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Doreen Grace Sunwall
(March 9, 1959 - March 19, 2012)
Doreen Grace Sunwall, 53, of Great Falls, died Monday, March 19, 2012 of complications of Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia at Peace Hospice Residence.
Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 23, 2012 at O’Connor Funeral Home and one hour prior to her funeral service Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 10:30 am at Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church. A reception at Solid Rock Bible Church, 751 - 4th Ave NW, will follow the service. Burial will take place at approximately 4:00 p.m. Saturday, March 24, 2012 in Golden West Lutheran Church cemetery near Conrad. O’Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Doreen Grace Sunwall was born March 9, 1959 in Conrad, Montana, the fifth of seven children of Samuel and Doris Sunwall. Doreen was brought to the Lord in Christian baptism in the home of her parents and baptized by her Uncle Mark Ronning. From 1964-1972, she was a resident of Boulder River State School. When she was 13, she moved back to her family’s farm east of Conrad and attended special education classes at Conrad Public Schools and later attended the PT Activity Center. In 1984 she moved to Great Falls and she and her long-time roommate Nancy Webb lived in several group homes and had their own apartment in supported living. Doreen was a bed maker in an Easter Seals sheltered workshop at the Super Eight and Comfort Inn motels. In 2002 she moved in with her oldest brother Arden and his family. She retired in May 2009. The past three years she was a resident of Benefis Extended Care.
Doreen was a Special Olympian. She was a long-time member of the Great Falls Hornets. She was a member of the Montana team that participated in the Fifth International Special Olympics held in August 1979 at the State University of New York at Brockport near Buffalo where she won a gold medal in the balance beam. She also participated in the winter games and liked basketball, bowling, and, in her later years, the walk/run event.
Doreen loved Jesus. She worshipped faithfully with her brothers and sisters in Christ every Sunday. She loved to sing. She loved to do her word puzzles. She was the peacemaker in her family.
Survivors include her six siblings and their families, Arden and Martha Sunwall of Great Falls and their children, Krista (Jed) Koljonen, Carrie, Katherine and David; Marie and Roy Barsness of Kirkland, Wash., and their children, Jonathan and Jordan; Darrell Sunwall of Great Falls and Barb Sunwall of Oregon City, Ore., and their children Heather and Dustin (Nicki); Rolfe and Lillian Sunwall of Great Falls, and their children Trisha (Nick) Heck and Caleb; Maureen and Curt Nelson of Great Falls, and their children, Paige, Jamie, Kyle and Kendra; and Ron and Lynn Sunwall of Great Falls, and their children Deron and Annelise. She has two great-nieces, Lilliana and Addisyn Heck of Great Falls, and one great-nephew, Bode Koljonen of Great Falls.
She was preceded in death by her parents Samuel Sunwall and Doris Sunwall.
Bonnie Sanders
(April 17, 1949 - March 10, 2012)
Bonnie Sanders, 62, of Great Falls, passed away Saturday, March 10, 2012 from natural causes at her residence.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home.
Bonnie was born on April 17, 1949 to Melvin and Grace Smith in Butte where she was raised and attended Butte High School. She was married
to Mike Anzik and had three beautiful children. They later divorced. Bonnie then married
John Sanders and they lived in California, which she loved. They later divorced and she moved to Great Falls to help her mother.
Bonnie was a member of the Eagles Lodge of Great Falls. She recently attended a wonderful family reunion with all her brothers and sisters.
Survivors include sons Mike (Tracy) Anzik and Marty (Cheryl) Anzik both of Butte; daughter Missy (Bill) Bogy of Billings; grandchildren Jeff and Eden Anzik, Echo O’Dell, Tiffany and Michael Bogy, Richard, Tyler and Justice Anzik; siblings Darla (Dick) Lemke of Bettendorf, IA, Clyde (Margret) Smith of Eloy AZ, Chuck (Jadine) Murphy of Victorville, CA, Lana (Gary) Mullaney of Butte, Robin (Barbara) Murphy of Rock Springs, WY; many nieces and nephews; and her companion Rodney Bulmer.
She was preceded in death by her parents Melvin Smith and Grace Hansen-Kallstrom and brother Mike Smith.
Bonnie was an outspoken and colorful person that enjoyed the good times. She will be missed.
“How Great Thou Art”, Carl Boberg -“When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, and then proclaim my God, how great Thou art!”
Rest in peace Mom.
Jeanne Del Ray Allen
(December 27, 1939 - March 2, 2012)
Jeanne Del Ray Allen, 72, of Great Falls, a former cashier for school food service, died of cancer Friday, March 2, 2012 at Peace Hospice.
Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at O'Connor Funeral Home, with her funeral service at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at the same location. Burial will follow at Highland cemetery.
