OBITUARIES C F

B4
Monday, June 23, 2014
State and area deaths
BILLINGS:
Christa Andersen, 56
Stephanie Lunder, 50
Alta Ruth Sumida, 92
Michael Sample, 66
AREA DEATHS
Froid: Phillis McNeil, 96
Laurel: Herta Frank, 89
Poplar: Sherry McClammy, 27
Wolf Point: Margaret
Eggebrecht, 90; Dakota St.
Germaine, 22
FORMERLY OF:
Red Lodge: Gladys Ronning Clark, 98, Miles City
John R. Smith
BRIDGER — John R.
Smith, 63, of Bridger, died
Friday, June 20, 2014, at his
home.
John was born on Sept.
25, 1950, a son of Harold
and Jane Smith. He was
raised in Bridger and graduated from Bridger High
School in 1970.
He worked for Burlington Northern Railroad
in Livingston and Laurel,
and later for Bridger Public
Schools.
John leaves behind his
wife of 38 years, Jan; a sister Diana; and two children, Scott and Kim. He
was preceded in death by
his parents.
Graveside
memorial
services will be held at 1
p.m. Friday, June 27, at the
Bridger Cemetery. SmithOlcott Funeral Chapel is
assisting with arrangements.
CREMATION &
FUNERAL
GALLERY
Cremation & Burial Society of Montana
29 8th St. W. • Billings • 254-2414
www.cfgbillings.com
Absaroka Beartooth Columbarium
WITT — Lois. Funeral
service 10am Tuesday Westside
Baptist church. Interment will
follow at Bridger Cemetery. 21
Exclusive Provider
Cremation with Confidence Guarantee
1
Phillis McNeil
FROID — Phillis McNeil,
96, of Froid, passed away on
June 15, 2014, at the Sheridan
Memorial Nursing Home in
Plentywood.
A wake begins at 7 p.m.
Wednesday with the funeral
service at 11 a.m. Thursday,
both at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Culbertson.
Fulkerson Funeral Home of
Plentywood is assisting the
family.
Howard A. Pulver
Born Dec. 12, 1936, to
Louis and Eleanor Pulver
in Billings. Howard was 77.
He served in the U.S. Navy
for four years. He married
Meridith and they had two
daughters and one son. They
later divorced. Howard married Beverly in 1972. He acquired three sons and three
daughters through this marriage. Howard was an electric motor repairman and
worked for Tree and Weber
Electric in Billings and later
in Arizona at Equipment
Maintenance Service until
his retirement. Howard and
Beverly moved back to Billings and lived in the Heights
at 34 Prince Charles Drive,
59105. Howard loved gardening, hunting, fishing and
collecting coins.
Preceding in death are
his parents, sister Marlene, daughters Pam, Darla
and Debbie; sisters-in-law
Gloria and Jeanette and
nephew Mark. Surviving is
his wife Beverly; daughter
Laurie (Cory) Crow; sons
Phil (Laura) Pulver, Bob
(Judy) Brodston, Scott (Ellen) Brodston, Rick (Heidi)
Brodston; daughter Vaunda
Thibault; brothers Louis
(Peg) Pulver and Clifford
Pulver;
brothers-in-law,
Jerry(Neita) Butkay, Ray
Kannegaard and Ernie Bigelow; sister-in-law Kay (Hod)
O’Donnell; 12 grandchildren;
five
great-grandchildren;
many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Smith Funeral Chapel performed cremation. No services. There
will be a memorial at a later
date.
Dakota St. Germaine
and Crematory
Serving Billings Area for 110 Years
Complete Funeral, Crematory
and Cemetery Pre-Arrangements
with Cremation Niches, Lawn Crypts
and Mausoleum.
Reception Facilities Available
TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
IN BILLINGS
www.smithfuneralchapels.com
SMITH WEST CHAPEL
Adjacent to
Terrace Gardens Cemetery
304 34TH ST. W
245-6427
4 Blocks N. of Central on 34th St. W.
FRIED — Bonnie E.,
74, of Billings. Memorial
service 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 24 at New Life
Church, 3950 Temple
Place.(6/24)
SMITH DOWNTOWN CHAPEL
925 S. 27th
245-6427
WEBER — Mildred
Marie “Millie,” 86,
Billings. As per Millie’s
request there will not be
any services.(6/23)
HANDLEY — I.
Lorraine, 75, of Billings.
Cremation. No services
scheduled.(6/23)
REITER KARELL
— Helen, 82, of Billings.
