Fillies Mounted Drill Team. She was an invaluable part of the creation and management of the Pony Palace located north of Pablo. She also supervised High School Rodeo practices, volunteered as a leader of the Lake County 4H Council, was Lake County's horse director for 25 years, participated in the Lake County Charity Horse Show in the 80's, and held offices in the Western Montana Cattlewomen Association.
She worked all facets of the family ranch at Irvine Flats west of Polson for close to 30 years. She still found time to make the annual fall hunting pack trips into the Bob Marshall, where she was an accomplished camp cook and hunter. In memory of her father she placed one of her prize trophy bull elk mounts in the KwaTaqNuk Tribal Resort. She rode in the 1989 Montana Centennial Cattle Drive in a buckskin dress from Roundup to Billings.
Her many hobbies and interests included her studies of holistic and alternative medicines, veterinary studies, herbology, and plants, entomology, bird watching, painting, reading and writing, sewing, computer studies, accounting, genealogy, water witching, and study of animal pedigrees.
She was preceded in death by her father.
Survivors include her husband and their son, John Edward Vermedahl (both of Polson); daughters Lesa Joan (Brian) Shields (Boise), and Rhonda Jean Vermedahl (Ronan); six grandchildren; her mother (Ronan); siblings Kathleen (Charlie) (Beauchot-Miles City), James Bell (Tacoma), and Eloise Anderson, Althea (Mike) Bell, and Melissa (Leonard) Michel (all of Ronan); and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services were held in Polson on March 5.
Memorials and donations may be sent to the Lake County 4H Council.
LEAH VON EUEN
FLORENCE, Ore. -- Leah von Euen, 82, died suddenly at her home here on Feb. 21, 2002. Leah was born in Polson, the daughter of Clara and Harry von Euen. A member of the Salish Kootenai Tribes, she graduated from Polson High School. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roger; several aunts and an uncle. She is survived by a daughter in Lodge Grass; a cousin, Betty Brill (Polson); and friends in Ore. and Wash. Memorial services took place in Florence.
ROBERT VULLES
THOMPSON FALLS -- Robert Steve "Bob" Vulles, 53, died here on March 13, 2002, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. Funeral services were held on March 16 in Thompson Falls with burial following at the Plains Cemetery. Bob was born Nov. 5, 1948, to Steve and Marie MacDonald Vulles in Missoula. He attended schools in Paradise, Plains, Thompson Falls, Camas Prairie, Hot Springs and Dixon. In 1968, Bob joined the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam. Bob and Bonnie Sheffer were married at Eddy on Sept. 15, 1972. They were later divorced. Bob worked in the timber, construction and cattle industries and was a founding member of Sanders County Search and Rescue, and a member of the Elks, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Rods and Classics Car Club, and the Jaycees. In addition to his children, Krista Marie (Thompson Falls) and Russel Steve (Vancouver, WA), he is survived by his mother; fiancée Dar Kovack; brothers Mick, Larry, Clint, Tim, and Wes; and sister Lynda Vulles Gebhardt; and several nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles. Bob was preceded in death by his father, and grandparents, Alice and Burns MacDonald and Daisy and Mike Vulles. Memorials are suggested to Sanders County Search and Rescue, P.O. Box 217, Thompson Falls, MT 59873.
JOSEPHINE WHITE
POLSON -- Josephine White, 90, died on May 4, 2002, at the Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center here from natural causes. She was born Sept. 17, 1911, in Stanford, to James and Nellie Dunbar. She grew up in Stanford and graduated from high school there. On Dec. 3, 1931, she married Pete White in Chinook. Josephine operated the Lake County Credit Bureau with her son, Clint, for more than 25 years. She continued her tax consulting service until she retired in 1994. She loved to garden, read, bowl and travel, but most of all loved her children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and two brothers, James and John Dunbar. She is survived by her son, Clinton (Shirley) White (Polson); daughter Virginia (Richard) Hertz (Polson); seven grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and her sister, Jane Green (Harlem). Funeral services were May 9. Memorials may be made to the Polson City Library.
LA VERNE D. WHITTIG
RONAN -- La Verne Dale Whittig, 63, died on Dec. 24, 2001, of cancer at his home here. He was born April, 15, 1938, in Boise, Idaho, to Charlotte James Whittig and Hubert Keith Whittig. He attended school in Napa, Idaho, graduating from Napa High School in May 1956. He then enlisted in the Navy and served from May 1956 until Oct. 1961. He married Jo Ray James in December 1956. They later divorced. He married Audrey Dodgson of Nov. 15, 1986. He is survived by Audrey at their home; daughter Kimberly (Clint) Folden (Arlee); son Kreg (Janet) Whittig (Waller, TX); four grandsons; and three stepchildren, Ann Dodgson, Aaron Dodgson, and Bradley Dodgson. Funeral services and military graveside rites were held on Dec. 29. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
CHARLES WILSON
POLSON -- Charles A. "Chuck" Wilson, 81, died of natural causes on Aug. 19, 2002, at St. Joseph Hospital here. He was born March 23, 1921, in Chaska, MN, to Arthur and Della Wilson. Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Curley. He is survived by his wife, Nina (Polson); two sons and their spouses, Jay and Diana Wilson (Libby) and Shane and Janet Wilson (Polson); and nine grandchildren. No services are planned at this time and cremation has taken place.
ERNEST WOODS
HOT SPRINGS -- Ernest Woods, 92, longtime Hot Springs resident, died on Dec. 15, 2001, here. He was born Oct. 3, 1909, in Barber, Ark., the son of George and Bertha Woods. On April 21, 1932, he married Eleanor Cook, who survives him in Hot Springs, as do two daughters, Geraldine DeTienne (Hot Springs) and Linda Holdorf and husband Herbert (Missoula); two sons and daughters-in-law, Robert and Jeannine and Don and Carolyn (all of Hot Springs); three sisters, Elsie (Los Angeles), Edna Mae (Denver) and Eulema (Claremore, Okla.); 15 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, son Marvin, sister Elva and brothers Ellis, Earl and Emmett. Funeral services were Dec. 19 in Hot Springs. Burial was at Murray Memorial Cemetery in Lonepine. Memorials may be made to the Lonepine Hall, Hot Springs Presbyterian Church or a charity of the donor¹s choice.
CLIFFORD WORDEN
RONAN -- Clifford M. Worden, 68, died on Dec. 12, 2001, at his home here of natural causes. Clifford was born to Benjamin Franklin Worden and Thelma Worden on Dec. 29, 1932, in Billings. He married Evonne Worden on Feb. 4, 1972. Their marriage was sealed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Nov. 18, 1986. He is survived by his wife; a sister, Betty Eggleston; and a multitude of family and friends throughout the country. Services were held Dec. 15 in Ronan.
