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Robert Wolff
Robert Wolff, 88, died Sunday, March 20, 2011, at Highgate Assisted Living in Billings.
Mr. Wolff was born on Nov. 4, 1922, on his parents’ homestead in Prairie County, the fourth of 12 children born to German-Russian immigrants Christian and Christina (Rath) Wolff. The family moved to a farm south of Brockway when Mr. Wolff was a young boy. He spent most of his life working on the family farm and this farm was his home for nearly 80 years.
Mr. Wolff attended the rural Berry School through the eighth grade when his formal education ended. Because of the Great Depression, his family could not afford to send him to high school and his help was needed on the farm.
In 1939, Mr. Wolff was confirmed in the rural Zion German Congregational Church along with his brother, Aldo. This church was later moved to Circle where it became part of the Circle Museum.
Mr. Wolff served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939-1940 at the Nine Mile Camp near Missoula. This was his first time away from home and a memorable experience for him.
He and Anna Wangen of Brockway were married
in 1946 and they made their home on his parents’ farm and ranch where they raised cattle and grain. When Mr. and Mrs. Wolff retired, they moved to Miles City where they lived for a few years. Because of declining health, they moved to Billings in 2009. Mrs. Wolff died shortly thereafter.
Mr. Wolff’s life was governed by the rhythm of the seasons, caring for cattle through the winters, spring calving, and seeding and harvesting during the growing seasons. He loved his farm and would have spent the rest of his life there had he been able.
He enjoyed a good game of pinochle and played countless games of Crazy Eights and Chinese Checkers with his children and grandchildren. Mr. Wolff was a quiet and unassuming man who loved and enjoyed his family and friends. He was proud that all four of his children and all of his grandchildren attended college even though he had to end his education after the eighth grade.
His survivors include his children, Dennis Wolff (Karen) of Circle and their children, Eric (Denelle) and Kristi (Jeff Schwartz); Benna Tiensvold (Mel) of Prescott, Ariz.; Robin Wolff (Rodd Hamman) of Billings and their son, Alex; and Laura Zimmerman (Ric) of Billings and their children, Ben and Bryan.
He is also survived by three great-grandchildren and a fourth expected to arrive in June; his brothers and sisters, Laura Wells, Palma Chambers, Florence Zwicker, Marion Schleining and Leonard, Ralph and Harold Wolff; a sister-in-law, Gladys Wangen Cole; and many extended family members.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Anna, of 63 years; his parents; two brothers, Clarence and Aldo; and sisters Anna Wolff Young and Altina.
The staff of Highgate Assisted Living provided kind and loving care of both Mr. and Mrs. Wolff.
Funeral services will be Saturday, April 2, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Interment will be in the Brockway cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the McCone County Museum or the charities of their choices.
Ruth J. Crane
Ruth J. Crane died at her home in Lewistown, MT on Monday, March 14, 2011.
Mrs. Crane was a long-time resident of Lewistown and a respected school teacher for many years in the rural areas of central and eastern Montana.
She was born on a family farm in Wisconsin to Levern and Caroline Kleeberger on June 5, 1926. She and her family spent most of their younger lives in Northfield, Minn., where she graduated from high school and later attended Carleton College.
During World War II, she worked in a defense manufacturing plant making parts for bombers (becoming the family’s “Ruthie the Riveter”) and later moved to Montana in 1947 to teach in rural country schools where she met and married
Robert S. Crane of Jordan on Dec. 30, 1948.
Mr. and Mrs. Crane lived in Jordan until 1951 when they moved their growing family to Lewistown. They had six sons together: Charles, James, David, Richard, Jeffrey and John.
During the boys’ early years, Mrs. Crane stayed busy with being a full time mother and wonderful gardener. She worked as a house mother at the Nursing School at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lewistown and ultimately returned to Eastern Montana College in Billings to renew her teaching credentials.
Mrs. Crane returned to teaching in one-room schoolhouses in various rural communities beginning in 1969 throughout eastern Montana. She and her husband moved from Lewistown to Moore when he retired as a heavy equipment operator while Mrs. Crane continued teaching in different communities until she retired.
