OBITUARIES

Mar 15, 2014

Nora Grace "Gracie" (Cooper) Holcomb-Willis, 86, passed away at Brendan House on March 15, 2014, of natural causes. Gracie was born Nov. 26, 1927, in the Lower Valley of Flathead County, the daughter of Roy E. and Adelaide (Taylor) Cooper. She grew up in the Flathead Valley where she attended Rousell School in Lower Valley, Elrod, and graduated from Bigfork...

Mar 15, 2014

Shirley Jean Peters, 43, passed away Saturday, March 15, 2014. She was born June 24, 1970, in Brainerd, Minn. Shirley met her husband from a newspaper ad she had placed, and the first night they spoke for eight hours. At the end of the conversation she told him that she knew she was going to marry him. They met at...

Mar 14, 2014

Van Henry Gilchrist, age 86, passed away peacefully at his home on March 14, 2014. Van was born in Columbia Falls, Montana on July 11, 1927 to Ernest and Lois Gilchrist. Van, along with his two brothers William Gilchrist and Douglas Gilchrist were raised mostly in Whitefish, Montana. Van moved to Ketchikan, Alaska at 16 and graduated school there. When...

Mar 13, 2014

Lee Burton Spain, 80, passed away March 13, 2014, at Brendan House in Kalispell. He was born March 8, 1934. He served in the U.S. Army and Navy and had worked as a truck driver. Lee was preceded death by his father, James Burton Spain; and mother, Alta Ellen Spain. He is survived by his son, Danney L. Spain, of...

Feb 28, 2014

Joseph "Joe" Gregor, 95, passed away at Brendan House on Feb. 28, 2014. Joe was born Sept. 5, 1918, in a log cabin in Eureka. He attended grade school and high school in Eureka, graduating in 1937. He spent the next several years working for the Forest Service and Eureka Creamery. He also did some work on airplanes and learned...

Feb 27, 2014

Jane Wells Winkley was born in Norwood, Ohio, on June 22, 1936, to John and Ruth (Morgan) Wells. She joined her brothers Ralph, Don and Ivan and sister, Mary. She passed away peacefully on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. As a young girl Jane remembered the house was always quiet as her mother was very ill...

Feb 26, 2014

Lyle Evan Barnes, a giant of a man, "left his lifelong home in Whitefish to a place where the cows always come home when called." Lyle had lived a brilliant life of 87 years and was surrounded by his four children "when he passed over peacefully to heaven" on Feb. 26, 2014. Whitefish was the majestic backdrop for Lyle's entire...

Feb 24, 2014

Juanita Mae Bryant passed away quietly Monday afternoon, Feb. 24, 2014. She was surrounded by family and friends "when she went to be with our Lord Jesus Christ." Juanita was born in Spokane on Aug. 24, 1924. She was raised on the family farm here in Kalispell by her grandmother Rose Strauss. They sold produce, and got their milk and...

Feb 20, 2014

Dick died peacefully at home on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014, surrounded by loving family. Dick was born in Shevlin, Minn., on Sept. 18, 1930, to Alvin and Esther Williams LaSalle. He moved to Montana as a toddler and grew up in the Hoagland area. His mother taught school in many one-room schools; he attended 13 of them growing up. He...

Feb 20, 2014

Dick died peacefully at home on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014, surrounded by loving family. Dick was born in Shevlin, Minn., on Sept. 18, 1930, to Alvin and Esther Williams LaSalle. He moved to Montana as a toddler and grew up in the Hoagland area. His mother taught school in many one-room schools; he attended 13 of them growing up. He...

Feb 17, 2014

Lawrence Rawlin Periman, 70, passed away on Feb. 17, 2014. He was born Jan. 17, 1944, in Missoula. He attended school in Drummond from 1950 to 1960. He married Margorie Dendy on June 15, 1960. While living in Drummond, Lawrence worked for Cominco Phosphate from 1962 to 1969. He moved to Flathead Valley to purchase a cedar fence mill which...

Feb 16, 2014

Phyllis A. Saulter, 88, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, in her home surronded by her family. Phyllis was born in Titonka, Iowa on Feb. 27, 1925, to Chester and Madeline Lamoreux. The family moved to Stevensville in 1937. Phyllis graduated from Stevensville High School in 1942, and moved to Missoula soon after graduation. Phyllis married the love of...

Feb 16, 2014

Pearl Huso, who died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, wrote her own obituary in 2011. She wrote, "Just before Thanksgiving, after reading Bent Petersen's book, I decided I should put down some memories of my life - half autobiography and half obituary. To Walter and Clara Stearns I was born March 14,1921, at Creston, Mont., so anxious to get here I...

Feb 14, 2014

Theresa "Teri" Marie Moses (nee Schroeder) died peacefully in her sleep after an unexpected illness on Feb. 14, 2014. "How befitting for our Lord to call home our beloved Teri on the day of love." If you had the privilege of knowing Teri, then you know the immense void her passing has created. "While we know she is now with...

Feb 13, 2014

Louis William "Bill" Schlegel, 84 was born Nov. 10, 1929, in Dillon, the second child of Louis and Gladys (Bump) Schlegel. He attended schools in Kalispell and Kila, but only until grade six, when his formal education ended and he began a long career as a working man. His was truly a hard-knock life. He passed away quietly at his...

Feb 11, 2014

Mavis Tronstad died Feb. 11, 2014, of natural causes at the Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell. She was born to Andreas and Julia Lein Thompson in Hettinger, N.D., on April 3, 1922. She was the fifth child of seven children. She grew up on a farm near Hettinger and graduated from Hettinger High School. She attended Dickinson Teachers College and...

Feb 6, 2014

Cody Deets Johnson, 48, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, after an all too short battle with brain cancer. He was in the loving company of family members. Cody was born Aug. 3, 1965, in Fremont, Neb. to Gilbert Ross and Dian Gammel Johnson. After graduating from Oakland-Craig High School, Oakland, Neb., he served our country in the Marine...

Feb 4, 2014

In great sorrow we announce the passing of our Dad, Wesley “Wes” John Lureau, on Feb. 4, 2014.

“This day, in God’s perfect timing, would mark six months ago tomorrow which would have been his 73rd birthday. We know death is not an end but just the beginning of a new life, redeemed in Jesus (I John...

Feb 2, 2014

David "left this life on Earth for his next big adventure" on Feb. 2, 2014, at the Brendan House in Kalispell. David was born on Feb. 14, 1935, to Ray and Mabel McCoy in Portland, Ore. After attending school, David met and fell in love with Rosie Badley. They were married in 1955. To that union were born two sons...

Jan 31, 2014

Gerald "Jerry" Delano Downing, 73, "went to be with our Lord Jesus Christ" on Jan. 31, 2014, in Kalispell, surrounded by his loved ones. Jerry was born in Missoula on Dec. 5, 1941, to Kathleen and Clare Downing. Jerry was the youngest of five siblings, Don, Wallace, Loretta and Betty Ann. Jerry and his parents moved to Columbia Falls in...