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Gene Wise
Gene 'Buzzy' Milton Wise, 75, died at his home in Kalispell on May 26, 2004. He was born Jan. 29, 1929, in Kalispell to George Frederick and Mary Nettie (Torgeson) Wise.
He spent many years working at Sykes with his brother Doug Wise. He worked as a meat cutter-butcher and sausage maker. In 1957, Buzzy started his own logging business, which he operated until about 1989. He semi-retired and continued to help at Sykes, then in 2000, Buzzy retired to enjoy life with his family. He enjoyed visiting with friends at Sykes and watching his grandchildren grow and his family flourish.
Buzzy married Betty Parker on Sept. 13, 1954, in Missoula. Throughout their happy years they had two daughters and three sons.
He was preceded in death by his loving parents, one brother and four sisters. He is survived by his wife, Betty Wise, of Kalispell; three sons, Fred Wise and wife Paula, of Eureka, Orville Wise and wife Nancy, of Huson, and Charles Wise and wife Tracy, of Kalispell; two daughters, Kay Beyer, of Hungry Horse, and Kathy Foote, of Libby; 14 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren; a very special friend Martin Shanor; one brother, Doug Wise; two sisters, Lorraine Schultz and Gladys Kikendall, all of Kalispell; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Services for Gene 'Buzzy' Milton Wise were Tuesday at Johnson Memorial Chapel. The family suggests memorials be made to the Shriners Hospital, P.O. Box 2472, Spokane WA 99210.
Miriam L. Davis
Miriam L. Davis, passed way in Hardin, Mont. on June 17, 2004 at the age of 94. She was born August 12, 1909 in Pendelton, Oregon, the daughter of Freeman (Bill) and Lula Colwell. She and her family resided in Fruitland, Idaho. Miriam got her teaching certifiate at Monmouth College and began her teaching career in Oregon. In 1932 she and Emmett (Lim) Davis were married. They had two daughters Sharon and Susan.
In 1944 they took a vacation to Glacier National Park. They loved it so much they quit their jobs in Tennesee and moved there. In 1954 they moved to Columbia Falls where Miriam taught school for many years.
Miriam touched many people's lives through the years. By all of the cards and phone calls she continued to receive after her move to Hardin, it was evident that her many friends did not forget her. Her interests were reading, gardening and after retirement she did extensive traveling. She liked Hardin but her heart remained in Columbia Falls. She wished to be cremated and did not wish a memorial.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Lula Colwell, her husband Lim and one sister Lena Dye. Miriam is survived by one sister, Wilma Brown of San Diego, Calif.,daughters Sherry Farley and Burton of Hardin, Susan Gum and Bob of Spokane, Wa., 5 grandchildren, Kelly and Mike Rued of Billings, Mont., Mrs. Leslie Brosz of Hardin, Trisha Gum of Los Angeles, Calif., Jason Gum and Angela of Mt. Vernon, Wash., three great grandchildren Colton and Collin Brosz and Ellie Davis Gum and nephews Mark Brown and Steve Brown of California.
Viola Greene
Viola M. "Vi" Greene, 85, passed away June 19, 2004, at North Valley Hospital of natural causes, surrounded by her family.
Vi was born March 10, 1919, in Manchester to May E. (Shupe) and Gilbert S. Warner. She received her education in Great Falls and Columbia Falls, graduating from Columbia Falls High School in 1936. She married Allan 0. "Al" Greene on Nov. 20, 1941, in Columbia Falls.
Through her life, Vi had a variety of vocations including waitress, grocery clerk, head telephone operator, florist, candy maker, cake decorator, bookkeeper, seamstress, homemaker, wife, mom, grandma and great grandma.
She had been secretary of the Rocky Mountain Riders Saddle Club and the Columbia Falls Women's Bowling Association. At the time of her death, she was secretary of the Columbia Falls Youth Bowling Association and the Friday Night Mixers Bowling League.
Vi's bowling career began in 1954-55 when she helped organize and charter the Columbia Falls Women's Bowling Association and also started the first junior league in Columbia Falls at the Canyon Bowl. She became a certified coach/instructor and coached kids from 1955 through 2002, including her kids, grandkids and great grandkids.
She had been a director and sergeant at arms of the Montana Women's Bowling Association and was inducted into the Montana Women's Bowling Association, Montana Youth Bowling Association and the Columbia Falls Women's Bowling Association's Halls of Fame for meritorious service. She also received the Vera Swinney Memorial Award for her work with junior bowlers.
She had also been involved with Business and Professional Women's Club, PTA and the Grandview Supreme 4-H Club.
Vi enjoyed gardening, leather tooling, crocheting, knitting, crafts & needlework, oil painting, camping, fishing and spending time at their cabin on Ashley Lake.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Le Vance and Russell; and sisters Vera, Leota and Verna.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Al; son Mike and wife Beth; daughter Pat and husband Vic Miles; grandchildren Troy and wife Brooklynn, Tiffany Greene, Josh Greene, C.J. Greene, David Greene, Jody and wife Hallie Arvidson, Scott and wife Courtney Arvidson, Rhonda Arvidson, Vic and wife Dawn Miles; great grandchildren Cassidy Greene, Gunner Greene, Mark Arvidson, Lynda Arvidson, Ryan Berkompas, Kylee Arvidson, Kirsten Dufresne, Kayla Dufresne, Danny Dufresne, Andy Wilbur, Cassandra Miles, Tyler Miles; brother Urval Warner; sister Fay Reeves; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Thursday, June 24, 2004 (today) at Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls from 1-8 p.m.
