Search Archived Marriage Records
Betty B. Marchand
(October 19, 1921 - February 7, 2012)
Betty B. Marchand, 90, of Great Falls, died of natural causes Tuesday, Feb. 7, at a local assisted living facility.
Memorial services were held Thursday at Cambridge Court in Great Falls, and memorial services will be held at a later date in Washington. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O'Connor Funeral Home.
Betty was born Oct. 19, 1921, in Mansfield, Wash., to Andre and Ida Marchand. It was there that she was raised and educated, later graduating from Mansfield High School in 1939. She attended college at Pacific Lutheran and Washington State University in Pullman.
She was a WAC in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945, serving in the Pacific Theatre in New Guinea. There she was a general clerk and handled all official documents for distribution from Washington headquarters to the various department heads. After discharge, Betty worked as a practical nurse and then went to work for the Bank of California in San Francisco. She retired from the Bank of California in the mid-1980s. Betty loved to read and travel. She had moved to Great Falls to be near her immediate family.
Survivors include her nieces Andrea K. Thoren of Ephrata, Wash., Theresa Hoback of Omak, Wash., Gloria Mumma of Spokane, Wash., and Pamela Matthiesen of Mansfield, Wash; three great-nieces; four great-great-nieces; seven great-nephews; and one great-great-nephew.
Isabel Patricia "Pat" Lesofski
(March 17, 1917 - February 8, 2012)
Isabel Patricia "Pat" Lesofski, 94, died of cancer Wednesday, Feb. 8, in her Great Falls home.
Visitation is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday (today) at O'Connor Funeral Home, followed by a rosary service at 7 p.m. at O'Connor Memorial Chapel. Funeral Liturgy is 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, followed by burial in Mount Olivet cemetery.
Her parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Konesky, emigrated from Slovakia to Stockett in the latter part of the 19th century. Her father first es-tablished himself working in the Stockett coal mines before sending back home to Slovakia for his bride. Her parents also worked the Konesky family farm and ranch near Stockett, where they raised nine children. Pat was born on the farm on St. Patrick's Day 1917. As the youngest, she was a favorite, and the family lovingly called her Babe. Pat and the Konesky family were extremely close. Her father particu-larly liked playing cards with her. She was living with her mother when her mother passed. Throughout her life, Pat was always there for the extended Konesky family, and they were always there for her and her family.
Like her brothers and sisters, Pat didn't learn to speak English until starting country school. After graduating from high school, Pat went on to attend Montana State University, now named the University of Montana, in Missoula and the College of Great Falls. Upon receiving her teaching certificate, Pat taught at the Betts country school and schools in Sunburst and Vaughn. To further her education, she applied to the Great Falls Commercial College but was found to be so skilled that instead they offered her a position, and she taught courses in typing, dictation and court reporter stenography. She went on to become a secretary for Union Oil 76 in Great Falls and eventually for the Boeing Co. in Seattle during World War II. After returning to Great Falls, she married
Navy veteran, Harold Conner. They had two children who survive them, Dennis Patrick Conner of Great Falls and Patty Jean Opar of Helena. Pat and Harold owned and operated the Elmore Bar until their divorce. Pat continued to operate the bar and later married
Vernon Lesofski. Pat and Vern, who was a construction worker, also went on to operate a bar and restaurant in Craig. Vern was tragically killed and Pat critically injured in a head-on car accident near Cascade in 1967. Later in life, Pat worked as a nurse's aide at the Park Place Nursing Home, founded by her sister and sister's husband, Mary and Mike Gondeiro.
Pat lived an amazing and full life. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were often astounded by her stories about how she had "done that." On the ranch as a young girl she got bucked off and dragged by a horse only to get back on again. She enjoyed going to Eden dances with her brothers and sisters and performed tap dance recitals to "Elmer's Tune." As a young lady, she went on double dates with George Montgomery and Dinah Shore. She was judged to be the prettiest girl in Great Falls by no less an authority than District Court Judge R. J. Nelson. When they had live music at the 3D Club and Pat walked in the door, the band would swing into Pat's song "Josephine." She entertained Louis Armstrong in the family home. Pat met and had a rosary blessed by the Pope. Pete Rose kissed her in her old age. She bowled on a senior bowling league championship team in her late 80s. Pat's mother, Elizabeth, died at age 86 while hosting a bingo party for her Catholic circle in the family home. Pat also definitely enjoyed playing bingo, which she did no matter the weather, four to five nights a week, up until December 2011 at age 94. Most amazing was living life as part of the large Konesky family. Despite being legally blind with macular degeneration and in need of a walker, Pat was active until the end and lived at home alone, with the help of her family, until her death.