After retirement, Mrs. Crane continued to tutor individual students. She returned to Lewistown in 1991. Throughout her years in Lewistown, Mrs. Crane was involved in many community and civic activities. She particularly enjoyed sharing time with her pinochle friends at the senior center.
Her survivors include her sister, Dorothy J. Simpson; her sons, Charlie (Rene) of Longmont, Colo., Jim of Ogden, Utah, Dave of Great Falls, and Jeff of Lewistown; her grandchildren, Jackie and Bridgett Crane of Longmont, Abigail, Robert and Katherine of Ogden, Jeremy Crane of Bismarck, N.D., Ryan Crane and Charles Crane, both of Great Falls, Jessica Crane-Munoz of Hillsborough, N.J., and Danielle Crane of Kent, Ohio; and numerous great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert S. Crane; her brothers, Robert and Donald; her sons, John and Richard; her daughter-in-law, Alison Crane; and her nephew, Jerry Simpson.
A graveside service will be conducted Saturday, April 2, 2011, at noon at the Sunset Memorial Gardens in Lewistown. A reception will be held between 1 and 3 p.m. April 2 at the Spotlight, 538 Sereday St. (behind Town Pump) in Lewistown.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Heifer International, 1 World Ave., Little Rock, AR 72202 or www.heifer.org.
John Joseph Holkup
John Joseph Holkup, 96, died peacefully on Monday, March 14, 2011, with loving family members by his side.
Mr. Holkup was born on Dec. 17, 1914, in Washburn, N.D., to John and Frances Macek Holkup, the second of five children. He graduated as salutatorian from Washburn High School. At age 17, after his father’s unexpected death, he became the primary support for his family. With his uncle’s help, Mr. Holkup ran a corner grocery store and managed a family-owned apartment building in Bismarck, N.D., where the family had moved the previous year.
At age 20, Mr. Holkup began his 45-year career as an optician for Benson Optical where he worked with Lillian Kupper.
On April 24, 1944, he and his wife, Lillian, were married
in Mandan, N.D. Their first child was born in North Dakota. Three more children were born in Miles City after Mr. Holkup’s 1947 transfer there to open and manage a branch of the Benson Optical Company.
During the early stages of his career with Benson’s, Mr. Holkup studied and passed the exams to become a Master Optician and a Certified Audiologist. He retired in 1980. Mr. and Mrs. Holkup enjoyed traveling to Western Europe and in the United States. One of their first trips, sponsored by the Friendship Force, involved meeting and staying with families living in repressed East Berlin and Poland.
Mr. and Mrs. Holkup were active in the Sacred Heart Parish where Mr. Holkup was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Holkup were involved in various church related activities including Cursillo and Marriage Encounter, and served as Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and religious educators for high school students. Mt. and Mrs. Holkup also were involved in community affairs with the Retired and Seniors Volunteer Progrm, the Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, St. Vincent De Paul, and the Grief Support Group. In October 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Holkup moved to Highgate Senior Living in Bozeman to be closer to family.
Mr. Holkup’s survivors include his sister, Frances of Santa Clara, Calif.; his wife of almost 67 years, Lillian; and their four children, Janice of Seattle, Wash., Patti of Missoula, Paul of Buffalo, Wyo., and Gary (Zena Holliday) of Bozeman; three grandchildren, Joe (Nayoun) Nichols, Leah Nichols (Kevin Hall) and Jenna (Gerry) Nichols-Pagel; one great-grandson, Jason; and several nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Anne, Agnes and Charlie.
A Rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, 2011, at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Miles City, followed by a vigil service at 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, March 19, 2011, at 11 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Miles City. Rite of Committal will follow in the Custer County cemetery.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Earl J. "Tubby" Trafton
Earl J. “Tubby” Trafton, 81, of Moore died Monday, March 14, 2011, at Central Montana Skilled Nursing Care Center of natural causes.
He was born March 29, 1929 in Miles City, the son of Earl and Margaret Hanson Trafton. Mr. Trafton grew up and spent half his life in Miles City, working for the Milwaukee Railroad and in beverage industry. He graduated from Custer County High School in 1947. He married
the love of his life, Jeanne Haines, on July 5, 1949, and they made their home in Miles City to raise their two children. In 1967 the family moved to Lewistown.