Funeral service will be Friday, June 25, 2004, at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Columbia Falls with Rev. David Jones and Rev. Ray Davis officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, followed by a reception at the church for family and friends.
LaVerne Taylor
LaVerne Mabel Taylor, 78, passed away June 14, 2004, at her residence in Whitefish.
She was born Feb. 15, 1926, in Whitefish to Tonie and Mabel (Jones) Kingery. LaVerne received her education in Whitefish.
She met and married her sweetheart, William James Taylor Sr., on Dec. 16, 1941, in Polson. They raised their five children in Whitefish.
She was a loving and devoted wife and mother.
LaVerne was known for her passion of dolls. She enjoyed restoring things and gathering various types of information, hoping one day to write a book on that information and to bring knowledge and history to people in a museum.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
LaVerne is survived by a son, William "Jim" James Taylor Jr. and his wife, Wanda, of Whitefish; four daughters, Jane Tappan and her husband, Bill, and Shirley Wagner and her husband, Allen, all of Whitefish, Billie Hess and her husband, Steve, of Cabe Creek, Ariz., and Patti Broad and her husband, Ed, of Columbia Falls; 15 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.
Graveside services were held June 18, 2004, at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery with Dr. David Kauffman officiating.
Henry Belston
Henry "Ray" Belston, 74, passed away Nov. 23, 2004, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center with loving support from family and friends.
He was born Dec. 29, 1929, in Mullan, Idaho. He served in the U.S. Navy.
Ray was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, "Bunny", his parents "Mommy" and "Pappy," and brother Bill.
He is survived by his children, Vicky and husband Cliff Silcox, of Libby, Carol and husband Ben Hoerner, of Columbia Falls, Terry and husband Gary Pritchard, of Quitman, Texas, Lynda Medhus, of Columbia Falls, and Brent and wife Colleen Belston, of Kalispell; 14 grandchildren; 28 great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and many close and dear friends.
A memorial service in celebration of his life was held at St. Richard's Catholic Church in Columbia Falls Nov. 29, 2004.
Thomas Costich
Thomas F. Costich was born June 12, 1924, in Eureka to Loretta and Frank Costich.
After high school graduation, he attended art school in Seattle, Wash. He then enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the l0th Mountain Ski Division and saw action in Italy.
Following his Army service, he moved to California to work for Hanna Barbera as a cartoonist. Following that, he made a career in costume supervision and costume design training with Edith Head. After living many years in Los Angles and traveling to many movie locations, he retired in 1992 and returned to Montana to live in Whitefish. In 1999, he then moved to Eureka. He became a member of the Veterans Home in Columbia Falls until his death on Thanksgiving Day.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister.
He is survived by his sister Esther (Tyke) Aubert Green and her husband Larry, of Overton, Nev.; Esther's children Lyndell (Cy) Mace, of Billings, Jon (Jane) Aubert, of Phoenix, Ariz., Lori (Carl) Radabah, of Coram, Sylvia (Steve) Butterfield, of Winslow, Ariz., and Teresa (Mike) Johnson, of Whitefish; and many great nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was held on Dec. 1, 2004, at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Eureka. Burial followed at the Tobacco Valley Cemetery.
Edwin Hanson
Edwin Robert (Ed) Hanson passed away on Nov. 21 at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was born in rural Milton, North Dakota on July 9, 1915 to Edward and Ragna Hanson. He grew up and went to school in the Milton area. On December 4th, 1940 he married Viola A. Sondreson. They stayed in the Milton area until 1946 when they moved to Coram. Ed drove truck for Lloyd Sondreson, Cy Tonner, Rex Brown and the last 20-plus years for Canyon Logging. Ed retired at the age of 70. In 2002 he moved to Athol, Idaho.
Ed enjoyed family outings of all kinds, boating, camping and snowcatting. He enjoyed the annual family trips to the North Fork for Thanksgiving holidays with Lloyd and Ruth Sondreson.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Viola, two infant sisters, his sister Thelma Rudd, brothers Bernard, Marvin and Arnold. He is survived by a sister Arleen Sunderland, brothers Sidney and Harlan of Milton, North Dakota. His children Don and Sondra Hanson of Missoula, Bob Hanson of Spokane, Richard and Noreen Hanson of Coram, Debbie and Mike Ryan of Spokane and Cindy and Tracey Therriault of Athol, nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
The family asks that memorials be sent to the Canyon Community Church, P.O. Box 130221, Coram, MT, 59913 or Hospice, 175 Commons Loop, Suite 100, Kalispell, MT 59901.
James Harshbarger
James "Jim" Victor Harshbarger, 72, passed away of natural causes on Nov. 20, 2004, at his home in Seattle Wash.
