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Gerald Richard 'Jerry' Frisby
Gerald Richard "Jerry" Frisby died at home surrounded by his family on March 30, 2000, of congestive heart failure.
He was born in Basin, Wyo., on Oct. 27, 1927, to George and Mary Frisby.
His family moved to Billings when he was a year old.
He has been a lifelong Billings resident, graduating from Billings Senior High in 1946.
After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy for two years.
On completion of his navy service, he attended Eastern Montana College for one year.
On May 14, 1950, Jerry married
Donna Shamanoff.
They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May.
In 1955, Jerry established City Service Plumbing & Heating and in 1967 bought the Roto Rooter franchise.
He was active in both of these businesses all of is adult life.
Jerry served on the board of directors of the National Roto Rooter Franchise Assn. From 1991-94.
Jerry had a great passion for his family and friends.
He instilled his sense of honor, incredible determination and boundless imagination in his children.
His favorite places on earth were the Beartooth Mountains and all of Montana.
Jerry found no other place in all his travels that came close to the beauty of his home place.
He left part of himself behind with his wonderful wood carvings and his legacy of love.
We will miss his insight, wit, quirky sense of humor, but mostly, his love.
He is survived by his wife, Donna; his son, Bill Frisby of Billings; four daughters, Susan Armstrong and her husband, Ray of Billings, Deborah Hahm and her husband, Mike of Helena, Sheri Pogue and her husband, Gary of Billings, and Katie Nordstrom and her husband, Tim of Red Lodge; his nine grandchildren, Ryan, Brady and Melissa Armstrong, Aaron, Somer, and Michael Hahm, Will and Kimberly Pogue, and Abbie Nordstrom; four sisters, Elizabeth Lutton and Jane Kincaid of Billings, and Pat Rankin, Katherine DeCourcy, and two brothers, Nick and Ted Frisby, all living in California.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Monday, April 3, at Mayflower Congregational Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Shrine Crippled Children's Hospital, 911 W. 5th, Spokane, WA 99204 or Big Sky Hospice, P.O. Box 35033, Billings, MT 59107-5033. Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist has charge of arrangements.
Donald G. Gibson
GLENDIVE - Donald G. Gibson, 95, died on Friday, March 31, 2000, at the Glendive Medical Center Extended Care Facility.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, at the United Methodist Church.
Interment will be in the Dawson Memorial cemetery.
Silvernale-Silha funeral Home is in charge.
Virgil Norman Huston
SHERIDAN, Wyo. - Virgil Norman Huston, 74, died on March 28, 2000, at the Billings Deaconess Medical Center.
Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, at Kane Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 31, at Kane Funeral Home.
Private family interment will follow in the Sheridan Municipal cemetery with military honors.
Memorials may be made to the Church of Christ Benevolence Fund, 1769 Big Horn Ave., Sheridan, WY 82801.
Violet Johnson
Violet Johnson, 104, of Billings, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, March 28, 2000, at St. Vincent's Hospital.
She was born Nov. 3, 1895, at Rock Springs, Wyo., one of five children born to Edward Soulsby and Mary Ann Lander.
Her father was a miner and her family moved to Belt, and then Washoe, Mont., where she met her husband, Frank Johnson.
They married
in Billings in 1914.
Violet played piano for silent movies in Bearcreek where her brothers, Art, Les, and Joe were also known for their musical talents.
While her husband, Frank, worked as an electrician for the mines at Bearcreek, Violet operated a beauty salon in her home and also ran a boarding house for teachers.
Her husband later worked for the National Park Service as a road maintenance supervisor, and they spent summers at Yellowstone National Park where Violet worked at the Thumb store.
Later, they moved to Billings and helped raise two grandchildren.
Violet did everything from cooking to mowing the lawn.
In 1968, she and Frank moved into their own apartment, and she continued to live there until January 2000.
A long-standing member of the First Presbyterian Church of Billings, Violet loved church activities, as well as music, dancing, sewing, and animals.
