Billings Gazette

Duane Karsten Burkenpas was born on November 10, 1933 in the beautiful Gallatin Valley of Bozeman, Montana; the place where he lived all of his grand 88 years and where he met his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on June 5, 2022. Duane was predeceased by his parents Abraham "Abe" and Georgia "Alice" (Border) Burkenpas. He is survived by his brother Darrell, loving wife Dorothy, sons Douglas and Darin, grandchildren Karsten, Andrew, Bailey, Rebecca, Jason and Hallie and two great-grandchildren Emry and Raylee. Duane grew up on the family ranch west of Four Corners where he learned, lived and loved agriculture. He attended the Pine Butte School for grades 1 through 8 and then, as the class...

Ramona Miller Stout was born on October 8, 1946, to John and Kathryn Miller of Froid, Montana. She was very outgoing in contrast to her parents and brothers. On the playground she excelled and as girls at the time were not involved in recess sports she played with the boys. She could run faster than any of the boys in her class and was stronger than many as well. It was a brave lad indeed who tried to take away her marbles. Later in high school she was part of the first girls track team. In one dual meet Ramona scored 80 points and the opposing team had 50. As a high school senior, she placed at a national AAU track meet. She also played girls basketball at the University of Kansas (before...

Kenneth Wayne Osborne, age 75, of White Sulphur Springs, passed away on May 19, 2022, after losing his fourth and final battle with cancer. As he prepared to enter the presence of the Lord, he was surrounded by those he had loved so well in his life. Ken was born in Butte, Montana on May 3, 1947, the son of Wayne and Harriet (Smart) Osborne. He spent the first years of his life in Ennis, Montana then later moved to Denver, Colorado. Ken's roots were always in Montana as much of his youth was spent at his family's ranch outside of Two Dot. After marrying his wife, Shirley (Bosse), in 1970 he returned to Montana where they called Billings their home for 40 years while they raised their three...

Thomas A. LeProwse, 94, passed away peacefully on May 12, 2022, in Bozeman. A celebration of Tom's life will be held at the MSU Strand Union Ballroom at 2:00 P.M. on Thurs, June 16. A link to the livestream can be found on the Dokken-Nelson website in Tom's obituary. Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com

Alfred Joseph "Joe" Falcon, aged 98, of Butte, passed away on the morning of Monday, May 9, 2022. A Graveside Service with military honors will be held on Friday, July 8, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery, 1911 Tower Street, Missoula, MT 59804. Joe's family invites you to join them at a reception following the Graveside Service at the home of Terry and Becky Falcon, 5519 Riverview Dr. S., Florence, MT 59833.

Ronald "Ron" David Scott, 77, of Manhattan, passed away February 21, 2022. Ron was born and raised in Billings. MT. He graduated from Billings Senior High in 1963 and married the love of his life, Karel, in July 1973. Ron was a salesman for Imperial Headwear and lived in Billings, MT, Hoboken, NJ and Manhattan, MT. He was a fly fisherman and river guide, and will be remembered most for fly fishing, being a great salesman, his sense of humor, and watching people from his porch. Ron was preceded in death by his wife, Karel Purfirst Scott. He is survived by his daughter, Hannah Scott, of Costa Mesa, CA and two grandchildren, Peyton and KD Hopper. A Memorial Service will be held at 11AM on...

Anna Lee Higgins, 85, of Harrisburg, PA passed away February 12, 2022 at the Hershey Medical Center following a brief illness. Anna Lee was born in Miles City, MT on February 7, 1937. She was raised in Billings, MT and was a proud alumnus of Billings Central High School. Anna Lee earned her degree in education at Eastern Montana College and taught school in Montana, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. She later continued her career at the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. She was an active supporter of The Arc of Dauphin County Pennsylvania and after retirement, enjoyed lunches with her friends and co-workers. Anna Lee's greatest joy was in being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother....

Irma Lovely, 94, of Livingston, passed away on Sunday, January 16th, 2022. A funeral service will be held on Monday, January 24, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the Shields River Lutheran Church in Wilsall. Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory has been entrusted with arrangements. www.franzen-davis.com

Graveside services for Grayce Thatcher will be held 1pm Saturday August 6th at the Laurel Cemetery. A reception will follow at The Rock Church, 820 West 9th Street in Laurel.

Grayce was born in Red Lodge, MT the 6th child, to George E. Resser and Lillian Frances Adams Resser. Her siblings were Clyde E (Lydia), George (Laurie), Charles (Margie), Clarence (Hilda), Fanny Alberta (Charles Perkins), Paula (Penny Adams), Joyce, (Gilbert Cook) and James (Barbara). Grayce graduated from Senior High in Billings. She wanted to go to Seattle to learn the telegraphy but was told "no" by her older brother. So, she worked for the railroad, calling out workers, running errands. At that time her folks were living out of Laurel near where the horses are by the river. The war was on, so women were working many jobs. One day her brother, Clarence, came home bringing a friend,...

