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Irene Steinhagen
Irene L. Steinhagen, 91, the mother of a Libby woman, died on Oct. 11, 1998, at the Libby Care Center.
She was born on Sept. 1, 1907, at Elbow Lake, Minn., to Theodore and Karn Engen Knutson.
Irene attended Elbow Lake schools, graduated from Elbow Lake High School in 1925, and earned a teachers’ certificate from Elbow Lake Teachers Training.
She taught in the country schools in Grant County for four years and married Ralph Steinhagen in June 1930.
They moved to a farm near Norcross, Minn., where they lived for 40 years, retiring in 1970.
Irene moved to Libby in July 1995 to live with daughter Clarice Thompson.
She enjoyed quilting, sewing crocheting, cooking and reading.
A longtime member of the American Lutheran Church, she belonged to a number of women’s church groups in Minnesota, and was also active in the Methodist Church.
Irene was preceded in death by her parents and a son.
Survivors include son Edward Steinhagen, Wheaton, Minn.; daughter Clarice Thompson and her husband Roy, Libby; sisters Evelyn Lundgren, Norcross, Minn., and LouAyce Wilson, Bothell, Wash.; five grandchildren, Pamela Kern and her husband Willard, Taylor, Minn.: Susan Buerkle and her husband Michael, Redford, Minn.; William Steinhagen, Deerborn, Minn.; and Tina Thompson and Tammy Jo Thompson, both of Wendover, Nev.; two great-grandchildrn, Jeremy Buerkle, Redford, Minn., and Eric Kern, Taylor, Minn.
Services were conducted on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Faith United Methodist Church in Norcross.
Kenneth Vaa
Kenneth V. Vaa, 40, of Libby, died Sunday, Nov. 15, 1998, of diabetes at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
He was born on June 11, 1958, at Conrad, to Vernon and Margaret Vaa.
Raised in Libby, Kenneth attended Libby schools, graduating from Libby High School with the Class of 1976.
He worked in Alaska for 12 years and later worked as a truck driver for Shellinger Construction.
An avid outdoorsman, Kenneth enjoyed fishing, hunting and snowmobiling.
He was a member of Kiwanis and member and officer of the Elks Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his step-father, Richard Merrick.
Survivors include his wife Rae Anne, Libby; son Richard Vaa and daughter Andrea Vaa, both of Columbia Falls; step-children Jeff Otto, Tessa Hayes and Greg Otto, all of Lynnwood, Wash.; sisters Ellen Vinnola and Jeanette Fuentes, both of Glen Rock, Wyo.; brothers Raymond Vaa and James Merrick in New York and a grandchild, Mercedes Otto.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Wednesday at Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel.
Services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday at Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel, followed by interment services at the Troy Cemetery.
Francine Moen
Francine Moen, 73, died Tuesday evening, Nov. 10, 1998, at her home in Libby.
She was born Aug. 19, 1925, at Maui, Hawaii, to William and Charlotte Davison Ledward. She was raised and educated in Hawaii.
Francine married Franklin Clyde Sweet in Hawaii on Sept. 10, 1945, and they came to Montana at the end of World War II, living first at Troy and later in Libby.
Franklin Sweet died in 1962.
On April 7, 1967, Francine married Norman F. Moen, who died in 1987.
A member of St. Joseph’s Parish and the Libby Garden Club, Francine enjoyed working in her yard and garden and was an avid pinochle player. Her greatest joy was her family and she loved being a mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Survivors include daughters Wanda Sweet, Elise Kinden and her husband Keith, and Charlotte Reid and her husband Marvin, all of Libby; sons Walter Sweet and his wife Valerie, Libby; Frank (Butch) Sweet and his wife Virginia, Paola, Kansas; Jim Sweet and his wife Betty, Bridger; Richard Sweet, Mason, Tenn., and Alex Sweet and his wife Deseri, Libby; step-children Laverne (Bud) Moen and Carol Coburn, both of Black Duck, Minn.; Judith Mobbs, Acampo, Calif., and Adelia Moore, Newport News, Va.; sister Beatrice Duarte, Kailua, Hawaii; brothers Charles and Robert Ledward, Kailua, and Richard Ledward in California; 25 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Sunday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home. Services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Charles Strom officiating.
Interment will follow in the City of Libby Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Recovery Northwest, 418 Main, Libby.
Floy Ninneman
Longtime Troy resident Floy Ninneman, 95, died Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998, at the Libby Care Center.
She was born on March 17, 1903, at Ellensberg, Wash., to Frederick and Olive Bisson Barnhart.
She was raised and educated at Ellensberg and in Pasco, Wash., and worked at the Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco.
Floy married Jack W. Ninneman on Dec. 25, 1921, at Pasco.
She and Jack lived at various places in Washington and at Lewiston, Idaho, and for many years in Washington, D.C., where Jack was employed by the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army Map Service.
They moved to Troy in 1945, leaving the area to work in Burma for four years. In Burma, Floy assisted in the foundation and operation of the UNICEF program.
After returning to Troy in 1955, the Ninnemans owned and operated the Tillacum Ranch, where they raised trout. Floy also assisted her husband in the operation of Ninneman Engineering.
Although they sold the ranch and retired in the early 1970s, the Ninnemans remained in Troy.
Jack Ninneman preceded his wife in death in 1993. She was also preceded in death by son Jack H. Ninneman in 1993, and by granddaughter Tawnya Ninneman in 1973.
Floy was a member of the United Methodist Church, Kootenai Chapter No. 88, Order of the Eastern Star, the Episcopal Church Guild and the Troy Federated Women’s Club.
Survivors include daughters Dorothy Roth and Olive Jones, both of Troy; daughter-in-law Arlene Ninneman, Klamath Falls, Ore.; six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Sunday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Monday at the United Methodist Church in Troy with the Rev. Ben Nardi officiating.
Interment services will follow at the Troy Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Troy Volunteer Ambulance, Box 641, Troy.
Robert Byers
Robert L. Byers, 78, of Libby, died Monday, Nov. 9, 1998, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
He was born May 3, 1920, at Rexford, to James and Lula Vine Paxton Byers. Robert grew up on Murray Island and attended the Sheldon Canyon School near Rexford.
He entered the U.S. Army on Nov. 23, 1942, serving in Sicily, Naples, Rhineland, southern France and other areas, receiving the Purple Heart and the Bronze Service Star.
Robert was honorably discharged on Sept. 20, 1945.
He married Marilyn Boettcher on Nov. 1, 1952, at Great Falls.
He worked as a sawyer until his retirement, also raising cattle and cutting Christmas trees.
Robert enjoyed life, and his hobbies included gardening, hunting, fishing and watching his grandsons play ball.
As a patient at the Libby dialysis center, he will be remembered for his sense of humor.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Robbie, his parents, brothers Laird, Kenneth and Earl Francis and sister Talma.
Survivors include his wife Marilyn, Libby; daughter Ella Jean Sanders and her husband Arthur, Fortine; brother Everett Byers and his wife Pat, Libby; sister Beulah King and her husband Fred, Eureka; sisters-in-law JoAnne Dors and her husband Arthur, Great Falls; Dolores Schumacher and her husband Joe, Great Falls, and June Byers, Eureka and grandsons Travis, Justin and Luke Sanders, Fortine.
Services are pending and will be announced later.
Memorials may be made to the Eureka Ambulance or the Libby Dialysis Center.
Local arrangements are by Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