Those who were lucky enough to touch her path will always remember how her keen wit, sense of humor, and fierce independence helped her live to see three different centuries.
Violet was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Frank; sister, Myrtle; brothers, Joe, Art, and Les Soulsby; and her children, Peggy Ann Jackson and Francis Johnston.
Survivors include her grandchildren, John Johnston of Butte; Bynum Jackson of Boston, Mass.; and Brenda Jackson of Billings; nieces and nephews, Art Soulsby Jr. of Billings, Ann Pawliw of Canada, and Carol Ann Tomlinson of Deer Lodge, as well as numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Cremation has taken place.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 2116 Broadwater Ave., Billings, MT 59102.
Mary 'Sue' LaMere
COOS BAY, Ore. - Mary Susan "Sue" LaMere, 57, died March 29 in Coos Bay after a short, courageous battle with cancer.
She was born March 2, 1943, in Denver, to Dr. John and Mary M. (Coppo) Hammerel.
She was raised and educated in Billings, Mont., where she lived until moving to Coos Bay in 1995.
She graduated from MSU-Billings in 1993 with a degree in communications and a minor in social services.
She worked in Coos Bay as director of the South Coast HIV/AIDS Resource Program.
She is survived by her son, Michael (Brandy) Hammerel of Roberts, Mont.; daughters, Jamie (Richard) Kimball of Yreka, Calif., and Mary Jo (Allen) Golder of North Bend, Ore.; stepmother, Patricia Hammerel of Billings; brother, John (Janice) Hammerel of Livingston, Mont.; stepbrother, Gary (Jule) Glasrud of Billings; stepsister Diane (David) Owen of Minneapolis; grandchildren, Michael, Paul, Nathaniel, James, Rebekah and Jesse; and niece, Anna Hammerel of Fort. Collins, Colo.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father and granddaughter, Ayla Dawn Hammerel.
Memorial services are pending.
Krist Mellgren
Krist Mellgren passed away after a short illness at St. Vincent's Hospital on March 30, 2000.
He was born on March 29, 1912, in Hauge I Dalene, Norway, to Severin and Inga Mellgren.
He came to the U.S. at the age of 16.
From New York he "rode the rails" to Valley City, N.D. and worked on a farm.
He then went to Missoula to work in the timber industry as a logger for 5 years.
He then moved to Ingomar where he met and married
Marjorie Stepper in 1941.
During his time in Ingomar, he worked for an uncle in the sheep industry, as well as constructing over 1, 000 miles of fence and working for the Mont. Highway Dept.
In 1955, the family moved to Fromberg where he worked for Western Sugar in Billings.
For the next ten years, he cared for his uncle within their home.
He then partially retired and worked seasonally at Western Sugar well into his 70s.
Krist enjoyed his grandchildren, skiing, gardening and manicuring his fruit trees, especially the four cherry trees he planted at Flathead Lake.
He was pre-deceased by his parents, three brothers and two sisters, all from Norway.
Survivors include his wife Marjorie; son, Fred and wife, DeeAnne; son, Hank and wife, Val; and five grandchildren, Piper, Kirsti, Jessie, Christopher and Hollie; one great-grandchild, Cameron Wood; three brothers living in Norway, Hoaken, Gunnar and Olaf, as well many nieces and nephews in Norway.
We will miss you "POPS".
You were always there when we needed you!
Memorials suggested to Rocky Mtn. College or a charity of your choice.
A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Monday, April 3, at Cremation & Funeral Gallery at 8th Street West & St. Johns Avenue.
Inurnment will be held at a later date.
Ruth 'Cuca' Mercado
WORLAND, Wyo. - Ruth "Cuca" Mercado, 90, died Friday, March 30, at Community Care of America.
Rosary service will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Veile Mortuary Chapel.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.
Rite of Committal will follow at Riverview Memorial Gardens cemetery.