Pat was a devoted member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Parish.
She is survived by her son Dennis (Janis) Conner of Great Falls; her daughter Patty (Michael) Opar of Helena; together with eight grand-children and four great-grandchildren. Pat will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
Pat was preceded in death by her husband Vern Lesofski; brothers and sisters and their spouses Joseph, George, Thomas and Cyril Konesky, and Agnes Altishin, Mary Gondeiro, Magdalen Super and Helen Fish. Her grandson, Michael Conner, also preceded her in death.
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Our Lady of Lourdes, Meals on Wheels, or a charity of donor's choice.
Lucille "Lucy" Isabelle Brant
(April 10, 1922 - February 4, 2012)
Lucille I. "Lucy" (Heal) Brant, 89, of Great Falls, died of natural causes Saturday, Feb. 4, at a local hospital.
Visitation will be held Friday, February 10, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m at O'Connor Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will follow at 1:30 p.m. Burial will follow at Highland cemetery.
Lucille was born April 10, 1922, in Bozeman, Mont., to Thomas and Maude Heal. When she was 4, the family moved to Conrad, where her father was a teacher. In 1938, the family moved to Great Falls, where they owned and operated Heal Cash Grocery. Lucille graduated from Great Falls High School in 1940 and then attended the College of Great Falls.
As a young woman, she worked at East Base (now Malmstrom Air Force Base) as a teletype operator. She also worked at Great Falls Drug and General Mills Food where she met her husband, Carroll, and they married
in 1952. She also worked at 1st National Bank.
Lucille was elected Writer's Chairman of The Montana Institute of The Arts. She was appointed to the Senior Citizen's Center Board and was a member of the local Toastmistress Club. She was also a member of the Central Christian Church since 1936.
Lucille loved her cats and dogs, gardening, knitting, and photography which she entered in the Montana State Fair. She loved to dance and play piano, and for many years was a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader.
She is survived by her daughter Pamela Brant of Great Falls; son Richard (Jeannine) Brant of Billings; sisters Helen Hill of Great Falls and Shirley Peterson of the San Diego area; and her three grandchildren Danielle, Annette and Zachary Brant of Billings.
She was preceded in death by her husband Carroll in 1986; daughter Joanne in 1963; and her father Thomas Sr., brother, Thomas Jr., Aunt Violet, and Uncle Glen VanKoten, who all died in a drowning accident in 1936. Her mother Maude died in 1957.
Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association ; or a charity of the donor's choice .
George F. Agnew
(November 29, 1921 - February 2, 2012)
George F. Agnew, 90, of Great Falls, a retired sales representative for a trucking company and a United States Army veteran, died of natural causes Thursday, Feb. 2, at a local care facility.
Funeral liturgy is 11 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Inurnment with military honors will follow at Mount Olivet Columbarium. O'Connor Funeral Home is handling ar-rangements.
George was born Nov. 29, 1921, to Patrick and Loretta Agnew in Duluth, Minn. He received his education in Duluth and then joined the Army in 1942. George proudly served in World War II in the Pacific Theatre and was discharged in 1946 as a staff sergeant.
George moved to Great Falls in 1948 and worked as sales repre-sentative and office manager for several trucking companies in the area. In 1949, he married
Marga-ret Tahija and was happily mar-ried for 58 years until her death in 2007.
He was a member of the Traffic Club and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He also enjoyed playing golf and walking, and he volun-teered at St. Vincent De Paul for many years.
George is survived by his sons, Steve (Woon) Agnew of Blaine, Wash., and Dan (Valerie) Agnew of Great Falls; sisters Loretta Drolet of Columbia, Penn., and Rosemary Agnew of Duluth; grandchildren Jessie Agnew, Julie Agnew and Patrick Agnew.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Agnew, and three brothers, Pat, Tom and John Agnew.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Vincent De Paul.
Judith Elizabeth Williams
(October 13, 1921 - November 30, 2011)
Judy Williams, 90, of Great Falls, died after an extended illness Wednesday, Nov. 30, in her home.
Cremation took place under the direction of the O'Connor Funeral Home. Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at Church of the Incarnation, with a reception to follow at Meadowlark Country Club.
Judy Williams, mom, Judith, passed serenely with grace and love, surrounded by her children and granddaughter, in the early hours of Nov. 30, at her home in Great Falls. She was able to enjoy her final days peacefully at home through Peace Hospice and the care of her two daughters, Beth and Marnie.