Casket is closed. Graveside service 11 a.m. Saturday, June 28 at Sunset
Memorial Gardens.(6/28)
SMITH FUNERAL CHAPEL
LAUREL
315 E. 3rd.
628-6858
FRANK — Herta, 89
of Laurel. Cremation has
taken place. Memorial
service 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, Smith
Funeral Chapel, Laurel.
(6/25)
SMITH OLCOTT CHAPEL
RED LODGE
201 N. Broadway
446-1121
SMITH — John R., 63,
of Bridger. Cremation.
Graveside memorial service 1 p.m. Friday, June 27
at the Bridger Cemetery.
(6/27)
SMITH FUNERALCHAPEL
COLUMBUS
35 N. Diamond St.
628-6858
WOLF POINT — Dakota
St. Germaine, 22, of Wolf
Point, passed away June 20,
2014, in Wolf Point.
A wake will begin at 7
p.m. Monday, June 23, at
the Silver Wolf Casino. Funeral services will be at 11
a.m. Tuesday, June 24, at the
Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel with interment in
King Memorial Cemetery.
How to submit
For obituary information, call 406-657-1241
or 800-543-2505. The
deadline is 3 p.m. for next
day publication.
Obituaries can be
e-mailed to obits@billingsgazette.com, mailed
to Obituary Dept., Billings
Gazette, PO Box 36300,
Billings, MT 59107, faxed to
406-657-1208 or brought
to the Billings Gazette.
Mortuary and Crematory
Serving All Faiths
With Dignity since 1956
Here for you
Before, During and After Services
1001 Alderson Ave.
406-252-3417
SUMIDA — Alta Ruth,
92, of Billings. Funeral
services are pending.
(6/23)
SAMPLE — Michael,
66, of Billings. Informal public gathering,
Thursday, June 26, at the
Yellowstone Country
Club from 3 to 5 p.m. The
family encourages guests
to bring a typed or handwritten story or memory
of Michael to share in a
memorial book.(6/26)
www.michelottisawyers.com
10 Yellowstone Ave. — 406-248-8807
WARREN — Gary, 56, of Billings. Arrangements
pending.(23)
DECKER — Peter E., 88. Memorial Service 2 p.m.
Tuesday, June 24, First Congregational Church, 310 N.
27th.(24)
ANDERSEN — Christa, 56, of Billings. Service information pending. (25)
LUNDER — Stephanie, 50, of Billings. No service
information at this time. (25)
RICHARDSON — Nuowahhghis, 36. Funeral Service 1:00 p.m. Wednesday at Dahl Chapel. Interment in
Canton, OK. 25
OBITUARIES
Michael Scanlon Sample
Michael Scanlon Sample, born July 4, 1947, died
tragically on June 19, 2014,
in Billings. He was 66 years
old. Michael was predeceased by his mother, Patricia Halterman and his stepmother, Miriam Sample;
he is survived by his father,
Joseph Sample, wife Barbara
Sample, two brothers David
and Patrick Sample, four
children James (Joanne),
Kate (Mike), John (Claire)
and Ryan (Dana), and 10
grandchildren.
Michael was born in New
Haven, Conn., was educated
at Philips Exeter Academy
in New Hampshire and then
Trinity College in Connecticut, and served in the
United States Marine Corps
Reserves.
In July of 1954, Michael
came to Montana and an
endless love affair began.
While exploring the state,
deepening his affection for
it and practicing his photographic artistry, Michael
met Barbara Maronick, a
Great Falls native, and on
Dec. 28, 1971, they were
married. The next year he
published his first “Montana Calendar”; he would
publish 43 more, including a
2015 one, released just prior
to his death. During his career, Michael contributed
to countless magazines and
published a number of coffee table books, including
“Montana on My Mind” in
1987. Each year, Michael was
honored to mentor younger
photographers at the annual convention of the North
American Nature Photographers Association. His life
and work were interrupted
before the completion of
what he believed to be his
final book, a memoir in images that he intended to title
“Montana from the Heart.”
In addition to his work
as a photographer, Michael
co-founded Falcon Press,
a publishing house specifically for western authors
and artists like himself.
Launched by his “Anglers
Guide to Montana,” the Falcon Guide series remains the
definitive source in the state
and now much of the country for outdoor enthusiasts.
Michael served on the board
for the Yellowstone Association, and he supported
countless other local and
national organizations both
privately and in his role as
Vice President of the Sample
Foundation. Michael treasured the natural world,
and he did everything in his
power to preserve it through
both his photography and
his philanthropy.
