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Oscar L. Oftedahl
KALISPELL - Oscar L. Oftedahl, 84, died Saturday, Jan. 10, at the family ranch.
He is survived by his wife of the family home; sons, Melvin and wife, Joann, Harold and Jerry, all of Kalispell; four daughters, Joan Dillon of Kalispell, Dianne and husband, Jerry Marchal of Scottsdale, Ariz., Donna Oftedahl of Red Lodge and Connie and David Lindsey of Polson; 11 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and 25 step-grand and great-grandchildren; sisters, Edith Mitchell of North Bend, Wash., and Amanda Baker of Mankato, Minn.; brother, Melvin and wife, Irene of Norwalk, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services are at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Central Bible Church. Interment follows at the Conrad Memorial Cemetery.
Arrangements are by the Johnson Mortuary and Crematory of Kalispell.
Naomi Joy Dietz
RONAN - Naomi Joy Dietz, daughter of Daniel and Teresa Dietz of Ronan, was stillborn Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Missoula Community Medical Center.
Grieving with the parents are Naomi's grandparents, Jeffrey and Linda Frantz of Bethel, Pa., and Kenneth and Reata Lucus of Arlee along with many other friends. Each are comforted by the words of the Biblical figure Job, who said after losing everything so dear to him, that it was the Lord who gives and the same Lord who takes away, while recognizing in both situations the need to praise the name of the Lord.
Daniel and Teresa's wishes are that from this experience, harrowing as it is, will come much good. They are well aware of the basic principle of life springing from death. It is the dead of winter which prepares us for enjoying the new life spring brings. The life we may all experience today, in truth, comes from Christ's dying. Speaking in terms of farm, Jesus noted that it is not until a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies that it is able to bring life to many new grains of wheat.
The parents desire that many will come to experience the abundant life of Jesus Christ through their daughter's death. One way that this can is by donating funds to a memorial set up in Naomi's name for Pathwalkers Ministries, an outreach dedicated to saving Native Americans reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They may be sent in care of the Rocky Mountain Bible Mission, P.O. Box 845, Lolo., 59847. The parents express their desire for those wishing to give flowers, to instead put their resources to this use.
Services for Naomi will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at the Lolo Community Church with the Rev. Gale Fister officiating. Naomi will be cremated.
Thomas Lee Evans
KALISPELL - Thomas Lee Evans, 90, died Sunday, Jan. 11, at his home in Kalispell.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor at the family home in Kalispell; three sons, Dale I. Evans of Portland, Ore., Ronald Gary Evans of Oregon City, Ore., and Robert L. Evans of Kirkland, Wash.
Memorial services are at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at the Johnson Mortuary Chapel in Kalispell.
Arrangements are by the Johnson Mortuary in Kalispell.
Samuel Lorne Stephens
BIGFORK - Samuel Lorne Stephens, 70, a longtime Bigfork businessman, died Saturday, Jan. 10, in Yuma, Ariz.
He is survived by his wife, Lelia and daughter, Donna Lawson and her husband, Paul, all of Bigfork and Yuma; two sisters, Mrs. Jim (Bobbie) Thomas of Bigfork and Mrs. Rod (Lois) Mortenson of Oxnard, Calif., and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the Little Brown Church in Bigfork. Burial follows at the Lonepine Cemetery in Bigfork. Visitation is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at the Johnson Mortuary Chapel in Kalispell.
Arrangements are by the Johnson Mortuary in Kalispell.
Ann 'Tutu' Joseph
MISSOULA - Ann "Tutu" Joseph, 88, longtime Missoula resident, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998, after a brief illness.
Lovingly known as "Tutu" to her grandchildren, family, and friends, Ann was born Aug. 2, 1909, in Butte to Joseph and Nazema Johns. Moving to the Missoula area as a young girl, Ann graduated from the Bonner school.