Mr. Trafton was a true Irishman and he loved St. Patrick’s Day. He was kind-hearted, loved to laugh and enjoyed visiting or watching the Bears with a cold beer. He will be missed and loved forever.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jeanne of Moore ; his sister, Maxine Seekins of Miles City; and his son, Steve (Michelle) Trafton of Lewistown.
His grandchildren include Courtney, Kyle, Tanner, and Taylin Trafton, Marnie Witt, and Justin and Kory Kindsfather; and he had three great-grandchildren: Nolan Fry, and Kiera and Trei Bulluck.
Mr. Trafton was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Ralph Trafton of Billings; and son, Mark Trafton of Missoula.
The celebration of Mr. Trafton’s life will be Friday, March 18, 2011, at 2 p.m. in the Zion Lutheran Church in Lewistown. Cremation has taken place.
Cloyd Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Lewistown is assisting the family with arrangements.
Friends are asked to make memorials to the Moore Fire Department and may be left at the Cloyd Funeral Home.
Jean Marie Bartley Freese
Jean Marie Bartley Freese, 84, died Saturday morning, March 12, 2011, at her home in Miles City.
She was born April 23rd, 1926, in Miles City to William Hickman and Mary Maitland Bartley. In 1933, the family moved to Great Falls, and on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, she was graduated from Great Falls High School. She graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in the spring of 1948 and joined the newsroom staff of the Great Falls Tribune as a reporter and photographer. She worked briefly as editor of the Western Livestock Reporter in Billings, before being married
to Dr. Martin L. Freese in Great Falls on March 10th, 1951.
They lived for a short time in Roundup, moving to Miles City to live in a house which had been in the family since 1928. He joined the staff of the Veterans Administration Hospital, which was being prepared to open. From 1952 to 1956 Mrs. Freese was on the newsroom staff at the Miles City Star, a job she left to raise Bill, Amorette and Bart. When Bart entered school in 1967, she returned to the newsroom staff at the Star, working part time, a job which gradually grew to be full time. She retired in 1991.
In this same period, she had been drafted, as many people were, into the Barn Players Summer Theater, where she appeared in over twenty major and minor roles, in addition to directing, building sets, handling publicity and programs, serving as an officer of the organization and serving coffee and tea during intermission. The Barn brought many friends into the family through four generations, from grandfather Bill Bartley, through the entire Freese family and now including Bart’s daughter Cecelia representing the fourth generation.
Mrs. Freese was preceded in death by her husband; her four siblings, Patricia Stevens, Kathleen Black, Bill and her twin brother, John Bartley; and two nephews, Danny Black and Jonathon Connelly.
A memorial gathering, including refreshments, will be hosted by Bill Freese, Amorette and Steve Allison, Bart and Shelley Freese and their daughters Cecelia and Lila between two and six on Saturday afternoon, March 19, 2010, at the Freese home at 121 North 12th Street in Miles City.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Miles City Public Library, the Miles City Historic Preservation Office, the Evelyn Cameron Gallery of the Prairie County Museum in Terry, or the Barn Players.
[Jean’s final report was this dictated obituary.]
Mrs. Freese also was a long-time member of the Range Riders Reps.
Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Miles City is in charge of the arrangements.
Delores Florence Frize Kuchynka
Delores Florence Frize Kuchynka, long-time resident of Miles City, died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, in Albany, Ga.
She was born April 30, 1940, in North Dakota. She was married
to the late David Kuchynka Sr. until his death in 1997, when she moved to Canton, Ga., and lived with her youngest daughter until her death.
Mrs. Kuchynka has two daughters, Katy Frize-Marshall of Sorrento, La., and Antonia Donna Kuchynka of Canton, Ga., ; four step-children, Vonnie Goodson, Judy Lyda, David Jr. and Dave Allen; 15 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
She also is survived by seven of her 20 siblings: Dale of Grand Rapids, Minn., Joe of Billings; Eleanor Frize-Stoltz of Kalispell; Cecelia Frize Kuntz and Julie Frize Stoltz, both of Miles City; Al of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Donna Frize Jones of Tulsa, Okla.