Judith Elizabeth Birch was born Oct. 13, 1921, in Great Falls, the daughter of Beth and Fred Birch, a local road contractor, and the younger sister of Martha Anne and Steve Birch. She attended Great Falls High School, and upon graduation attended Lasell Junior College and later North-western University. She finished her education at Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in New York, and began her professional career as a bookkeeper and receptionist for insurance adjuster Howard Conner in Great Falls.
While working for Howard Conner, she met her future husband, Carter Williams, an attorney in the same building. They were married
March 1, 1949. Their honeymoon in Sun Valley started the family on a lifelong love affair with skiing, and later Judy and Carter visited Norway and Europe - always chasing fun and snow. Their children followed: Mark in 1951, Marnie in 1953, followed by twins Fred and Beth in 1958. With the kids in tow, winters were spent skiing at Kings Hill and Big Mountain, and summers were spent in Seeley Lake. Even today, three of her children are avid skiers, and all cherish and find a shared solace in the cabin on Seeley Lake. Her skiing days were cut short by a serious injury on Big Mountain in the mid-'60s, but she continued to join the family on the annual ski pilgrimages, always eager to hear of our escapades on the slopes.
Always the consummate host-ess, Judy was renowned for her entertaining, and many were fortunate to attend her parties commemorating the Bison/Rustler football game, the Super Bowl and the annual Church, Harris, Johnson and Williams Law Firm office party. Mom was a home-maker in the true sense of the word, making a home for her husband and family with love and good cheer. Her children still strive to match her skill at cooking the perfect scrambled eggs. Mom was a strong supporter of the Great Falls Symphony and the C.M. Russell Museum, and was active in P.E.O. and the Junior League of Great Falls. Other passions included a lifelong love of traveling and a devotion to dogs.
Among all things, mom taught us how to go through life with grace, style and a stoicism that belied her pain from her many ailments and injuries. Never complaining and always optimistic, she was looking for-ward to summer at Seeley Lake. We will miss this grand woman and her loving and giving ways.
She died as she lived her life, surrounded by love and with the grace, dignity and beauty of a woman and a life well lived. She made and kept friends every-where she went, and embraced her children's friends as her own. She truly was a woman without an enemy in the world. Her home and heart were always open to all. She was second mom and grand-mother to many, not because they were neglected, but because her love and warmth encompassed everyone. Her final days were spent in the company of her husband, children and grandchil-dren. She was able to celebrate her 90 birthday likely knowing it would be her last. And celebrate she did, consuming a pound of lobster and a generous piece of birthday cake washed down with her favorite beverages. Her favor-ite meal, Thanksgiving dinner, was her last. She had completed her journey, content. While she is no longer present, our hearts hold a permanent place for her.
Although her primary residence was in Great Falls, her favorite time and place was sum-mer at the cabin at Seeley Lake. It provided spiritual and emotional sustenance, and it was the hub for family and friends. We will never forget mom driving to Seeley Lake in the family station wagon packed to the rafters and break-ing most land-speed records on Highway 200. In later years, she would hold court on the patio to all sorts of visitors and reflect on the 50-plus years of summer ease the cabin provided. Her presence will be missed when the grand convergence occurs each sum-mer, and her laughter and voice will echo in our collective memories. It was a place of solace and refuge. Mom and her neighbor, Pat, often regaled the neighborhood with song, stories, midnight boat rides and marathon card games. Beginning in the '60s, she hosted the Big Sky Bridge Club for an annual week of bridge and gourmet food. It was reported that the vodka and tonics flowed freely during these times. Now her card playing with departed bridge club members and Pat are on a higher plane. We are not sure if the vodka tonics are as available, but we suspect they are.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Beth and Fred Birch; brother and sister-in-law Steve and Jean Birch; and sister and brother-in-law, Martha Anne and Don Davies.
Judy is survived by her husband Carter of Great Falls; son Mark and his daughters Katie and Madeline and their mother Ginger; daughter Marnie and Kip Bennett and their daughter Sydney Price; son Fred and Mollie McGill and his sons Issac, Reece (Yapuncich) and Carter and daughter Beth and Doug Pewitt; as well as her chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Memorial donations in Mom's honor may be made to the Benefis Healthcare Foundation.
Darcy Lee Mann-McMillan
(April 13, 1971 - November 27, 2011)
Darcy Lee Mann-McMillan, 40, of Great Falls, died of an accidental overdose Sunday, Nov. 27, at a local hospital.
Her memorial service is 2 p.m. today at Ulm Bible Church. Cremation took place under the direction of O'Connor Funeral Home.
