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Gina Marie Vittetoe
Anaconda - A private family service for Gina Marie Vittetoe, age 57, will be held at a later date in Santa Monica, Calif.
She passed away on Monday, July 14, 2003, in Anaconda.
Gina Maria was born Oct. 9, 1945, in St. Louis, Mo. A daughter of William and Ann (Princeano) Corzine, Gina grew up and received her education in Michigan. She lived in Mexico and California before coming to Montana in the fall of 2000. She lived in Helena until moving to Anaconda in January of 2002.
Survivors include two daughters: Nicolle Anton of Venice, Calif., and Michelle Anton Allen of Helena; and two grandchildren. Gina was preceded in death by her parents and a half-sister, Patty.
Memorial donations are requested to your local Humane Society.
Cremation arrangements were under the care of the KT Riddle Funeral Homes, Anaconda.
William Blaine 'Bill' Downs
World War II veteran and avid skiing enthusiast William Blaine "Bill" Downs, age 82, of Helena died of complications of diabetes, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, at St. Peters Hospital in Helena.
Survivors include his wife, Martha "Pat" Downs of Helena; son, Dr. William B. Downs and wife Juliet of Atlanta; daughter, Linda Ashworth and husband Rick of Helena; granddaughters, Erica Rae Stroh of Omaha, and Ashley Corbett Wyatt of Boise; great-granddaughter, Jadyn Stroh of Omaha; niece Donna Downs of Denver; and sister-in-Law, Doris Powell and her husband Jim of Helena.
He was preceded in death by his father, R. B. Downs in 1969; his mother Ida H. Downs in 1980 and his brother Robert A. Downs in 1977.
Bill was born in Wenatchee, Wash., on Jan. 25, 1921, to Ida Hensine and Roscoe Blaine Downs. The family briefly lived in Havre and eventually settled in Bozeman where he attended grade school and began his lifelong love for skiing. At this early age, something influenced him to hike to the top of Wraith Hill in Bozeman and strap on a pair of skis and point them downhill. From that time forward skiing became an integral part of his life. The family moved to Helena in 1935 where Bill graduated from high school in The Class of 1939. He took great pride in the fact that he endured school in boxcars after the new Helena High School building was damaged by the earthquakes in 1935.
Bill was accepted to Montana State College at Bozeman and majored in electrical engineering. During his summer months he worked on survey crews in eastern Montana, drove a barber green loader for highway crews, and sat atop the Silver King Forest Service lookout, which he helped build. He was a member of the first collegiate ski team, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, ROTC, and National Guard. At the time he took flying lessons at the Lynch Flying Service and obtained his flying certificate and began his training in meteorology.
He learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor while skiing at Sun Valley, Idaho, which prompted him to volunteer for the Army where he trained for duty in the ski troops. He also trained for the Air Force and later became a rifle/radioman with the First Infantry Division. His tour of duty extended from 1943-1946 and took him through France, Germany and Czechoslovakia.
After the war he returned to Helena where he began his career at the National Weather Service as a forecaster He met his wife to be at a community dance in Helena and married
Martha Patton "Pat" Brumfield on Feb. 28, 1948, at the Brumfield family home in Reedpoint. They have made their home together in Helena now for 55 years.
Bill retired from the Weather Service in 1977 after 33 years of service and never lived down seeing a 31" dump of snow after forecasting "fair to partly cloudy skies."
He enjoyed retirement gardening at "the farm, " and encouraged his wifes interest in genealogy, all the while traveling with the Friendship Force, attending Elderhostels, skiing and entertaining at the cabin at Bridger Bowl where he was the undisputed hot cake champion. He was an active member of the Capitol Carriage Antique Car Club working on cars with the help of family and good friends. He eventually restored a 1923 Model T Roadster with great detail to originality and enjoyed driving it and showing it.