Memorial services will be at the Laurel Edge Apartments, 3950 Frey Rd. in Kennasaw, Ga., on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at 4 p.m.
Any donations may be sent to 543 Old Doss Dr., Canton, GA 30114 or may be made at any Wells Fargo Bank by check made out to Delores Kuchynka Memorial Fund (account #576554).
Geraldine "Jeri" Emma Brody
Geraldine “Jeri” Emma Brody, 84, of Miles City diedon Saturday, March 12, 2011, at her home.
She was born on Sept. 23, 1926, in Schoolcraft, Mich., the daughter of Harry and Charlotte Gustin Russell. She grew up in the Michigan area, and married
Lewis Gale Brody on Dec. 18, 1965, in Paw Paw, Mich.
Mrs. Brody was a registered nurse who both worked and volunteered, serving her profession for 50 years.
Mr. and Mrs. Brody moved to the Ashland area in 1975, where she volunteered her nursing skills for 22 years. She worked as the school nurse at Lame Deer Public Schools from 1980 to 1988, worked at the Powder River Nursing Home from 1988 to 1992, and worked at Labre School from 1992 to 1996. She cared very much for children, their health, and their future.
Mrs. Brody started a student volunteer program for sixth to eighth grade students, known as “Candy Stripes” from Labre School to Powder River Nursing Home.
She enjoyed travelling, and travelled to seven countries in Europe by camper. She also toured Asia, Africa, and Russia. In Russia, she learned of their day-care and health system.
Mrs. Brody has eight published items on tours and vacations. She also wrote children stories, poetry and enjoyed crafts. She enjoyed people and their culture.
Mr. and Mrs. Brody enjoyed camping with their animals and meeting RV friends. Mrs. Brody was a member of “Health 2000, ” Montana School Nursing, National Association of School Nursing, and Montana and National Education Association.
Her survivors include her son, George Henry Remington; her daughters, Sharon Ervin of Arizona, Edna Anderson and Georgia Bement; her step-daughter, Connie Marie Brody of Florida; her brothers, Harry S. Russell of Arizona, LaVern C. Russell, Raymond H. Russell and Ronald R. Russell, all of Michigan.
She is also survived by her eight grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and great-granddaughter, Tashina.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to Montana Rescue Mission, 2520 First Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101.
Burial will be at a later date.
Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home of Miles City is in charge of the arrangements.
Roberta Jean Russell
Roberta Jean Russell, 78 of Billings, passed away at her home on March 12, 2011. Jean was born on June 23, 1932 in Miles City, MT, the daughter of Harold and Roberta (Spangler) Sutherland. She was raised in Miles City.
Jean married
Dale Russell in Billings on September 7, 1978. She was employed with U.S. West in Billings for 22 years, first as a telephone operator and finishing her career in business collections.
Mom loved us from our first breath, held our hands through the years, guided us along the paths that our lives took, taught us that there is nothing we can’t make it through, to hold our faith and follow our hearts. She gave us her all and asked nothing in return.
She gave us all the stepping stones in life to become the people we are today, and through it all she stood proud of us all. Her family meant everything in the world to her, including her husband, children, grandchildren, sister, and aunt.
It will be hard on us to let her go physically, but we carry her with us each and every day in our hearts and our thoughts. The sun rising will remind us of the warmth of her love. Flowers blooming will remind us of her love for life. Our trials and tribulations will remind us of how strong willed she was. There’s a part of her in each and every person that hears or reads this and we can all be so honored that she was a part of our lives.
We will always love you mom, wife and grandmother. We will carry you with us each day in our hearts. We will mourn your loss but rejoice that you are in a better place sitting with God and loved ones, awaiting our arrival one day.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents and son Richard Wallace. She is survived by her husband Dale Russell of Billings; son Tim (Mary) Wallace of Missoula, MT; step-children Chad and Carrie Russell; sister Maryann (Don)Velin of Missoula; grandchildren, Adam Wallace of Missoula, Jennifer and Kirk Strawbridge of Tuscaloosa, AL, Steven and Kevin Wallace of Petaluma, CA.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 16, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary. Interment will take place in Miles City. Michelotti-Sawyers is in charge of arrangements.
