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Aaron Wenzel
GLENDIVE - Aaron Wenzel, 57, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998, at the Glendive Medical Center.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home with interment in the Dawson County cemetery.
Alta B. Jensen
WORLAND, Wyo. - Alta B. Jensen, 66, died Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, at her home.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Bryant Funeral Home.
Marion (Mimi) Elizabeth Stecher
Marion Elizabeth Stecher, 82 of Billings, passed away Sept. 29, 1998, at the Ginny Wanner Personal Care Home. The daughter of LeRoy and Ellen Badgley, she was born May 22, 1916, in Dickinson, N.D.
She grew up in Kirkland, Wash., and Glendive, where she graduated from high school in 1932. Marion attended Montana State University in Bozeman and graduated in 1937 with a degree in Home Economics. She later moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Census Bureau.
On May 12, 1942, she married
Peter J. Stecher. Immediately following their marriage, they moved to Portland, Ore., where they began their life together as a military couple. Throughout Pete's 20-year career, they traveled extensively, living both abroad and in various states in the U.S. Marion first learned to love the Orient while they were stationed in Japan immediately following WWII. It was there that their third child was born.
In 1961, following Pete's retirement from the Army, they returned to Montana where they both taught at Billings Central Catholic High School. Marion taught home economics for two years between 1964 and 1965. In later years, she volunteered at the Sacred Heart Renewal Center, a true labor of love.
Marion loved her family very much and enjoyed sewing, gardening, needlework, cooking, and reading for them. She also enjoyed music and playing the piano. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Pete (Mackie) in 1981. She is survived by her five daughters: Mary (Pat) Leeds, Shoreline, Wash.; Joanne (Keith) Mosbaugh, Billings; Lee (Ron) Bough, Billings; Rose (Kevin) Gallagher, Emigrant; and Ellen Stecher, Gardiner; 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
Mimi, your unwavering faith in God was always without question and you lived your life as an example for us all. This strong faith will now be rewarded. We love you and will miss you; but go, run, and be free to dance in Heaven with your beloved Mackie.
Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist Alderson Chapel. Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at St. Pius X Catholic Church with Rite of Committal in Holy Cross cemetery. Memorials may be sent to the Ginny Wanner's Personal Care Home, 3320 Ravalli Pl., Billings, MT 59102.
Margaret A. Wolff
Margaret A. Wolff, 75, of Billings, passed away Thursday morning, Oct. 1, 1998, at her home following a long battle with asthma.
She was born March 5, 1923, in Choteau, the daughter of Nels J. and Martha (Berg) Stenson. She was raised in Choteau and graduated from the Choteau High School. She worked in banking in Choteau and Seattle and managed kids clothing stores in Lewistown and Billings.
She had served as a girl scout leader and was a member of the Eagles Lodge Auxiliary.
Margaret's hobbies included crocheting, fishing, camping, traveling and gardening. She also loved to have a good time.
On Oct. 24, 1975, she married
Elmer M. Wolff in Cody, Wyo.
Survivors include her husband, Elmer; two daughters, Barbara (Billy) Smith of Manassas, Va., and Beverly (Paul Jr.) Mundschenk of Billings; five grandsons, Kirk, Kent and Kevin Smith, Joe (Sandy) and Jeff McCullough; three great-grandchildren, Zachary and Lucas Smith and Connor McCullough; her sister-in-law, Helen Stenson of Choteau; and several nieces and nephews.
Margaret was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Julian and Boyd Stenson.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Smith Downtown Chapel. Interment will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens. Viewing will begin at 10 a.m. Monday and the family will greet friends at the chapel from 7 to 9 p.m. Memorials may be made to Big Sky Hospice, P.O. Box 35033, Billings, MT 59107.
Arthur A. French Jr.
LEWISTOWN - Arthur A. French Jr., 37, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998, at the Central Montana Medical Center.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Cloyd Funeral Home Chapel.
Guy J. Hall
DICKINSON, N.D. - Guy J. Hall, 75, Dickinson, died on Friday, Sept. 18, 1998, from injuries sustained in a car accident. Cremation has taken place.
Guy Hall was born on July 14, 1923, in Beach, to Guy and Lela Hall. After graduation from high school, he went to work for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He married
Virginia Manning on Aug. 12, 1942, in Billings. In 1943, he was inducted into the U.S. Army where he earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service, and was honorably discharged in 1946. He retired from the Burlington Northern after 40 years of service in 1981. He enjoyed fishing and camping and especially enjoyed visiting with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia; three daughters, Diane Whiting of Dickinson, Donna Filkowski, Fort Collins, Colo., and Debby (Eric) Stuhler, St. Charles, Mo.; two sons, Don (Paulette) Hall, Syracuse, N.Y., and Doug (Randi) Hall, Minot; 13 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and one brother, Bob Hall, Sidney, Mont. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Robert "Lefty" Byrne
LAUREL - Robert "Lefty" Byrne, 69, of Laurel, passed away Oct. 28 at his home with his loving wife, Yvonne, at his side. Lefty was born in Faith, S.D., on Sept. 26, 1929, to John and Lucretia Byrne. At age 9 the Byrne family moved to Billings. Lefty attended Billings Senior High School where he excelled in all sports, graduating in 1948.