She married Sarkus "Pete" Joseph on Oct. 30, 1930, in Lethbridge, Alberta. He preceded her in death in 1986. She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Janice Watson in 1993 and son Gary in 1995. Ann is survived by her daughter, Monie Joseph of Missoula; three sisters, Elizabeth Forzley of Portland, Ore., Mabel Joseph and husband, William and Caroline Rask and husband, Sam of Butte; brother, Ray Johns and wife, Pat of Missoula; daughter-in-law and grandson, Kathy and Garett Joseph of Helena; granddaughters, Gina Wilson and husband, Jesse of Corvallis, Jodi Bice and husband, Trent of Moscow, Idaho; grandsons, Sarkius Peter Joseph of Tacoma, Wash., Mark Wachsmuth and wife, Angella of Belgrade, Matt Wachsmuth of Plains; eight great-grandchildren, and numerous generations of nieces and nephews.
A longtime member of St. Anthony and Pope John XXIII parishes, the Welcoma Club and the Senior Citizens Center, Ann was proudest to have been "Tutu" to many children as a volunteer foster grandparent for eight years.
Visitation will be on Friday, Jan. 16, from noon to 7 p.m. at Garden City Funeral Home where a vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated Saturday, Jan. 17, at 11 a.m. at Pope John XXIII. Interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Jerry Joseph, Virgil Joseph, Neil Johns, Dan Rask, Dave Cutter, and Dave Khoury.
The family requests memorials to the Janice Watson Memorial Fund or to Pope John XXIII Catholic Church.
Arrangements are under the direction of Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory.
Laurintena Z. Thomas
SONORA, Calif. - Laurintena Zeller Thomas, 89, former Corvallis resident, passed away Monday, Jan. 12, in Sonora.
She was born Feb. 15, 1908, in a sod house in Elgin, N.D., the second of 14 children of George and Elizabeth Zeller. On Nov. 7, 1928, she married Verne Thomas. In 1934, they moved to the Bitterroot Valley and purchased a farm in the Summerdale area, where they lived and raised their family. In their retirement years, they lived at Flathead Lake where they enjoyed fishing and playing golf. They spent their winters in Arizona and California. In 1993, they moved to a retirement home in Jamestown, Calif., to be near their daughter and family.
"Tina" is survived by son, Hodet and daughter-in-law, Geneva of Missoula; daughters and sons-in-law, LaVerne and James Hagel of Copperopolis, Calif., and Alice and William Frost of Corvallis; nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren; four sisters and one brother.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Verne on Dec. 4, 1996; grandson, six brothers and two sisters.
Graveside services are at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the Corvallis Cemetery with the Rev. Richard Kiessling officiating. A memorial service and placement of Verne's ashes will also be held at this time.
Arrangements are by the Dowling Funeral Home of Hamilton.
The family suggests memorials to the Alzheimer's Association, 2021 S. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, 59601, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Catherine Finnland
LIBBY - Catherine L. Ostroot Finnland, 84, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Libby Care Center of Alzheimer's disease.
Survivors include two daughters, Kari Lynn and Bob Cole, and Inga Christine Curtis all of Kalispell; four grandchildren, Kari S. Plakke of Lakewood, Colo., Kirstin M. Clark of Kalispell, Kathleen M. Curtis, who is traveling with Up With People, and Jason B. Curtis, AFS, Sicily, Italy; five great-grandchildren, two nieces and one nephew.
Services are at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at Christ Lutheran Church in Libby. Burial follows at the City of Libby Cemetery.
Arrangements are by the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home in Libby.
Lawrence 'Burly' Ward Burlingame
MISSOULA - Lawrence "Burly" Ward Burlingame, 70, of Missoula, died at his home of natural causes on Friday, Jan. 9, 1998.
Born in 1927 in Great Falls to Jeannette Bochencamp Burlingame and Nigel Burlingame, Larry was raised by Lorna and Cecil Huffman in Choteau. He attended school in Choteau, graduating from Teton County High School in 1947. He served in the U.S. Navy for a short time during World War II. From there, he traveled to Missoula, receiving a teaching degree from Montana State University at Missoula. After two years teaching on the Hi-Line, he landed a job at Bonner Elementary and spent more than 30 years as a teacher there, retiring in 1988.
"Burly," as Larry was known by many, was very active with the Boy Scouts of America as a leader for more than 35 years, starting with the first Eagle Scouts program in Missoula. He also taught Hunter's Safety for over 35 years and activated the first Hunter's Safety program for the disabled in Missoula. He also was the state coordinator for the 55 Alive of Montana AARP and incoming president of the Montana Retired Teacher's Association.