Hedwig "Hattie" Charlotte Kaufman
Hedwig “Hattie” Charlotte Kaufman, 97, of Alzada, died Friday, July 8, 2011, of natural causes.
She was born Sept. 18, 1913, in Hebron, N.D. The youngest of five children, she was the daughter of German immigrants Joseph Beilage and Johanna Westerkamp Beilage. Her grandfather Theodore Beilage was a commissioned officer to the Bishop of Oldenburg and heir to the Brokstreek estate. Her parents immigrated in 1907, settling near Hebron where her father worked in a coal mine with his brother, Alexander. They then moved to Miles City where he operated a theater. When Hattie was four years of age, the family moved to a homestead filed near Alzada in Carter County. She later recalled the family belongings piled in the car and after getting stuck, a neighbor pulling them out. She attended school in a schoolhouse built by her father and finished junior high school in Haymarsh, N.D., while living with her uncle, riding a horse seven miles to school every day.
When she turned 21, her father drove her and Bernice Monroe to the land office in Billings where each of them filed on a 640-acre section of land near Alzada. They were among the last women on record to file for a homestead. Mrs. Kaufman later recalled that to “prove up you had to build a little house, put a reservoir on it to hold water and fence it.” She added a horse barn as well.
Her homestead was put on hold when she went back to Germany with her parents between 1936 and 1937. The family in Germany had a dairy, a brewery and whisky distillery and she remembered the early currents of a country about to go to war. When they returned to the United States the economy was on a downturn, and she worked one winter in Muskegon, Mich., and then returned to Alzada. To earn money to finish improvements on her homestead she began to work for Bert Kaufman as a cook during haying season. They fell in love and were married
Feb. 26, 1951.
During the early 1950s, Mrs. Kaufman had several champion rams and made the cover of the Montana Wool Growers publication. In 1956, their daughter, Vicky, was born, and they enjoyed every minute spent together until Mr. Kaufman’s death in June of 1967.
Mrs. Kaufman continued to run the ranch for the next 20 years with cattle and sheep, working with hired help and relatives. She later remarked, “I’ve done my share of work in years past, fighting blizzards to save sheep. One year I had a 100 percent calf crop, when some folks had 80 percent.”
Mrs. Kaufman was independent, resourceful and as a single female rancher, she was a trailblazer. She had a fondness for animals and over the years and had a variety, from a pet bobcat, coyote, monkey and raccoons to many peacocks. As the years went by, she continued to live on the ranch with Vicky and her children. Mrs. Kaufman had always supported women in rodeo and considered many rodeo queens her friends, exchanging letters of encouragement. A striking beauty when younger, she loved bright floral western shirts and big turquoise jewelry. She enjoyed visiting, playing cards, cooking, gardening, telling stories, helping others and being with her family. Mrs. Kaufman lived her life on her terms, even in her last days, she continued to live in her home at the ranch, as she wished, being cared for by her daughter, Vicky, and granddaughter, Sharlynn, until a couple of weeks ago.
Her survivors include her daughter, Vicky Johnson, and son-in-law, Allen Johnson of Alzada; step-son Charles Kaufman of Spearfish, S.D.; grandchildren, Sharlynn McCutchan, Shantel McCutchan and Shy McCutchan of Alzada, Shelly McCutchan of Billings and Shawn McCutchan of Glendive; sisters, Ursula Lanning of Belle Fourche, S.D., and Marie Dillard of Cambria, Calif.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Johanna and Joseph Beilage; husband, Bert Kaufman; brother, Carl Beilage; and sister, Elizabeth Marie Dillard.
Cremation has taken place. It was Mrs. Kaufman’s wish that no funeral services be held. A gathering of family and friends to celebrate her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Alzada Volunteer Fire Department.
Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home of Broadus has been entrusted with the arrangements.
