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Ardelle Storbakken
Libby native Ardelle Storbakken, 63, died on Monday, Oct. 1, 2002, at the Libby Care Center following a long and courageous battle with multiple sclerosis.
Ardelle was born on Dec. 21, 1938, at Libby, to Herbert W. Hamann and Esther Eggert Hamann.
Raised and educated in Libby, she graduated from Libby High School with the Class of 1956.
Ardelle worked as a bookkeeper and teller at First National Bank and at Lincoln Security Bank while raising her family at Libby.
She married Carl Storbakken on June 17, 1970, at Libby, and they managed Wallace-Colville Freight Company and for a time the Libby Hotel.
Storbakken died in 1983 and for the past 16 years Ardelle has lived at the Libby Care Center where she was an active resident and served as president of the Residents’ Council
She was a member of St. John Lutheran Church, the Sons of Norway and the Eagles Auxiliary. She had also been a member of the Libby Jayceens.
Ardelle was also preceded in death by her parents and brother Alden Hamann.
Survivors include daughters Ann Howard and Kathy Olson and her husband Brian, all of Kalispell; sons Carl Howard and his wife Sharon, Santa Paula, Calif., and Keith Howard and his wife Teresa, Libby; sister Doris O’Dell and her husband Kim, Burlington, Wash.; brothers Eugene Hamann and his wife Beverly, Kalispell, and DuWayne (Ollie) Hamann and his wife Carolyn, Libby; her uncle Howard Eggert and his wife Dolene, Libby; 12 grandchildren and an extended family at the care center, including Yvonne Resch and Irene Loveless.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St.. John Lutheran Church with Pastor Eric Christiansen officiating.
Interment services will follow at the City of Libby Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
Violet Swartout Tadej
Former Libby resident Violet Swartout Tadej, 76, of Hayden Lake, Idaho, died on Sept. 30, 2002, at the Deaconess Hospital in Spokane.
Violet was born on Dec. 4, 1925, at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to Benjamin and Lydia Merkel Patzer.
A dental assistant and nurse, Violet married Dr. V. Delbert Johnson in 1946 and the marriage lasted until his death.
After she married Don Swartout in 1977 they moved to Libby. They attended the Seventh Day Adventist Church where Violet was organist.
Swartout also preceded Violet in death and on Dec. 24, 1998 she married Peter Tadej.
They moved to the Spokane area a year ago.
Survivors include her husband Pastor Peter Tadej, Hayden Lake; daughters Joycelyn Johnson, Boring, Ore., and Yvonne and her husband Rick Karnes, Yakima, Wash.; son Greg Patzer, Wenatchee, brother Ben Patzer and his wife Leona, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; sisters Lila Jaeger and her husband John, Fairfield, Idaho, and Bonnie Schulke and her husband Earl, Libby, grandson Matt Karnes, Yakima, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Violet was also preceded in death by her parents, brother Ervin Patzer and sisters Laura Howard and Dorothy Patzer.
Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene, and memorial services will be held at the Libby Seventh Day Adventist Church on Oct. 19.
Memorials may be made to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Hayden Church Building Fund, Box 2197, Hayden, ID 83835
Janivee Thom
Janivee U. Thom, 65, died at the Libby Care Center on Sept. 24, 2002.
She had been a Libby resident and member of the Pipe Creek community for more than 30 years.
Jan was born in Plainville, Kan., on Jan. 2, 1937, to Charles C. and Ethel Wise Smith.
When she was three years old her parents purchased a ranch near Roundup, where she grew up as a rancher’s daughter. Her love of horses and country life remained in her heart and were evident in her hobbies and love of western books and movies.
She met and married LeRoy C. Thom of Lewistown on May 29, 1953 at Roundup.
Farming and construction required them to travel frequently and they lived in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana before settling in Libby with their six children in 1967.
In addition to western movies Jan enjoyed gardening, needlecrafts and leatherworking. She was an avid reader and kept the used bookstores and family and friends scrambling to keep their shelves filled with books she had not already read.
She was a good neighbor, friend, loving mother and devoted wife.
Survivors include sons LeRoy D. Thom and his wife Zetta, Libby; Keith E. Thom and his wife Jane, Libby; Ricky A. Thom and his wife Jamie, Kinta, Okla.; Bruce W. Thom and Laurie Orr, Libby; daughters Louise Atkinson and her husband Dan, Lakeside; and Rita B. Peiffer and her husband Ken, Kalispell, brother Charles Smith and his wife Lorraine, Hastings, Neb., and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Services were conducted at Libby on Monday, Sept. 30.
Thomas Riggleman
Former Libby resident Thomas R. Riggleman, 46, died Sept. 25, 2002, at Glendale, Ariz.
Born on July 27, 1956, at Colville, Wash., to John D. (Don) and Patricia Hoxie Riggleman, Tom came to Libby with his family in 1959.
He was raised and educated at Libby, graduating from Libby High School in 1974.
Following high school, Tom attended the DeVrie Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., and later lived at Los Angeles for six years.
He returned to Montana, living at Missoula before moving back to Arizona in 1998.
He was preceded in death by his mother in 1996.
Survivors include his father Don Riggleman, Libby, sister Leigh Mills, also of Libby; brothers Michael Riggleman, Missoula, and David Riggleman, Republic, Wash., grandparents Vern and Retta Hoxie, LeGrand, Ore., and several nieces and nephews.
Private interment services will be conducted at the City of Libby Cemetery under direction of Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Glenn Whitham
Glenn Andrew Whitham, Libby High School Class of 1978, died Sept. 22, 2002, in Seattle.
He was born on May 28, 1960, at Columbus and grew up in Libby, enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, trout fishing, hiking and camping.
Glenn earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and graduated summa cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in public administration.
His career began with Ernst & Young in Seattle, followed by three years’ service with the City of Bellevue. From January 1994 until his death, Glenn held a variety of budgeting and strategic planning positions with the City of Seattle.
Glenn is survived by his children Jesse and Jenny, both of Seattle; his mother Jung, Anchorage, Alaska, and his father William, Fairbanks; Alaska, brother Quinn Whitham, Anchorage; sister Linda Whatley and her husband Tony and their children Lauren and Julia, all of Seattle; fiancee Edna Shim, Kent; grandmother Sylvia Whitham, Big Timber, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Memorial services were held at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle.
The Libby High School Class of 1978 is establishing a scholarship fund in Glenn’s name and Donna Fiscus can be contacted for details.
Irene Carlson
Longtime Libby resident M. Irene Carlson, 75, died Saturday, Nov. 30, 2002, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
She was born on Dec. 28, 1926, in Borger, Texas, to John and Lillie Mae Neill Watts.
Irene grew up and attended school in Oklahoma City, Okla., graduating from Capital Hill High School.
After moving to California she worked for Standard Oil.
Irene married Maynard Carlson of Libby on Feb. 23, 1946, at Kalispell, and has lived in Libby for 56 years.
A charter member of Faith Bible Church, Irene was also an active member of the Libby Fine Arts Group, serving as president for two years.
She enjoyed oil painting and crocheting.
Survivors include her husband Maynard of Libby; daughter Joy Carlson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; brothers Tommy Watts and his wife Lorie, Effingham, Ill., and John Watts Sr., Porterville, Calif.; brother-in-law LeRoy Carlson and his wife Margaret, Sequim, Wash.; sister-in-law Steffi Carlson, Libby, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services are at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Faith Bible Church.
Local arrangements are by the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
