Search Archived Marriage Records
Melvin Rabe
A Funeral Mass for Melvin Rabe, 87, of Baker MT, will be 11:00 a.m., Monday, July 15, 2013 at St. John Catholic Church in Baker with Father Thomas Tobin celebrating. Burial will follow in St. Anthony Cemetery.
Visitation for Melvin will be 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday, July 14th at Stevenson Funeral Home in Baker with a Rosary and Vigil being held at 4:00 p.m.
Melvin passed away Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at Eastern Montana Veterans Home in Glendive, MT.
Melvin Rabe was born October 15, 1925 in Plevna, MT, the son of Carl and Adeena (Hoenke) Rabe. He grew up and attended country school south of Plevna at the Lame Jones School, later graduating in 1943 from Plevna High School. Melvin enlisted into the US Navy in 1944. He served on the USS Sierra in Shanghai, China and was honorably discharged in 1946. Mel returned to Plevna and began working for a number of farmers. On September 10, 1955, Melvin married Nancy Cooper in Plevna. To this union, David, Paul and Kenneth were born. He began working as a carpenter for Herbst Construction and was the foreman for many large projects. In 1971, he moved his family to the MDU Cabin Creek Plant, where he was a compressor operator. Mel later became the Plant Supervisor, holding that position until 1993, when he retired. He and Nancy then moved and made Baker their home.
Mel was active in the community, serving on the Plevna School board. He was also a member of the K of C and the American Legion Post #35 for 62 years where he also served on the firing squad. He was also active with the Baker Senior Citizens Center. Melvin enjoyed bowling, playing cards and especially his family and grandchildren. He loved family gatherings.
Mel is survived by; sons, David Rabe of Lincoln, NE, Paul (Sally) Rabe of Peoria, AZ and Kenneth (Susan) Rabe of Peoria, AZ; six grandchildren, Logan, Kaila, Nolan, Layton, Sheridan and Jenna; brother, Delbert Rabe of Auburn, WA.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Nancy; brother, Ronald Rabe; sisters, Carol Reed and JoAnn Pierce.
Memorials may be given to the American Cancer Society.
Shawn Hester
Funeral services for Shawn Hester, 32, of Baker, MT will be 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Stevenson Funeral Home in Baker. Burial will be at a later date.
Shawn passed away near Rapid City, SD.
Shawn Douglas Hester was born November 26, 1980 to Jim and Debbie Hester at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg Florida. Moving to MN when he was a baby, Shawn attended Munger grade school and Proctor High School in MN. He then moved to Laughlin, NV in 2001 where he worked at a RV dealership. Shawn and Brandee met in Laughlin in 2003. They were later married in 2006 in Brandee’s grandmother’s back yard in Baker, MT. To this union four children were born: Desiree, Nathania, Bentley, and Quinton. Together they raised their children in Baker. Shawn worked for Mitchell’s Oilfield Service for five years. He later worked at Dak/Tana Wire Line where he became a wire line engineer. Shawn was willing to help anyone who needed help and was a very good handyman who could do any task needed. He was especially a good dad to his children.
Shawn was preceded in death by his father Jim Hester and Grandma Mary Olinger.
He leaves behind his wife Brandee Hester; four children, Desiree, Nathania, Bentley and Quinton; mother, Debbie Hester of AZ; grandma, June Wirtanen of MN; brothers, Eric Hester and wife Jenn, Jeremy (AJ) Hester and fiancée Alisha Nylander and many other loving relatives.
We will miss you.
Memorials can be sent to Fallon County Credit Union in memory of Shawn for his children.
Dustin DeFord
Funeral Services for Dustin DeFord will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday, July 13, 2013 at the Carter County High School Gymnasium in Ekalaka, Montana. Burial will follow in the Beaverlodge Cemetery in Ekalaka.
Dustin James DeFord, 24, of Prescott AZ, formerly of Ekalaka MT, died June 30th, 2013 while fighting fire with the Granite Mountain Hot Shots, on the Yarnell fire near Prescott, AZ.
Eighteen other firefighters lost their lives in the same incident.
The entire Nation mourns the loss of these brave men.
Dustin was born December 13, 1988 in Baltimore, Maryland to Steve and Celeste (Crago) DeFord.
Dustin joined brothers Brandon, Darren, Jonathan, and Ryan. As time passed Kenton, Stephen, Rebecca, Nathaniel, and Heidi came along to complete the family.
The family moved to Columbus, MT August 1st 1990, and later to Ekalaka, MT October 30, 1996.