Survivors include her husband, Douglas Allen of Great Falls; son Stanley Allen of Belgrade; daughter Jacqueline Allen of Coosada, Ala.; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Thomas J. Teague
(October 6, 1935 - February 15, 2012)
Thomas "Tom" J. Teague, 76, of Great Falls, a retired freight clerk for the Great Northern Railway and for the Burlington Northern Railroad, died of natural causes Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at his home.
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 2:00 pm at Mount Olivet cemetery. O'Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Teague of Great Falls; sons Tom K. Teague of Nampa, Idaho, Rick Teague of Great Falls, and Scott Teague of Ridgefield, Wash.; stepson Mike Atchison of Great Falls; sister Clare McVey of Great Falls; brothers Freeman and Willie Teague of Great Falls, and Elliott Teague of Elko, Nev.; and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his stepdaughter, Cheri Burckhard.
Garland Rae Allen
(January 7, 1940 - February 19, 2012)
Garland Rae (Grady) Allen, 72, of Great Falls, a former secretary for Safeway Foods, passed away Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 at a local care facility. Cremation has taken place by O’Connor Funeral Home. She is survived by her daughter Janet Crowe of North Bend, WA, a son Richard Allen of Tokyo, Japan, her mother Vivian Grady Hooper and a brother Ken Grady both of Great Falls, and 8 grandchildren and 5 grandchildren.
Dorothy Evelyn Ruff
(September 10, 1930 - February 16, 2012)
Dorothy E. (Raines) Ruff, 81, of Great Falls, a homemaker, died at her home of natural causes on Thursday, February 16, 2012.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:00 am at Heritage Baptist Church with burial of ashes to follow at Highland cemetery. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home.
She is survived by her daughters Linda Ronning of Miles City, Diana Ruff of Great Falls, Susie Williams of Havre, Carrie Cline of Big Sandy, and Sheila Muir of Brighton, CO; sons Fred Ruff and Richard Ruff both of Great Falls; ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Ruff (2000) and daughter Debbie Dean (2011).
Josephine Edna Lahti
(September 26, 1915 - February 7, 2012)
Josephine (Morrow) Lahti, 96, a lifelong Montana rancher and retired Montana State legislative secretary, died February 7, 2012 at a local hospital from natural causes.
Josephine was born September 26, 1915 in Fort Benton to Charles Morrow and Edna Morrow Adamson. She was raised on the family farm and graduated as valedictorian of Fort Benton High School. She attended Montana State University and later graduated from secretarial school in Canada.
A private service will be held for Jo’s family. A celebration of life luncheon will be held on Monday, February 20, 2012 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm at the Wolf Creek School in Wolf Creek, Montana.
While working at a law office in Los Angeles, she met Clyde J. Lahti. They were married
December 24, 1940. She worked as a welder in the ship yards during World War II. Clyde and Jo eventually settled in Montana, purchasing a ranch on Little Prickly Pear Creek and the Missouri River near Wolf Creek. There they raised their two daughters, Suzan and Stevie, while operating a dairy and beef ranch.
Jo showed her registered Jersey dairy cattle at the state fair and hauled milk from area producers to processing plants in Great Falls for many years. After her daughters were grown, she put her passion for politics to work as a committee secretary at the Montana State Legislature until her retirement.
In addition to her interest in politics, Jo loved learning and always had a collection of magazines and books close at hand. She never went on an adventure without bringing home an unusual rock that she could examine through her looking glass. Jo passed on her curiosity about geology and mining to her grandchildren through regular camping trips to family mining claims near Basin.
She is survived by her daughter, Stevie Neuman, Vaughn, a sister, Kathleen Bateman, Ft. Benton, several nieces and nephews, seven grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
Jo was preceded in death by her husband, Clyde, her daughter, Suzan Lord, and her sister, Ruth Fiers.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Jo’s honor can be made to the Wolf Creek Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 42, Wolf Creek, MT 59648, or the Montana Tech Foundation (mark gift for student support), 1300 W Park St, Butte, MT 59701.
Joanne Marie Knutson
(October 26, 1931 - February 8, 2012)
Joanne Marie Knutson, 80, a longtime Great Falls resident, devout Methodist and loving mother and grand-mother, died of Alzheimer's disease on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at a local nursing home.
Her funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church. O'Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Joanne was born on Oct. 26, 1931, in Hinsdale to John and Matilda Rasmussen, the fifth of seven daughters. Born during the depth of the Great Depression, she and her family knew poverty growing up. Joanne said the two tasks she always really hated were darning socks and other fabrics and using an old washtub and washboard to help with laundry for her large family. She attended schools in Hinsdale, Fort Peck and Glasgow. She graduated from Glasgow High School and maintained strong ties to some of her Scotty classmates there.