Darcy was born April 13, 1971, in Great Falls, the daughter of Ken and Karen (Rogers) Mann. She received her education in Great Falls and graduated from CMR High School in 1989. She worked various places in Great Falls as a bartender.
When she had her children, she was a stay-at-home mom. Her granddaughter Kira Lee was the light of her life, and her best friend was her daughter Mandy. Her son Brandon was always her baby boy, whom she loved to death. She always had everyone's back and had a lot of love for her family and friends.
Darcy was a regular at the stockcar races in Great Falls, and was her brother Justin's biggest fan. She enjoyed NASCAR racing and was a special fan of Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Montana Grizzlies and the San Francisco 49ers were her favorite teams. She was definitely her dad's baby girl, and her nickname was "Punkin." She was her mom's best friend.
Darcy leaves behind her parents, Ken and Karen Mann, her longtime partner, Jeff Short, a son, Brandon McMillan, daughter Mandy Mann, and a brother, Justin Mann, all of Great Falls; a stepsister, Dette Owens of Anchorage, Alaska; and her granddaughter, Kira Lee.
John Roy Jones
(June 6, 1939 - November 19, 2011)
John Roy Jones, 72, of Great Falls, an Aero Space Controller and veteran of the United States Air Force, died Saturday, November 19, 2011 at a local nursing home of natural causes.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2011, at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation at 2:00 PM. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home.
He is survived by his daughter, Maureen K. Jones of Hillsboro, OR; a son, Mike J. Jones of Seattle, WA; a brother Edward Jones of Phoenix, AZ and one granddaughter.
Arthur Alvin Schukowsky
(July 12, 4938 - November 14, 2011)
Arthur Alvin Schukowsky, 73, of Great Falls, a truck driver, tavern owner, and veteran of the United States Marines, died Monday, November 14, 2011 at his residence of natural causes.
No services are planned at this time. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home.
He is survived by his wife Diane Schukowsky of Port Allen, LA; daughter Sheree FuQua of Carbondale, IL; sisters Shirley Krause of Kenosha, WI and Sharon Philyaw of Great Falls; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Cynthia Jeanine Johnson
(January 8, 1958 - November 29, 2011)
Cynthia "Cindy" Jeanine Cady Johnson, 53, of Great Falls, died of complications of immune thrombocytopenic purpura on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at her home.
Private family services were held Dec. 1. O'Connor Funeral Home handled arrangements.
Cindy passed away quietly in her sleep. She was born Jan. 8, 1958, in Great Falls, to Judson Lowell Cady and Aileen Ann Cady. Cindy grew up in Great Falls and regularly traveled to the family cabin, which her father built in Neihart. She had many fond memories there, which she shared with her two sisters, Colleen and Carole.
She graduated from Great Falls High in 1976. Upon graduation she began working for Mountain Bell Phone Company in Helena, where she lived for five years, before transferring back to Great Falls. In July 1981, Cindy married
Harold Kelly Johnson. They moved to Billings and began a family.
In August 1984, she gave birth to her son, Kelly Lowell, and, four years later in April 1988, Alyssa Cady was brought into the world. From day one, Cindy was the all-around mom. She was always a team mom and the classroom mom. She loved being a part of all of her children's activities, whether it was wrestling, gymnastics, football, basketball or Girl Scouts. Summers were al-ways reserved for camping trips with friends and family.
In the summer of 2005, after her divorce, she moved back home to Great Falls to be close to friends and family. Cindy put others before herself, and that selfless trait worked against her as she battled ITP. Between her hospital visits and daily errands, her two longtime friends, Barb and Buff, always were there every step of the way.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Aileen McGrath, her father, Jud Cady; uncle Gail Hammond; aunt Virginia Cady Hammond; and also uncle Bill Cady; and her beloved Brittany spaniel.
Cindy is survived by her son, Kelly and his girlfriend Anne of Billings; her daughter, Alyssa and her husband Floyd Tabios of Honolulu; her sisters, Colleen (Dennis) Bishop of Great Falls, and Carole Cady of Spokane; her nieces, Mary (Chris) Jernigan and Sera (Ben) Jupka-Justice, both of Great Falls; her great-nephews, Zach Jasperson and Jordan Jernigan; her great-niece Olivia Justice; her cousins, Bonnie and Dewey McDaniel of Great Falls, and their sons Rick and Randy; and lastly, her Yorkshire puppy, Lilly.
Mom, words cannot explain what you have done for the two of us and how much we will miss you. We will be eternally grateful for all that you have done, and the impact of which you have be-stowed on our lives. We love you, Mom. Forever in our hearts, Love Kelly and Alyssa.