Throughout it all, skiing was an important part of his life. Bill was a member or the Mount Helena Ski Club, charter member of the Belmont Ski Club in 1946, serving as president and treasurer. With his friend Hal Erickson they promoted skiing by selling and servicing ski equipment in the evenings at "The Rucksack" and worked many a weekend clearing trails and working on rope tows at Belmont. He coached the Helena High School Ski Team from 1948-50 and the Cathedral High School team from 1952-53. In 1956, with the help of Janet Palmquist, they started a Girl Scout Ski Program at Belmont teaching many young Girl Scouts to ski. For many years he spent many weekends and miles transporting junior athletes to races across the state for qualifying races for a shot at national titles.
He served as secretary, president and historian of the Northern Ski Division and vice president, treasurer and executive secretary of the National Ski Association. He also served as a delegate to the National Ski Association for eight years. He later served 10 years as selection committee chairman for the National Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Mich.
Bill was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge, member of Morning Star Lodge #5, A.F. & A. M. Miriam Chapter #1, Order of Eastern Star, Helena Elks Lodge #193 and VFW .
Finally, to those who may have crossed paths with "The Boss" you will understand the passion he had for skiing the next time you stand at the top of a mountain in the cold thin air on a crisp sunny winter morning and start downhill through a foot of fresh powder snow on a packed base. Theres nothing quite like it.
Chapel services will be Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m. from Hagler-Anderson Funeral Home. Masonic rites will be conducted by Officers and Members of Morning Star Lodge # 5, A..F. & A. M. Interment of cremains will follow at Montana State Veterans cemetery, Fort Harrison with Lewis and Clark Veterans Council officiating. Family prefers memorials to Hospice of St. Peters, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601 or to The Montana State Veterans cemetery, P.O. Box 5715, Helena, MT 59604.
Mary Bernd-Cohen
Mary Bernd-Cohen of Helena and Englewood, Fla., died peacefully Saturday, Sept. 27. She was 88.
She was born Mary Churchill Morgan in Media, Pa., on July 12, 1915. Her father, F. Townsend Morgan, was a Philadelphia manufacturer and artist. She traced her family back to James Morgan, a Puritan settler in Boston in 1636.
She was raised in Rose Valley, Pa., where she was active in the Hedgerow Theater. She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with a degree in English literature. Literature, and especially poetry, remained a passionate lifelong interest.
During the Depression, her family moved to Key West. There she met the love of her life, artist Max Bernd-Cohen. After a whirlwind courtship they were married
in June 1941.
The family lived in many locations through the years, including England, where she was a principal/teacher at the Air Force Base school in Greenham Common. They also lived in Collioure, France, LaJolla, Calif., and Canon City, Colo. But their permanent home was "the pink house" in Englewood, Fla. In later years she often spent long periods in Helena. Her three grandchildren knew her as "Mara."
Mary loved the quiet beauty of her Florida home, with its lush foliage and warm sun, but also came to appreciate and enjoy the four seasons of Helenas upper West Side.
She was a tireless Democratic Party activist in Florida, always ready to work the phones and mailings for the partys candidates.
She is survived by her daughter, Windie Fleming of Boca Raton, Fla., Windies, husband DeHaven Fleming, and their two sons, Brock (currently attending the University of Florida) and Tristan (an attorney in New York City); and her daughter, Tina Bernd-Cohen, of Helena, Tinas husband, David Smith, and their daughter, Morgan Smith (attending Montana State University).
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Max in 1987.
A memorial service will be scheduled in Englewood at a later date. Local arrangements were entrusted with Hagler-Anderson Mortuary.
Kuert Donald Lovely
Kuert Donald Lovely, age 91, passed away on September 25, 2003, at Bumble Bee Home in Helena. He was born July 1, 1912, to Ora and Wilhelmina (Loges) Lovely at the homestead near Barber, Mont.
Kuert is survived by his only remaining sibling, Alma James of Laurel; his son Donald Lovely of Helena; his daughter Patsy (Jim) Tompkins of Helena; and his grandchildren: Cinda Tompkins of Helena, Jaime (Brian) Arnold of Helena, Kathleen (Ed) Field of Helena, Gwen (Brook) George of Billings, Michael (Mona) Lovely of Big Timber, Patrick (Denali) Lovely of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Donelle Lovely of Helena; six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Jessie, and his brothers Eugene and Willis.