He continued his education and sports prowess at the University of Montana, lettering in nine sports in three years which earned him a right to be a member of the U of M hall of fame. In 1952 Lefty graduated from the university where he went on to play professional baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball organization. In Lefty's words "the only way I would make it in the majors is to 'sell peanuts.' " After Lefty's baseball career he returned to the University of Montana as the assistant varsity football coach, varsity baseball coach and freshman basketball coach.
The same year as Lefty's return to the university he met his lovely bride, Yvonne Blackwelder, and they were married
shortly after in Missoula.
Lefty resigned from coaching in 1955 and returned to farm south of Laurel on the White Horse Ranch. While ranching, Lefty was an active member of the Laurel community. Lefty was awarded the outstanding young farmer of the year by the Jaycees, and was the Carbon County conservationist of the year. He was instrumental in organizing the Laurel Jaycees, was president of the Laurel Golf Club, on the board of directors of the First Security Bank, as well as a member of the Huntley Experimental Station Project.
Lefty's greatest joy was his children, Apryl, Christyl, Tim and Robyn. They spent great family times camping, fishing, hunting, golfing as well as helping others anonymously.
In 1979 Lefty sustained a severe farm-related head injury leaving him physically, but not mentally, disabled. The following 19 years Lefty was faithfully supported and loved by his wife, children, grandchildren and numerous friends.
Lefty is survived by his wife, Yvonne Byrne of Laurel; one son, Tim Byrne and wife, Marcy Byrne and their children: Aubrey and Erica of Laurel; three daughters, Apryl Anderson and her husband, Tom and children: Nicole, Natalie, and Bobby of Laurel; Christyl Healy and husband, Mike Healy and their children: Shawn and Adam of Laurel; Robyn Ruff and husband, Todd Ruff of Sheridan, Wyo.; and special children, Bernie and Marcia Bray and Jackie Bray of Laurel; one sister, Gwen Moorehead and husband, Jim of Salmon, Idaho.
Memorial services will be held at the Laurel Baptist Church, located at the East Laurel exit adjacent to Sietz Ronan Road, at 10 a.m. Oct. 31. The family suggests memorials be sent to The Lefty Byrne Benevolence fund in care of Laurel Baptist Church, 2920 Outfitters Trail, Laurel, MT 59044.
Iva B. Gilbert
OPHEIM - Iva B. Gilbert, 87, of Opheim, died Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998, at the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow of natural causes.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at Bell Chapel in Glasgow with interment in the Lawndale cemetery.
Peter Pitsch
GARRYOWEN - Peter Pitsch Jr., 85, of Garryowen, passed away in the Cedar Wood Villa in Red Lodge, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998, where he had been a resident for some time.
Peter was born Dec. 8, 1912, at Park City, a son of Peter and Katherine Hettinger Pitsch. He attended Shiloh School, schools in Billings and Hardin and completed his education in Sheridan, Wyo.
On Feb. 24, 1933, Peter married
Wilma "Billie" Senff in Billings. The same year they purchased the family farm and ranch in the Garryowen area where he farmed until his retirement in the early '70s. They continued to live there until he became ill in 1995.
Peter and "Billie" loved to travel and did so extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. He enjoyed fishing, bowling, being out-of-doors and helping his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all of them!
A member of the First Baptist Church in Hardin, Peter was honored to be chosen as a "lifetime" deacon of that church.
Survivors include his wife, Wilma "Billie"; three sons, Douglas Pitsch of Yuma, Ariz., Gary Pitsch of Hermiston, Ore., and Brent Pitsch of Phoenix; three daughters, Mrs. George (Donna) Slezak of Western Springs, Ill., Mrs. Gay Smithson and Xandra Pitsch, both of Billings; one brother, Alex Pitsch of Sheridan; 16 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Peter Pitsch Jr. will be held 10 a.m. Monday in the Bullis Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow in the Hardin Fairview cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Alice Florence Jensen
LANDER, Wyo. - Alice Florence Jensen, 92, died Oct. 26, 1998. She was born the daughter of Jewels and Mary Florence (Briere) LeVasseur on Nov. 18, 1905, at Badwater.
The family lived on a ranch on the Laprele Creek. After her formative years, Alice attended college and received a teaching certificate. She was a school teacher working in country schools and riding horseback to those schools. She married
Floyd M. Jensen in Douglas in 1936. She loved to travel around the state with her husband, who was a civil engineer.
Mrs. Jensen is survived by three sons: Floyd and Mary Jensen of Lander, Ernest and Carol Small Jensen of San Francisco, Michael Jensen of Denver; two daughters: Mary and Jerry Owens of Westminster, Colo., Carol A. Jensen and Haile Demissie of Richmond, Calif.; and six grandchildren.
