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Hans Peterson
Hans L. Peterson Sr., 84, of Libby, died Tuesday, Jan. 26, 1999, at his home.
He was born on Aug. 29, 1914, at Bowbells, N.D., to Andrew and Annie Peterson.
Hans attended school in Bowbells, and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1945.
He married Bessie Vinion on Jan. 16, 1946, at the United Methodist Church in Libby.
Following his discharge, Hans worked on U.S. Highway 2 construction, staying at a work camp at Miller Creek. He also worked as a mechanic at various Libby garages, including Jaqueths and Johnie’s Auto Parts.
In later years Hans worked for the railroad.
He enjoyed woodworking, hunting, fishing, feeding the animals and repairing lawnmowers.
Survivors include his wife Bessie of Libby; sons Paul Peterson and his wife Barbara, Kootenai, Idaho; Hans Peterson Jr., and his wife Patty, Libby; Steve Peterson and his wife Coline, Libby; and David Peterson and his wife Barbara, Rigby, Idaho; daughters Shirley Caudill and her husband Art, Kalispell; Susan Hansen and her husband Gene, Firth, Idaho; and Sandy Walen and her husband Terry, Libby; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel.
Visitation will be Friday from 1-8 p.m. at the chapel.
Interment will follow at the City of Libby Cemetery.
Local arrangements are by the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Warren Johnson
Longtime Libby resident Warren A. Johnson, 78, died Monday, Jan. 25, 1999, at Kalispell Regional Hospital.
He was born on Feb. 15, 1920, at Whitefish, to Andrew and Rose Papez Johnson.
Warren attended Whitefish schools and graduated from Whitefish High School.
He started working for the Great Northern Railroad after graduating from high school and served with the U.S. Army from 1942-1945 during World War II.
Following his honorable discharge in November 1945, Warren returned to Whitefish and employment with the railroad.
He married Anne Penny on Sept. 12, 1959, at Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Warren retired in 1981, after working for the railroad for 41 years.
He enjoyed collecting and repairing clocks, restoring old tractors, camping and fishing.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother George.
Survivors include his wife Anne, Libby; sons Gregory Johnson, Atlanta, Ga., and Glenn Johnson and his wife Sandra, Newman Lake, Wash., and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, at Christ Lutheran Church.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Thursday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Local arrangements are by the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home in Libby.
Skip Robertson
Skip Robertson, 67, died Sunday, Jan. 24, 1999, at his home in Libby following a long illness.
He was born at Boyd, Wis., on June 22, 1931, to Lyle and Nora Robertson.
Raised and educated at Newald, Wis., Skip later served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, receiving his honorable discharge in 1954.
Skip came to Libby in 1955 and was a longtime employee of the J. Neils Lumber Company, St. Regis and Champion International, working in the planer and in the woods department.
He later managed the American Legion Club and the Eagles.
A member of the Eagles, the VFW and the American Legion, Skip was also a member and past president of the Libby Rod and Gun Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Terry.
Survivors include his wife Beverly, Libby; son Cliff Robertson and his wife Stephanie, Kila; daughters Cindy Lapka and her husband Scott, Libby, and Kelly Fincher and her husband Mike, Whitefish; step-sons Todd Michaels, Libby and Darren Michaels and his wife Peggy, Victorville, Calif.; brothers Roger Robertson and his wife Mary, Libby, and Dennis Robertson and his wife Mary, Appleton, Wis.; mother-in-law Alice Flaten, Libby, and 12 grandchildren.
Services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Ray Hannigan officiating.
Merwin Kendall Ward
Former Libby resident Merwin Kendall Ward, 86, died on Sunday, Jan. 24, 1999, in Longview, Wash.
He was born on Oct. 30, 1912, at LaCrosse, Wis., to John and Bertie Ward.
Merwin grew up in Wisconsin, where he married Ruby Martell.
They moved to Chester, where Merwin farmed and worked as a mail carrier.
In 1945 the family moved to Libby, where Merwin was employed by J. Neils Lumber Company and St. Regis, retiring in 1976.
He continued to work with lumber products and was constructing portable picnic tables until the fall of 1998, when his health began to fail.
Merwin also did excavation work and built Wards Road, where he lived for many years.
An early member of Faith Bible Church in Libby, Merwin worshiped there for almost 40 years. While living with a daughter and son-in-law in Kalama, Wash., for the past four years, he attended a Community Church in Longview. He was a patient at Community Home Health and Hospice in Longview when he died.
Survivors include three sons, Forest and his wife Elaine, Kalispell; Kendall and his wife Betty and Terry and his wife Valerie, all of Libby; daughters Jean DeShazer and her husband Don, Kalama, and Doris Wilson and her husband Bob, Condon; 20 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren; 21 great-great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and a host of friends. His home was opened to many other young people who were also part of his family.
He was preceded in death by Ruby, his beloved wife of 61 years, and two brothers, Gerald and David.
A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at the Faith Bible Church with Pastor David Nelson officiating.
Memorials may be sent to Community Home Health and Hospice, P.O. Box 2067, Longview, WA 98632-8189.
Gayle Parker
Gayle M. Parker, 82, of Libby, died on Monday, Jan. 18, 1999, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
She was born on July 25, 1916, in Dayton, Ohio, to Charles Van and Lula Helen Mann Achey.
She graduated from Wilbur Wright High School in Dayton and attended the University of Dayton.
Gladys married James T. Parker in 1935.
The family lived in Ohio, California and Colorado and in later years in Sun City, Ariz. Gayle moved to Libby in 1998 to live with her daughter.
She was an avid reader and also enjoyed art.
She was preceded in death by her husband James in 1982 and by son David Paul in 1993.
Survivors include daughters Sharon Parker, Dayton, and Patty Crow and her husband Louie, Libby; son James Van Parker and his wife Colleen, Ocala, Fla.; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Private family services are being held.
Local arrangements are by Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
James Maurer
James Edward Maurer, 55, of Seaside, Calif., died at his home on Jan. 13, 1999, of cardiac arrest.
He was born on Nov. 8, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Winfield G. (Jim) and Dorothy Ann Maurer.
The Maurers moved to Libby in 1959 to build a retirement home and James attended Libby schools, graduating from Libby High School with the Class of 1963.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1965, serving aboard a hospital ship in Vietnam and on supply ships out of Subic Bay for seven years.
While in the Philippines, James married Nicepura (Nancy) Dugos, and returned to the states to work in civil service at Fort Ord, Calif. Since 1977, James and Nancy have lived in the home they bought at Seaside. Survivors include his wife Nancy at Seaside; his parents in Libby, and a step-daughter, Maria Nelson, in Clarksville, Tenn. At his request, cremation has taken place and his ashes will be scattered at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard.