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. today, Sept. 30, at the First Christian Church, Helena, with the Rev. Glenn McKerrow officiating. Graveside services will be conducted by the Victor Mason Lodge at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Hamilton at the Riverview cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton.
Mary Bernd-Cohen
Mary Bernd-Cohen of Helena and Englewood, Fla., died peacefully Saturday, Sept. 27. She was 88.
She was born Mary Churchill Morgan in Media, Pa., on July 12, 1915. Her father, F. Townsend Morgan, was a Philadelphia manufacturer and artist. She traced her family back to James Morgan, a Puritan settler in Boston in 1636.
She was raised in Rose Valley, Pa., where she was active in the Hedgerow Theater. She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with a degree in English literature. Literature, and especially poetry, remained a passionate lifelong interest.
During the Depression, her family moved to Key West. There she met the love of her life, artist Max Bernd-Cohen. After a whirlwind courtship they were married
in June 1941.
The family lived in many locations through the years, including England, where she was a principal/teacher at the Air Force Base school in Greenham Common. They also lived in Collioure, France, LaJolla, Calif., and Canon City, Colo. But their permanent home was "the pink house" in Englewood, Fla. In later years she often spent long periods in Helena. Her three grandchildren knew her as "Mara."
Mary loved the quiet beauty of her Florida home, with its lush foliage and warm sun, but also came to appreciate and enjoy the four seasons of Helenas upper West Side.
She was a tireless Democratic Party activist in Florida, always ready to work the phones and mailings for the partys candidates.
She is survived by her daughter, Windie Fleming of Boca Raton, Fla., Windies, husband DeHaven Fleming, and their two sons, Brock (currently attending the University of Florida) and Tristan (an attorney in New York City); and her daughter, Tina Bernd-Cohen, of Helena, Tinas husband, David Smith, and their daughter, Morgan Smith (attending Montana State University).
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Max in 1987.
A memorial service will be scheduled in Englewood at a later date. Local arrangements were entrusted with Hagler-Anderson Mortuary.
Elizabeth L. Feaver
Elizabeth L. Feaver, who devoted her life to her husband, her children, her church and to studying and teaching French, died Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, in Cooney Convalescent Home in Helena. She was 89 and had suffered for several years from Alzheimers disease.
Mrs. Feaver had lived in Helena since 1984. She was active in Plymouth Congregational Church, where she was a member of several committees and took a special interest in Christian education. In 1990, she anonymously created and funded the Plymouth Christian Education Endowment Fund.
She was born Elizabeth Langlois Wicher on Dec. 18, 1913, in San Anselmo, Calif., the daughter of a violinist mother and a father who taught Old Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She grew up on the grounds of the seminary, saw both of her brothers go into the ministry, and married
one of her fathers students, E. Kenneth Feaver. He died in Helena in 1985.
Elizabeth Feaver accompanied her husband to Presbyterian churches in Sacramento, Calif., Laramie, Wyo., and finally Norman, Okla., where he was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church from 1948 to 1975. She taught Sunday school, hosted at least one womens circle meeting a week, and served as the emergency accompanist for hymn singing and a reliable soprano in the church choir. She sponsored the weekly junior high fellowship group for at least 15 years.
She majored in French at the University of California at Berkeley and, years later, completed a masters degree in French literature at the University of Oklahoma. She taught French in the public schools in Norman and successfully tutored a number of students at the University of Oklahoma who needed to satisfy a French requirement for a graduate degree. After moving to Helena, she took every advanced French course available at Carroll College and participated in conversational French gatherings.
She is survived by a brother, the Rev. Edward Arthur Wicher Jr., of San Mateo, Calif.; three sons, Eric, of Helena, Edward, of Quincy, Fla., and Douglas, of Alexandria, Va.; five grandchildren, Amity Butler, of Port Angeles, Wash., Ashley Feaver, of Lacey, Wash., Reiko Feaver, of Atlanta, Meri Stella, of Burnsville, N.C., and Christopher Feaver, of Ithaca, N.Y.; and three great-grandchildren, Cameron and Tristin Butler of Port Angeles and Hana Mei Stella of Burnsville.
