Search Archived Marriage Records
Girelda Phelps
Girelda Evelyn (Toots) Phelps, 70, died of cancer on Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999, at the Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
She was born on April 29, 1928, at Hill City, S.D., to Alfred and Lois Cline. Toots, as she was called, moved with her family to the Ekalaka area of Montana.
Toots worked on various ranches in the area during World War II, and also worked as a telephone operator in Spokane before returning to Ekalaka in 1947.
She married Everett K. (Rusty) Phelps on Oct. 30, 1947 and they moved to Troy in 1952.
In addition to her mother and father, Toots was preceded in death by brothers Lester and Roy Cline and sister Pearl McCord.
Survivors include her husband Everett at their home on Lake Creek; son Michael Phelps, daughter Laurie and her husband Buddy Scott, all of Troy; three sisters, two brothers and two grandsons, Spencer and Kevin Scott.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Church of God in Troy with burial to follow in the Milnor Lake Cemetery.
Pauline King
Former Libby resident Pauline Grace King, 84, died on Nov. 27, 1998, in California.
Oldest daughter of Harry and Grace Hough, Pauline graduated from Libby High School with the Class of 1938 and completed nurses’ training in Chicago.
She is survived by her children, Carl Brush, Janet Gray and Samantha Gray and grandchildren Erin Kinder, Christopher and Geoffrey Manley and Devin Robinson.
Pauline was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Mary Beth, Honora and Gerry, and by her brother Hamilton.
Memorials may be made to the Parkinson’s Institute, 1170 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
Carmen Johnson
Carmen M. Johnson, 71, of Libby, died Sunday evening, Jan. 3, 1999, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
She was born on Aug. 17, 1927, in Great Falls, to Earl and Helena Hoglund Cole.
She grew up in Great Falls, Libby, Troy and Sandpoint, Idaho, graduating from high school at Benton City, Wash.
Carmen married Richard Duane Johnson at Plains on May 18, 1947, and they lived at Thompson Falls until moving to Libby in 1949.
A longtime member of the Church of God, Carmen served as a Sunday School teacher and in many capacities in other activities.
The Johnsons celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1997.
Survivors include her husband, Richard, Libby; son David and his wife Donnita, Colstrip; brothers David Cole, Plains and Merle Cole, Apple Valley, Minn.; sisters Cleo Blanchard and Candice Burnham, both of Plains; granddaughters Nicole McCulloch and her husband Clint, Billings; Sara Perusich and her husband Justin, Mesa, Ariz., and Jessica Johnson, Colstrip; great-granddaughter Alixandrea Marie, and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m. Thursday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday at the Church of God with the Rev. Gary Mize officiating.
Interment services will follow at the City of Libby Cemetery.
Jack Price
John D. (Jack) Price, 84, died Dec. 17, 1998, at his home in Columbia Falls.
He was born May 9, 1914, in Lewistown, Pa., to Horace W. and Lydia K. Dahl Price.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1944, served his country overseas, and was honorably discharged in 1946.
John brought his daughters Toby and Trudy to Belton in 1946. He worked at the Sunset Ranch near Coram where he met Jean George. They were married on June 10, 1949, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
John worked as a paint contractor on the Hungry Horse Dam project and as a guide and outfitter.
He moved to Trego where he began ranching, had a small sawmill, and he and Jean added three more children to his family.
In 1963 John began raising Arabian horses and they continued to be his passion for the next 35 years.
In 1992 John and Jean moved to Columbia Falls.
Survivors include his wife Jean, Columbia Falls; daughters Toby Elliott and husband Al, Mesa, Ariz.; Trudy Siefke and husband Ray, Libby, and Michele Cluka and husband Ben, Kalispell; sons John Price and wife Kathryn, Kalispell, and Michael Price and wife Kathleen, Lodi, Calif., 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services were conducted Dec. 21 at the Johnson Mortuary Chapel with Pastor Paul McKibben of the Fortine Community Church officiating.
Burial followed in Glacier Memorial Gardens.
Memorials may be made to the Energy Share Fund, Flathead Electric Co-op, 2510 Highway 2 East, Kalispell 59901.
Shania Stewart
Shania Sue Stewart, infant daughter of Brian and Cristy Stewart of Libby, died April 14, 1999, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
Survivors include her parents and sister Brittany in Libby; grandparents Linda and Delbert Bowe, also of Libby, Brian Stewart Sr., Ione, Wash. and Susan Stewart, Spokane; great-grandparents Custer Back, Sacramento, and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Bowe of Addy, Wash., and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
Graveside servicews will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at the City of Libby Cemetery with Pastor Mike Whitford officiating.
Arrangements are under the car of Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Earl Lovick
Earl D. Lovick, community activist and longtime comptroller for Zonolite and W.R. Grace, died Thursday, April 15, 1999, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
He was born on May 17, 1920, at Libby, to Carl and Louise Hafstad Lovick.
Earl attended school in Canada for several years but returned to Libby to complete high school, graduating from Libby High School with the Class of 1938.
He attended Eastern Washington State College at Cheney and the University of Montana at Missoula before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1942. Earl served with distinction as an officer with Army Air Corps intelligence during World War II, in Africa and Europe, and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain in 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star.
Following his discharge Earl resumed his college education, graduating from UM with a degree in business administration.
Returning to Libby, Earl began a long association in a management role with the Universal Zonolite Company and W.R. Grace.
Longtime member and officer in the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce, Earl served as chamber treasurer for 25 years. He served on the board of directors and as chairman of First National Bank; as a trustee and chairman of the Libby school board; on the board of directors of St. John’s Lutheran Hospital and was the first chairman of the hospital foundation. He was a member of the state chamber of commerce, the Montana Mining Association and the Northwest Mining Association.
A longtime member and treasurer of the First Presbyterian Church, Earl was also a member and past master of Libby Lodge No. 85, AF&AM, the Libby Lions Club, Rotary International, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In 1982, during the Schwinden administration, Earl served for three months in Helena on a bi-partisan governor’s advisory council and later with the Ambassadors, until he retired from W.R. Grace in 1984.
Earl was inducted into Libby High School’s academic hall of fame by the Koocanusa Chapter of the National Honor Society in 1987 and served on the program’s selection committee for the next 10 years, acting as master of ceremonies for numerous induction ceremonies.
Earl was preceded in death by his first wife, Eileen, in 1968.
In 1970 he married Benita Pratt at Libby.
Survivors include his wife Bonnie, Libby; daughter Kristi and her husband Pete Coy, Bellingham, Wash.; four sons, Lance Lovick and his wife Linda, Sandpoint, Idaho; Paul Lovick, San Diego, Calif.; Carl Lovick and his wife Sherri, Post Falls, Idaho, and John Lovick, Los Angeles, Calif.; sister Geneva and her husband Ted Donahue, Spokane; his aunt Lu Allert, Spokane, grandchildren Sarah, Andrew, Rebecca, Nina and Angie and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, April 23, at Christ Lutheran Church with the Rev. Wallace Smith and the Rev. Les Nelson officiating.
Family interment services will be at the City of Libby Cemetery.
The family suggests that memorials be made in Earl’s name to the Libby High School Educational Scholarship Fund, in care of Jim Sullivan, Box 506, Libby MT 59923.
Arrangements are under care of Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