Larry is survived by his brother, Kenneth A. Burlingame and his wife, Lucy, and nephews and nieces, Terry, Cinda, Harvey and Debbie and all the students over the past 35 years. He will be missed by them all.
Memorial services are at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Bonner Elementary School in Bonner.
Arrangements are with the Malletta Family of Funeral Homes, Squire Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to the Larry Burlingame Boy Scout Memorial Fund, care of Two Rivers Bank, P.O. Box 248, Milltown, Mont., 59851.
Wilson Albert 'Bill' Burley
RONAN - Wilson Albert "Bill" Burley, 75, of Ronan passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula.
He was born Oct. 5, 1922, in Highwood. He served in the Army and was honorably discharged at the end of World War II.
Bill married Jane Bratton on May 2, 1946. His occupations included teaching, ranching and public office as a Lake County commissioner. Bill was a member of the Ronan United Methodist Church and Gideons International, in addition to numerous other organizations.
He is survived by his wife, Jane of Ronan; his four children, Lynn Bynum and Jan McAvoy of Ronan, Dennis of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Alan of Libby; and numerous grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at the Ronan United Methodist Church on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. Any gifts or remembrances may be directed to Gideons International or charities of the donor's choice.
Arrangements are by the Shrider's Mortuary in Ronan.
Claudina C. Partch
LIBBY - Claudina C. Partch, 69, of Libby died Tuesday, Jan. 13, at St. John Lutheran Hospital in Libby.
She was born Aug. 2, 1928, in La Ceiba, Honduras, the daughter of Pedro and Manuela Lara. She came to the United States in 1956 from Honduras residing at Youngtown and El Mirage, Ariz.
She married William Neil Partch June 3, 1972, at Sun City, Ariz.; they came to Libby in 1972 where she had since resided. She had been a member of St. Joseph's Parish.
Survivors include her husband, Neil Partch of Libby. Rosary and parish vigil services are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel. Mass of the Resurrection is at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church with the Rev. Ray Hannigan as celebrant; interment is at 1 p.m. (PST) at the Spokane Memorial Gardens in Spokane.
Lydia Rose Metzger
MINOT, N.D. - Lydia Rose Metzger, 83, of Minot, formerly of Ronan, passed away of natural causes on Monday, Jan. 12, at the Trinity Nursing Home in Minot.
Lydia was born on Aug. 17, 1914, in Heimdal, N.D., the daughter of Ludwig and Rose (Mosser) Billigmeier. She was reared and educated in Heimdal and graduated from high school there.
She married Ted Metzger on April 17, 1938, in Fessenden, N.D. They lived for a short time in Roswell, N.M., before moving to Ronan. They farmed for a time before owning and operating a fish farm and restaurant. Her husband preceded her in death in Nov. 17, 1982. She continued to live in Ronan until 1992, when she moved to Minot.
Survivors include a brother, Walter Billigmeier of Fresno, Calif.; a sister, Esther Fossen of Fessenden, N.D.; and in-laws Paul and Ann Metzger of Ronan, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 19, from 2 until 5 p.m. at Shrider's Mortuary in Ronan. Funeral services will be held Monday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Ronan. Interment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Shrider's Mortuary.
Memorials may be made to the Ronan Christian Missionary Alliance Church.
Margery M. Ballou
HAMILTON - Margery M. Ballou, 83, of Hamilton died Wednesday, Jan. 14.
She is survived by her husband, Joseph of Hamilton; a daughter, Joyce Gonzales of Post Falls, Idaho; her son, Kenneth Payne of Cranbrook, British Columbia; a brother, James Carey of Cypress, Calif.; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation is Friday evening, Jan. 16, at Coffelt Chapel in Sandpoint, Idaho. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Coffelt Chapel. Interment will be at the Pinecrest Cemetery in Sandpoint.
Local arrangements are by the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton.
Stephen P. Stout
EUREKA - Stephen P. Stout, 61, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, in a structure fire in Eureka.
Survivors include his brother, Ron Stout of Willcox, Ariz.
Private family services will be held.
Local arrangements are by the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