To celebrate this remarkable woman, family and friends will gather for a memorial service at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, Plymouth Congregational Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Plymouth Christian Education Endowment Fund, c/o Montana Community Foundation, 101 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601.
William H. Loomis
William H. Loomis, age 72, of Helena, died in his home Thursday morning, Sept. 11, 2003, surrounded by his loving family and friends.
Bill was born March 29, 1931, to Eldora and Benjamin Loomis in Sandpoint, Idaho. He later moved to Butte where he was raised by his mother and step-father, George Hibert. On Sept. 28, 1951, he married
Dorothy Ball.
Bill worked in the Butte mines and moved houses until 1960 when he and his family moved to Havre. He attended Northern Montana College where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor of science degree in electronics. While attending college he began his career with Mountain Bell. In 1979 Bill and his family moved to Helena where he continued to work for US West until 1993 when he retired after 32 years of dedicated service.
Bill had an incredible generosity of spirit which shone through to the world through his countless years contributing to the communities through volunteer work. His main concern was always for his family, and he had a deep abiding faith in the Lord.
Bill was preceded in death by his mother, Eldora Bence Hibert; his stepfather, George Hibert and his daughter, Kathy Loomis Vetsch. He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Dorothy Loomis; his daughters, Mary Letang, Sandra Loomis and Trish Loomis, all of Helena; his son, William Loomis Jr., of Helena; his grandsons, David Letang, Trevor Loomis, Tanner Barnicoat and Michael Loomis, all of Helena; and his granddaughters, Kendra Loomis and Kayla Anderson, also both of Helena.
Memorial services will be held at The Pentecostal Family Fellowship on Monday, Sept. 15, at 3:30 p.m. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hospice of St. Peters, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601.
Hagler-Anderson Funeral is entrusted with local arrangements.
Phillip Neal Brown
Phillip Neal Brown, 41, loving husband, father, brother, son and a friend to many, went home to Jesus on June 30, 2003.
Phils love of the outdoors, contagious humor and his caring nature touched all who knew him. Phil earnestly shared his deep love of Jesus with those he came in contact with and lived as a Godly example. He will be missed.
Phil was born in Placerville, Calif., on February 16, 1962, and later moved to Bozeman to attend high school at Mount Ellis Academy where he met the love of his life, Karen, and they married
in 1982.
Phil later attended the Helena Vo-Tech where he obtained an associates degree in accounting. Phil was currently employed at the Helena City Dial-A-Ride as a driver, and was very active in the Helena Seventh Day Adventist Church. He was in the process of starting a seasonal outdoor church service. Phil loved hiking, camping, woodworking, writing and appreciating all that God had given him.
Phil leaves behind his wife Karen; son Justin; daughter Tisha all of East Helena; mother Sharon Cook of Tujunga, Calif.; father Daniel L. Brown of Metropolis, Ill.; siblings Evelyn Brown of McAfee, N.J., Steve Brown of Priest River, Idaho, Ron (Debbie) Brown of Wilsonville, Ore; and other extended family members.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, at the Helena Seventh Day Adventist Church (2410 Beltview Dr). A memorial has been established for the family at First Interstate Bank - Wal-Mart.
Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Prov. 3:5
Edna Olean Spurgeon
Edna Olean Spurgeon passed away on June 30, 2003, in Helena, Montana. She was born August 29, 1921 and grew up in Missouri with her parents. Edna married
Edwin Spurgeon and they traveled around the country working. They moved to Watsonville, California in the 60s and raised their children. Edna worked hard all of her life and held many types of occupations. She worked with handicapped children, drove bus, worked for Don Heim Cleaners and at times, drove big rig trucks with her husband.
Edna had four children, Randy Spurgeon, Helena, Montana, Ronald Spurgeon, Santa Cruz, California, Sandra Domalog (deceased) and Wanda Waiters, Centralia, Washington, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Edna has one sister, Helen Houk in Missouri and one Brother Cecil Burton (deceased).
In November 2002, Edna moved to Helena, Montana to live her last days with her son, Randy and his wife, Gale. She will be greatly missed!
Hagler-Anderson Funeral Home was in charge of local arrangements.