Jim was the son of John and Mayree Harshbarger, from Antelope. Both are deceased.
Jim grew up working on his father's farm in Antelope with his 19 siblings. He served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
He worked all across the state of Montana building homes and bridges. He spent the last few years of retirement fixing his neighbor's cars in Seattle.
He is survived by his six children, Debbie Hancock, of Roswell, N.M., Sandy Blades, of Kalispell, Glenda Alberts, of Basin, Wyo., Cliff Harshbarger, of Kalispell, Dolly Green, of Martin City, and Holly Harshbarger, of Kalispell.
The service will be held at a later date.
Garth Jacobi
Garth W. (Jake) Jacobi, of Whitefish, passed away Nov. 23, 2004, at the North Valley Hospital in Whitefish of natural causes.
He was born Oct. 15, 1926, in Whitefish, the only son of Chris and Lillian Jacobi.
Jake loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He married Beverly Ann Drake on July 16, 1948, in Havre.
After he retired in 1988 as a business manager for School District 6 in Columbia Falls, Jake set out on a personal mission, to turn a timbered piece of land he had grown up on and carve it into a beautiful piece of heaven. His mission was completed, and it is there that he is survived by his loving wife of 56 years.
He is also survived by five children, Karen and her husband, Jesse, Greg and his wife, Sandy, Patti and her husband, Todd, Steve and his wife Roxanne, and Chris and his wife, Teressa; six grand children; and four great grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at the Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish with Rev. David V. Kauffman officiating.
Memorials may be made to Hospice.
Frederick Hartman, Jr.
Frederick William Hartman, Jr., 67, passed away on Thanksgiving day after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer at his home in Martin City surrounded by his loving family.
He was born June 18, 1937, in Saginaw, Mich., to Frederick William Hartman, Sr. and Orra Mae (Heil) Hartman.
He was raised in Midland, Mich. and moved to his parents' cherry orchard on the east lakeshore of Flathead Lake in 1976. In 1989, he moved to Martin City to live with his sister and brother-in-law, Mary Jane and Tom Church, and he loved spending his winters in Arizona.
As a boy, he was active in Boy Scouts and a bowling team, and he loved working in their orchard picking cherries and apples. Freddie loved the outdoors and his trip into the Bob Marshall on horseback with his dad. He enjoyed fishing any chance he got. He also enjoyed sporting events. He could often be seen at football, baseball and basketball games. Freddie's biggest joy was meeting people and shaking their hand. He always had a smile and never forgot a name. He worked for Flathead Industries in Columbia Falls with his brother, Richard, for many years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Mae Hartman; his nephew and his brother-in-law, Tom Church.
Freddie is survived by his sister, Mary Jane Church; his brother and best friend, Richard Hartman; his nephew and family, Louis, Suzanne, Lori, Emily and Danny Church; his nieces and families, Carma, John and Billy Johnson and Brandi and Chris Sinerius, and Cathy, Mike, and Shelby Nash and Tommy Church.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and he was an inspiration to us all. Thank you to everyone who came by, called, and sent cards, postcards and letters from all over the country during his illness. It meant a great deal to him to know so many people cared about him.
Freddie's memorial service will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at the Canyon Community Church in Coram. There will be a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. in the Ed building next to the church preceding the service.
Memorials can be made in Freddie's name to Flathead Industries of Columbia Falls, P.O. Box 1446, Columbia Falls MT 59912 or Hospice, 175 Commons Loop, #100, Kalispell MT 59901.
Fredrick Mack
Fredrick James Mack, 84, passed away Nov. 26, 2004, of natural causes at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.
Fred was born Jan. 18, 1920, the oldest of two sons, to Fred and Mindah Mack, in Seattle, Wash. On Feb. 12, 1938, Fred married Annie Lea Breckenridge, his lifetime love for 66 years. Soon after they were married, they moved to Colorado where Fred worked the mines and also worked for the Forest Service, running a string of pack mules.
After the start of World War II, they returned to the Seattle area where Fred worked in the shipyards while also working his own business building rock retaining walls, excavation and landscaping. In the early 1970s, Fred and Annie purchased and operated the River Terrace Cafe, Cabins, and Service Station. While doing this, Fred also ran a tow truck, had chain saw sales and service, and maintained a rural newspaper
delivery route.
In the early 1980s, after selling their business, Fred and Annie moved to Montana, where they spent several summers as campground host at various sites on the Hungry Horse Reservoir and at Big Creek campgrounds in the North Fork.
Fred was raised a Master Mason at Green Lake Lodge No. 149 A.F. & A.M. in Seattle on April 28, 1960. He was a life member of the Whitefish Masonic Lodge No. 64 A.F. & A.M., 32 degree Scottish Rite and a 32-degree Knight Templar.
Fred is survived by his wife, Annie Lea, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home; his children, Fred J. (Fritz) Mack, Jr. and wife Rena, of Everett, Wash., and Robert L. (Bob) Mack and wife Lynne, of Columbia Falls; his brother Donald L. Mack, of Libby; eight grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; and one great great grandchild.
As requested, there will be no funeral services. A private memorial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Immanuel Lutheran Home or Hospice.
