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Chester Brees
Chester L. Brees, 81, of Libby, died Saturday, Nov. 7, 1998, at his home.
He was born on Sept. 13, 1917, at More, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Fay F. and Irene Wickwire Brees.
He grew up in Libby and entered the U.S. Army on Dec. 28, 1942, serving in the south of France, the Rhineland, Northern France, Po Valley, Rome Arno and other areas.
Chester received the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Distinguished Unit Badge.
After his honorable discharge in August 1945, Chester returned to Seattle, where he worked as a longshoreman for 29 years, retiring in 1976.
He married Mary Forden in 1959.
In retirement, Chester enjoyed trains and fishing.
Survivors include his wife Mary, Libby; daughter Terry Robinson and her husband Jerry, Federal Way, Wash.; son Robert Draper, Puyallup, Wash.; brother Lester Brees and his wife Lorenna, Missoula; grandsons Dan Garber and his wife Kris, Tacoma, Wash.; Shawn Draper and Joel Draper, Puyallup, Wash.; Christopher Robinson and his wife Tanea, Kent, Wash.; great-granddaughter Jacinda Garber, Tacoma, Wash., and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Graveside services, under direction of Nelson & Vial Funeral Home, will be conducted at 1 p.m. Thursday at the City of Libby Cemetery.
Millie Allen
Mildred E. (Millie) Allen, 73, of Libby, died Friday, Nov. 6, 1998, following a long illness.
She was born on Jan. 23, 1925, at Des Moines, Iowa, to Guy and Winnie Newman.
Millie worked as a checker and meat wrapper in various supermarkets and devoted a large part of her life to service as a caregiver for elderly and shut-in people. She enjoyed playing cards, watching wrestling on television, going for walks and visiting with friends and relatives.
She moved to Libby from El Cajon, Calif., in 1996 to be with a daughter. Millie was a wonderful mother and friend.
Survivors include her children, Elizabeth Williams and her husband Larry, Libby; Pamela Harkins, Phoenix, Ariz.; Dan Lee McHughes and his wife Geby, Live Oaks, Calif., and Jim G. Ehrgood and his wife Lois, Phoenix; brothers J. Howard Newman and his wife Jessie, Peru, Ind., and Dennis L. Newman and his wife Geniva, Lexington, Ky., 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Private family visitation and services will be conducted under the direction of Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Matt Moles
Matthew G. Moles, 53, of Libby, died of cancer on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
He was born on May 21, 1945, at Missoula, to Cy and Ann Moles.
Raised and educated at Libby, Matt graduated from Libby High School with the Class of 1964.
He attended college in Vancouver, Wash., and spent most of his life in Libby and Seattle, working as a chef in many restaurants at both locations.
Matt was also a certified nurse’s aid in Seattle and more recently at the Libby Care Center.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Cymon John, in 1974.
Matt dedicated his life to caring for his family and for people in need and will be greatly missed.
Survivors include his parents, Ann and Cy Moles, Libby; brothers Clarence Moles, Seattle, and David Moles, Lolo; his ‘‘kids,’’ nieces and nephews Nicole, Megan, Christopher, Chandra and Nicolas.
Visitation will be from 2-8 p.m. Thursday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
Cervices will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at the City of Libby Cemetery with the Rev. Ray Hanigan officiating.
Richard Fields
Former Libby resident Richard G. Fields, 53, died Monday, Nov. 2, 1998, at his home in Hauser Lake, Idaho.
He was born on July 13, 1946, at Libby, to Lila and Willis Fields.
Raised and educated at Libby, Richard graduated from Libby High School with the Class of 1964.
He worked at Torgison’s Husky in Libby and later with W.R. Grace & Co.
Richard attended an electronics school in Spokane and lived in the Spokane Valley and north Idaho Panhandle area, working for Keytronics and in the service station and convenience store business.
He was preceded in death by his father in 1991.
Survivors include his mother, Lila Fields, Libby; sisters Cynthia Stephens and her husband Dan, Libby; Beth Hibbs and her husband Michael, Spokane, and Susan VanDenBurg and her husband Frank, Ramer, Tenn.; grandmother Grace Davidson, Libby; uncles Roy Davidson, Libby and Richard Fields, Newport, Wash.; aunts Jo Anderson, Libby; and Elva Hauck and Sally Noyes, both of Spokane, and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Friday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Homeee.
Services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church with Pastor Les Nelson officiating.
Memorials may be made to Wings, in care of Kalispell Regional Hospital, attention Jennifer Scheffner.
Beryl Smith
Beryl C. Smith, 74, of Libby, died Oct. 29, 1998, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital.
She was born Sept. 12, 1924, at River Sioux, Iowa, to Paul and Ada Weston, and was raised and educated in Iowa.
Beryl married Rex Smith on Feb. 28, 1948, and they moved to Montana, living in the Flathead Valley until moving to Libby in 1958.
Beryl worked as an operator for General Telephone Company at Libby for several years.
She was preceded in death by her husband Rex in 1996.
Survivors include daughters Diane Troyer and her husband Ivan, Libby and Sue Halter and her husband Bud, Kalispell; mother Ada Weston, Kalispell; brother Blake Weston, Carlsberg, Wash.; sisters Iris Carroll, Dalton, Ga., Jean Rudio, Havre, and Marge Gierman, Kalispell; grandchildren John, Darrin, Robert and Tammy, and great-grandchildren Kyle and Tony.
Services were conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home Chapel.
Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Helen Schmiedel
Longtime Libby nurse Helen C. Schmiedel, 86, died Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998, at Kalispell Regional Hospital.
She was born on July 5, 1912, at Tidioute, Pa., to Norman and Ruth Snavley Cross.
Helen attended school at Warren, Pa., and graduated from Warren High School in 1930. She received a nursing degree from Warren General Hospital and went on to work in industrial nursing.
Helen joined the Civil Service and was working as a registered nurse at Pearl Harbor at the start of World War II. She joined the U.S. Army Nurses Corps and served from April to November 1945.
Helen married Carl Schmiedel on May 11, 1944 and in 1949 they moved to Libby.
She worked first at the old hospital for Dr. J.M. Cairns and later at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. Helen also worked as office nurse for Dr. Paul J. Seifert for 25 years before retiring when she was 72 years old.
She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoyed taking care of them. She also enjoyed crocheting and cooking.
Survivors include her husband Carl, Libby; daughter Susan Holter, Libby; grandchildren Karla Tinner and Becki Waite, both of Great Falls, and Danny Kateley, Eureka, and five great-grandchildren, Justin, Tony, Quinton, Tyler and Kaelynn.
Private family services are being held under arrangements by Nelson & Vial Funeral Home.