At 17, she was a perky waitress at a Glasgow café when in walked a handsome local trucker. She and William Knutson struck up a conversation, as well as a great affection for one another. In 1949, as soon as she turned 18, they were married
in Glasgow.
Several years later, Joanne and Bill moved to Great Falls, and eventually bought a home at 900 7th Ave. North. There they reared their daughters, Jean and Kimberly. Their eldest child, Lori, died of a congenital heart defect in the mid-'60s.
Joanne worked from the time she and Bill arrived in Great Falls until her retirement in 1991 as a competent, well organized office administrator for Morgen and Oswood Construction Co. She and Bill opened their home to children, their spouses, grandchildren and others in need. That open-hearted approach to life was a trade-mark of Joanne's. Many loved ones stayed with or lived with her in time of need. Her loving and nurturing capacity made everyone feel comfortable; all the friends and family knew that Joanne often had an empty spare room and a fold-out couch.
On Nov. 4, 1983, her husband, Bill, died. She said that, even having undergone the loss of a child, it was Bill's death that made her want to bargain with God for a bit more time together.
At that point in her life, Joanne became very involved in her church of nearly 50 years, First United Methodist in Great Falls. She served many roles in the church as the years went by, including secretary, director of educa-tion, member of women's circles, server and kitchen helper for Sunday services, service greeter and the keeper of the congregation birthday card list. Joanne, who also volunteered for the young grades at Whittier School for several years, was chosen Grandmother of the Year in 1995. She always could create a special bond with a child.
To her two sets of grandchildren, Joanne was known by two different names: Grandma Patty, because she had a dog named Patty, and Nan. Both names have followed the lineage into the great-grandchildren.
Joanne enjoyed life and socializing. She liked good jokes, country music, and dancing and singing. She had many standing lunch dates at her favorite local restaurants with her longtime friends.
She and her six sisters began to have "sister reunions" in 1975. They traveled to each other's home states for the reunions, and they packed a lot of goofiness into those short get-togethers. All of the sisters were whizzes at crossword puzzles; seeing Alzheimer's rob Joanne of her love of words was one of the cruelest moments for her family.
Joanne is survived by daughters Jean Cadell (Ted) of Burlington, N.D., and Kim Knutson (Wayne Ozenna) of Great Falls; sisters Dorris Reiber of Fircrest, Wash., and Ethel Partridge and Delilah Holder, both of Glasgow; grandchildren Zach Staigmiller, Jasmine Spivey (Nelson), Kathren Ozenna and Tiffany Staigmiller, all of Great Falls, Sara Bobo (Rodney) of Woodbridge, Va., Nicole Herr (Brad) and Tressa Blake, both of Minot, N.D., and Robbie Cadell of Burlington, N.D.; great-grandchildren Jaynee, Tavion, Paris, Micah, Sacy, Emma, Ella, Jordan, Axtin, Nathaniel and Jayden; and numerous nieces and nephews, including Joanne's niece, Carrie Koppy (Gene), and their daughter, Mary Kate Koppy, all of Great Falls.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; daughter Lori; son-in-law Larry Graf; and sisters Lee Barbour, Dawn McKee and Christine Harris.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation.
Joanne spent her last few years in the hands of benevolent caregivers at two local assisted-living facilities. However, those of us fortunate enough to have known her will remember her for her abiding generosity, her strong faith, her unfailing good cheer and her love of her extended family.
God Bless You, Joanne.
Beatrice Evelyn Graff
(November 30, 1909 - February 6, 2012)
Beatrice "Beaty" E. Graff, 102, of Great Falls, died of natural causes Monday, Feb. 6 at her home.
A vigil service is 6 p.m. Tuesday at St. Ann's Cathedral. Funeral Liturgy is 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Ann's Cathedral followed by entombment at Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum. O'Connor Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
Beatrice was born November 30, 1909, in Brainerd, Minn., to Joseph and Emma Liners. It was there that she was raised and educated, graduating from high school. She worked for Northwestern Bell as a telephone operator and later for the Great Falls Election Board.
Beatrice was an active member of St. Ann's Cathedral and enjoyed being a homemaker.
Survivors include grandchildren Sandi (Paul) Furioni, Jeff (Jen) Battles, Andy (Cindy) Battles and Scott (Olga) Battles, all of Massachusetts, Stacey (Joe) Buttle of Washington, Larry (Rhonda) Graff of Nevada, and Greg (Michelle) Battles of Connecticut; daughter-in-law Eleanor Graff of Honolulu; 10 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Adolph Graff in 1977; daughter Kay McCarthy in 2004; son Larry Graff in 2008; parents Joseph and Emma Liners; and sisters Marian Brusseau and Dorothy Richmond.