Like his siblings, Dustin was homeschooled through elementary and high school, graduating in 2007.
He then attended Cornerstone Bible Institute in Hot Springs, SD, graduating in 2010.
Dustin decisively put his trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as a young boy.
As he grew to maturity his life demonstrated a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
In 2011, he took a short term mission trip to Northern Alberta, Canada for three months.
Through college and after, Dustin worked for the Carter County fire and mitigation crew here in Ekalaka, and got a lot of firefighting time in for the state of Montana.
Dustin’s ambition was to be a Hot Shot firefighter, so he was thrilled when he was accepted this spring with the Granite Mountain Hot Shots.
Dustin was the “life of the party” at any gathering of friends or family, keeping everyone in stitches.
He loved entertaining with his goofy humor, hunting, spotlighting, espresso coffee, noise of any kind, social life and life in general.
He could be seen reading his Bible every morning, and was not ashamed at all of his faith.
Amazingly Dustin was preceded in death by no near kin.
He is survived by his parents, Steve and Celeste DeFord; seven brothers, SSgt Brandon DeFord, Jonathan and Rachel (Anderson) DeFord, Darren and Becky (King) DeFord, Ryan DeFord, Kenton DeFord, Stephen DeFord, and Nathaniel DeFord; two sisters, Rebecca DeFord and Heidi DeFord; one nephew, Tucker DeFord; three nieces, Sage DeFord, April DeFord, and Samantha DeFord; grandparents, Lyle and Emily DeFord and Bill and Flo Crago; and too many aunts, uncles, and cousins to list.
A Memorial has been set up for Dustin DeFord at the National Bank of Ekalaka, Box 45, Ekalaka, Montana 59324
Joseph Hartinger
Funeral Mass for Joseph Hartinger, 98, of Glen Ullin will be 10:00 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glen Ullin with Father Roger Synek celebrating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND
Rosary for Joe will be recited at 9:00 a.m. CDT, on Thursday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Joseph passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, ND.
Joseph R. Hartinger was born on March 23, 1915 to George and Mary (VanAckeren) Hartinger. Joe attended Sacred Heart Catholic School in Glen Ullin through the 8th grade. He was orphaned as a youngster and raised by an uncle and older sister.
In 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Joe decided to help out his uncle, sister and younger siblings by going to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC’s. He was 16 years old at the time. The CCC paid him $30 a month, of which $25 was sent home to family.
On April 16, 1942, Joe married Helen (Wallery) Hartinger in Baker, Montana. She passed away on June 7, 1997.
Joe joined the army at the age of 26 for a one year stint. He was in the army for nine months when Pearl Harbor was attacked. After that, his one-year commitment meant nothing. He was to stay in the army for the duration of World War II. His stint in the army lasted for 4 years, 7 months, and 6 days. He was in a construction platoon in a reconnaissance unit.
When he was in the army, he became a boxer. Most of the boxers his size were afraid of him. When he fought all of the welterweight opponents, he put on five pounds and won the Sixth Infantry Division middleweight championships. He fought 36 times, losing only once.
Joe started his own construction business after working for a lumber company for 20 years. He built many homes in the Glen Ullin area. Construction and woodworking continued to be a big part of his life.
Hiking, running, and cross-country skiing were also very important in his life. When a rural mail carrier’s truck broke down during a very harsh North Dakota winter, he was asked to deliver mail on skis. At the age of 75, he ran 2-1/2 miles every other day in the winter and six to ten miles in the summer.
For over 35 years Joe was one of the top archers in the state of North Dakota. He was the oldest runner during the 1989 North Dakota Centennial torch run.
Joe stopped working for several years to take care of his wife when she became ill. He returned to work when she entered the nursing home in 1992.
In June of 2010, Joe entered the North Dakota Veteran’s Home in Lisbon, North Dakota. While there Joe continued to enjoy wood working, especially making clocks. He also enjoyed bingo, leather craft and jigsaw puzzles.
Joe is survived by his children Carole Mulkey, Medford, Oregon; Joyce Koski, Gilbert, Arizona; Kathy (Herman) Gerving, Whitehall, Montana; James (Jennifer) Hartinger, Rapid City, South Dakota; and Julie (Perry) Donnelly, Columbus, Indiana; one sister, Catherine Folliard, Sonoma, California; 19 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 3 great- great-grandchildren.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Helen; three brothers, Theodore, Frank and Lawrence; two sisters, Anna and Sister Gemma; one son-in-law, Clint Koski; and an infant great-grandson, Joseph Capers.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The North Dakota Veterans Home Activities Fund.