George J. Ottenbreit
George J. Ottenbreit, 77, died Friday, March 31, 2000, at Deaconess Hospital.
He was born Sept. 19, 1922, the son of Mathias and Barbara Ottenbreit on the family farm at north Dagmar, Mont.
He attended Longfellow Elementary, Coalridge, Mont., and Antelope High School, Antelope, Mont.
In his youth he enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps stationed at West Glacier and Winnifred, Mont.
George enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and was accepted into the civilian pilot program, training at bases in Mesa, Ariz., and Reno, Nev.
In 1943, he was called to active duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was stationed in Reno, where he married
Helen Ibsen of Dagmar in December 1943.
After the war, he and Helen returned to Dagmar where they farmed for more than 40 years.
He was an active member of Nathaniel Lutheran Church of Dagmar, serving on the Board of Directors and on the Coalridge School Board.
He was also a longtime member of the Montana Farmers Union, the Elks, and the Laurel Golf Club.
He retired from the farm at Dagmar in 1983 and moved to Billings where he and Helen built a home.
For many years, George and Helen spent winters in Mesa, Ariz., where he enjoyed golfing, hiking, and visiting with their many friends.
George is survived by his wife, Helen; two children, Barbara Larson (Fred), Rodney (Rae) of Billings; three grandchildren, Casey Antonson of Portland, Ore.; Stephanie of Rochester, Minn.; Geoffrey of Bozeman; brothers, Math of Whitefish; John of Spokane, Wash.; Floyd of Dallas, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Frank, who died in infancy, and three sisters, Caroline, Elizabeth and Anne.
Memorial services will be held Tuesday, April 4, at 11 a.m., at Messiah Lutheran Church.
Cremation has taken place.
Interment will be scheduled later at Nathaniel Lutheran Church, Dagmar.
Memorials may be made to Messiah Lutheran Church or to the charity of one's choice.
Glenn Walter Weidler
Glenn Walter Weidler went home to Jesus after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Glenn was born Aug. 13, 1938, in Billings to Walter and Dorothy Weidler.
He graduated from Senior High School in 1956 and from Eastern Montana College.
He served in the United States Army and felt privileged to do so.
Glenn was an avid bowler and golfer.
He was inducted into the Billings Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and the State Bowling Hall of Fame in 1999.
We were all very proud of him for that accomplishment.
Glenn and Linda met in Red Lodge on the 4th of July of 1963 and were married
on Sept. 19, 1964. Glenn's greatest joy in his life were his children and grandchildren.
He was a strong family man and a wonderful husband and father.
He coached his son Mike in little league and taught him how to fish and hunt.
He loved watching his daughters compete in sports.
He was very proud that they both went to college on basketball scholarships.
Glenn was a loving husband, and Linda and he enjoyed many special times together.
We loved to golf together at the Laurel Golf Club and take part in spectator sports.
We bowled in a mixed league and in several state and local mixed tournaments.
Glenn was a member of the Laurel Golf Club, the Elks lodge, the Petroleum Club and the Billings Bowling Association.
He went to work for Mule Creek Oil Co. in 1969 as an accountant.
The company then went to Fortin Hancock Enterprises and eventually became Hancock Enterprises.
Glenn loved his job and was a loyal employee and a respected businessman.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda; his father, Walter; his children, Mike (Renita) and grandchildren, Brett, Logan and Lauryn; Tracy (Jim) Hawbaker and grandchildren, Bryce and Sydney; and Kristen; his sisters, Gay (Jack) Engleman and Glee (Peter) Killorn of Livingston; numerous nieces and nephews; and five special brothers-in-law (who always said Glenn was their favorite brother-in-law, their only one).
Visitation will begin 9 a.m. Friday at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist.
A Vigil Service will be held 7 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at Michelotti, Sawyers & Nordquist.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10 a.m. Monday, April 3, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church with Rite of Committal in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Memorials may be made to the Northern Rockies Cancer Center or the charity of ones choice.