Alice is preceded in death by her parents, Jewels and Mary LeVasseur; husband, Floyd M. Jensen; daughter, Diana Jensen; brothers: Ben LeVasseur and Ernest LeVasseur.
A visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998, at the Chapel of Mount Hope, Hudson's Funeral Home. A vigil for the deceased will be said at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The funeral liturgy will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church with Father Tom Kadera officiating. Interment will be at the Douglas Park cemetery in Douglas, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Arrangements are under the direction of Hudson's Funeral Home.
Leonard W. Rothfusz
Leonard W. Rothfusz, 70, of Billings, died of a heart attack while on a hunting trip Sunday, Oct. 25, 1998, near Columbus.
Leonard was a new car dealer in Hebron, N.D., and Havre. After coming to Billings, in 1983, he owned and operated Midway Auto. He was a businessman that remembered all of his customers, and was the type of person that always had time to chat with his many friends and acquaintances.
He is survived by his wife, Jan of Billings; daughters, Lori of Redmond, Wash., Debra Rayle (Craig) of Missoula, Kathy Schneider (Perry) of Fairfax, Va., Sandi Richardson (Rusty) of Missoula; and son, Brian (Jenee) of Lewiston, Idaho; brothers, Oscar (Fern) of Orangeville, Calif., Calvin (Rose Ann) of Fredonia, N.D., and sister, Orpha Hartmann of Fargo, N.D.; seven grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; four stepsons and their families; and his two special friends, Andrew and Spyder.
Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at the Smith West Chapel, 304 34th St. W. Cremation will follow.
Lenore McLeod
BOZEMAN - Lenore McLeod, 99, died at the Evergreen Care Center in Bozeman on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998. Lenore was born April 17, 1899, at Anamoose, N.D., to Jacob and Katherine Herr. She was one of four students to be in the first graduating class of McClusky N.D. High School.
She attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., and taught in country schools in western North Dakota. Lenore married
Robert Bruce McLeod in May, 1924, and they ranched on the little Missouri River until 1938 when they moved to Ekalaka with their two daughters, June and Bonnie. Lenore left the ranch some years to teach grade school in Ekalaka and two country schools. Her husband, Bob, died in 1966 and she sold the ranch in 1967 and moved into the town of Ekalaka. She then spent half of each year there and half near Bozeman with her daughter, June. In 1986, Lenore moved into the Bozeman Care Center.
She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, three brothers, two nieces, one nephew, her husband, Bob, and her beloved daughter, Bonnie. Lenore is survived by one sister, Ann Dilse of Scranton, N.D.; a brother-in-law, David Schatz of Bismarck, N.D.; a sister-in-law, Ruby Herr of Bismarck; a daughter and son-in-law, June and Dick Schoessler of Bozeman; a son-in-law, Boyne Gundlach of Ekalaka and Yuma, Ariz.; eight grandchildren: Bob Schoessler, Bozeman; David and Annette Schoessler, Belgrade; Kelly and Lea Gundlach, Birney; Marie and Stew Schipman, Birney; Mark Gundlach, Boston, Mass.; Patrick and Starla Gundlach, Baker; Tom and Pattie Gundlach, Salt Lake City, Utah; Janet Schoessler Howe, Helena; and 15 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. She leaves good friends, both young and old. She will be missed at the Evergreen Care Center.
Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Belgrade Community Church with Reverend Dave Hansen officiating. Memorial contributions in Lenore's name may be made to the charity of the donor's choice.
Esther Aileen Veltkamp
CASPER, Wyo. - A celebration of life with a gathering of family and friends for Esther Aileen Veltkamp, 21, will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Free Church. Officiating will be Pastor Tim Bowman. Viewing will be Thursday 2 p.m. till 8 p.m. at Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and one hour before the service at the church on Friday.
Esther died at her home on Oct. 20, 1998. She was born March 18, 1977, in Bozeman, Mont., the daughter of Rodney J. and Sina L. (Stukey) Veltkamp. Esther lived in Billings for 14 years and attended West High. She came to Casper in 1993 and graduated from Natrona County High in 1995. After high school she attended Casper College.
Miss Veltkamp was a hospital volunteer at the Wyoming Medical Center. She was accompanied by her special volunteer "Little Bear" as she worked at the hospital. She was very artistic and enjoyed cross stitching. She attended the Evangelical Free Church.
Esther is survived by her parents, Rodney and Sina Veltkamp of Casper; one brother, Amos Veltkamp of Casper; two sisters, Renessa Denney and her husband of Yuma, Ariz., and Elizabeth Veltkamp of Casper; paternal grandparents, James and Aileen Veltkamp of Manhattan, Mont., and maternal grandparents, Art and Dorothy Samiran of Abilene, Texas; also many other relatives and friends. preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Daniel Stukey.
Family request the memorials be made in Esther's name to the Evangelical Free Church, 4100 Casper Mountain Road, Casper, Wyo., for the missionary fund.
Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.
Henry Anthony Richner
Henry Anthony Richner, 74, of Billings, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998, at his home.
Visitation will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist, Alderson Chapel with cremation to follow. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Killdeer, N.D.