Ruby Elaine Wiedenheft passed away peacefully on December 7, 2021, at the age of 95. She was a resident of Birchwood Assisted Living in Bozeman, Montana. Ruby was born on July 10, 1926, in Freeborn, Minnesota, the youngest of ten children. She is preceded in death by her parents; her siblings; and her husband. She is survived by five children; six grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. Her greatest joy was being with her family. She will be interred with her husband, William. Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com

George "Tom" Hamaker, age 75, of Butte, MT, passed away on November 22, 2021. His wife, Mary Jo Hamaker, passed away on February 12, 2021. A Funeral Mass honoring both Tom and Mary Jo will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, corner of Utah Ave. and 2nd St. in Butte. Rite of Committal for Tom and Mary Jo will be announced when arrangements are complete. Please visit www.buttefuneralhome.com to read the full obituary, offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Tom.

Sybil Mae Zentz was someone you were privileged to know. When she passed away on November 18, 2021, we lost not only our beloved mother but a true friend. With her bright, gentle spirit, even at 101 years, she was as she always had been: kind, generous, and curious to know how you were doing It is really hard to imagine life without her but she would remind us to carry on with a smile. The youngest of five children, Sybil was born March 1, 1920, to Laura Gilroy Dreher and Otto Ferdinand Dehrer. Mom grew up in Wenatchee, Washington and graduated from high school there. During the Great Depression, she worked a number of jobs to help support her family including packing apples, ushering...

Imogen Rue Hutchinson passed away peacefully on October 9, 2021, at Seattle Children's Hospital after 10 months of ongoing medical complications. Imogen's resiliency and strength was gentle and obvious to everyone she encountered. Imogen was born on March 7, 2020, in Bozeman, Montana. Her parents Hannah and Travis embraced her adventurous spirit from the beginning. She loved the outdoors, bubbles and was keen on a lively and musical dance session. Although our time with Imogen was brief, the space she takes up in our hearts will leave a lasting impact. There will be an intimate gathering to celebrate Imogen's life and then an open invite to a Memorial Walk to Remember Imogen at 11AM on...

A beloved and caring wife, mother, sister and friend passed away at her home in Belgrade, MT on September 25, 2021 under the care of her son Tom. Bev's three other sons were in the home visiting just hours prior to her passing in the early morning hours of September 25. Beverly was born March 6, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. The family home was in St. Anthony, Idaho. Bev was born to Bessie Sara (Clark) Garver and Earl Raymond Garver. She graduating from South Fremont High School in St. Anthony. She then attended nurses training at St. Benedict's Hospital in Ogden, Utah and graduated as a Registered Nurse. Bev later met Francis "John" Holley Siddoway of Teton, Idaho, fell in...

Richard Paul Solberg, born December 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska, died peacefully on September 20, 2021, at Riverwalk Village in Noblesville, Indiana at the age of 72. Richard served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam Conflict, was Honorably Discharged from Active Duty, and later joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. In his youth, he was a competitive swimmer, which prepared him to become a Rescue Swimmer in the U.S. Navy. He received a B.S. Degree in Economics from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University. He built several television and radio stations in the Pacific Northwest and New York. He worked as an attorney; engineer; and owner/operator of radio...

Carol Perry Van Cleve Kirby was born in Billings, MT on June 13, 1947 to Paul Ledyard Van Cleve III and Barbara Knudson Van Cleve, their youngest child. She attended the Settlement school and then went on to Sweet Grass High School, graduating in 1964. She started college at Duchesne in Omaha, NE then transferred to Greeley and received her degree in secondary education/English from MSU-Bozeman. Carol began teaching English at Sweet Grass High School, married John Kirby, and together they raised two daughters, Shannon and Kelly. More people knew her as "Buckshot", the nickname given to her by her dad Spike. She grew up on the ranch outside of Melville, learning about and loving the...

Barbara Hopkins, 84, of Billings passed away Saturday August 21 at Billings Clinic. Cremation has taken place and no services are planned. Arrangements by Cremation & Funeral Gallery

Alistair (Al) MacSween passed away on August 3, 2021. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1PM on Saturday, October 16 at Central Christian Church, 1221 16th Street West.

Alistair (Al) MacSween passed from our presence August 3, 2021, at his home, surrounded by his wife and children. Al was born July 23, 1927, to Hannah (Sneddon) and Joseph MacSween in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. He had an older brother, Ian. His parents were homesteading in Canada. At one year of age his family relocated to northern California. At age 17, Al joined the Merchant Marines, where he served for two years. In 1950 he was drafted into the US Army and served two years in Korea. In 1955 he married Joan Meyer and had a son, Jim, and a daughter, Joyce. Al built their first home in Marla Bay, Nevada, with the help of his father-in-law, Albert. They later moved to a second home...

Goldy M Dawson, wife, mother, aunt, and friend, 89 passed away on July 26, 2021. She was born on August 2, 1931 to Gust and Eleanor Mehas in Idaho Falls, Idaho. After graduating from Idaho Falls High School, Goldy worked for one year at the local bank before going to Utah State University. She graduated in 1954 with a teaching degree in elementary education. That summer she met Oliver M. Dawson at Mack's Inn Resort in Island Park near West Yellowstone over the 4th of July weekend. Oliver always said that he previously noticed Goldy when she walked to the bank and he was working at the Boise Cascade lumber yard in Idaho Falls. They married the following summer on August 7, 1955 and...