Michael loved others, especially his family, the same
way he loved the state of
Montana, by
giving them
every thing
he had to
share: his resources, his
seem ingly
i nex haustible supply of
MICHAEL
fine chocoSAMPLE
late, his aesthetic vision,
his exquisitely detailed and
often remarkably lyrical
stories of his photographic
adventures, and his quirky,
pure-hearted sense of fun.
Around Montana or traveling, at social gatherings or
in his home, Michael could
generally be found behind
his camera, truly the lens
through which he saw the
world. He loved front-yard
Frisbee, family slide shows,
delicate wildflowers and
really bad puns; he loved
attending Billings Rotary
meetings, coaching youth
soccer and cheering for the
Denver Broncos, the St.
Louis Cardinals and all of his
sports teams, each of which
he believed was invariably
the underdog and often the
victim of a league-wide officiating conspiracy. He
loved the names for different
types of clouds, the magic
of moving water captured
in a still frame and what he
called “storm light.” While
Michael never lost his sense
of awe beneath a Montana
sky and could often be heard
exclaiming about the majesty of Montana’s mountain
ranges, he also found beauty
in less grand and otherwise
unnoticed parts of the landscape he so loved.
In general, Michael listened more than he spoke
and gave more than he received. He was patient, generous and unfailingly kind.
His family and friends loved
him dearly and will miss
him desperately.
Following a private memorial service, an informal
public gathering will be held
on Thursday, June 26, at the
Yellowstone Country Club
from 3 to 5 p.m. The family
encourages guests to bring
a typed or hand-written
story or memory of Michael
to share in a memorial book.
In lieu of flowers, Michael’s
family invites contributions
in his honor to a few of the
organizations Michael supported and served: The Yellowstone Association, The
Nature Conservancy and
Yellowstone Public Radio.
Alvin Ray Blakley
Today we celebrate the
life of Alvin Ray Blakley. A
good man who left us far too
soon on June 16, 2014.
Alvin was born on Feb.
14, 1959, to Alvin and Elfriede Blakley. He and his
sister, Susan, grew up in
Nisland, S.D., where his father ran the local grocery
store. He later moved with
his mother to Belle Fourche,
S.D. Throughout these early
years, Alvin was shaped into
the man he would become
by his grandparents, Ernst
and Elfriede Fortak.
Alvin graduated from
Belle Fourche High School
in 1977. In high school Alvin
gained a reputation as a fine
athlete and a loyal friend.
The friendships he formed
in those years sustained him
his entire life and brought
him great joy. And it was in
the halls of Belle Fourche
High that he met his high
school sweetheart and love
of his life, Rhoda. For the
next 38 years they enjoyed a
big life together filled with
much love, a lot of adventure
and more than a few fish.
His life experiences
included his days at Al’s
Steakhouse as a cook and
caterer. He also enjoyed a
career as a successful commercial salmon setnetting captain in Bristol Bay,
Alaska. And on the Big Horn
River he was known as a river guide extraordinaire and
the keeper of Cottonwood
Camp, a Big Horn River tradition. Alvin also enjoyed
many a journey to New Zealand, where he stalked big
fish on “River #3.” And in
the fall and winter you could
find him spending most of
his days hunting big game,
birds or trapping beavers
and minnows. He was at his
best in the great outdoors!
In June of 1994, Autumn
Elizabeth was born to Alvin and Rhoda. She was his
heart. She too was the love
of his life. And the joy she
brought to all his days was
measured in
moments too
wonderf u l
for words.
To Autumn
her dad was
a
teacher,
a coach, a
protector
ALVIN
and her “#1
BLAKLEY
Fan.” He left
this
earth
a proud, proud father and
confident in the life she was
making with her Ty. He
loved them both.
Alvin brought a lot of
color to our world. He will be
missed by his faithful companion “Tiggers,” his wife
Rhoda, daughters Autumn
and Elfie Lee, buddies Ty,
Ivan and Noah, sister Susan,
uncle Albert (Lori), in-laws
Peggy and Corky, brother
Ort, sister-in-law Holly,
nieces Brandy Ray (Clayton) and Jeni Jo, nephews
John (Shannie), Uriah, Kip,
Auni and great nephews and
nieces Brandon, Brooke and
Bella as well as numerous
friends that blessed his life
always.
Services will be held at
Gateway Christian Center
on June 24, at 11 a.m. with
reception to follow. Bullis
Mortuary has been entrusted with the arrangements.
2 grizzlies transplanted to Cabinet Mountains
Associated Press
KALISPELL — Two
female grizzly bears have
been transplanted from
the Whitefish Range to
the Cabinet Mountains in
northwest Montana.
The move is part of an
ongoing effort to augment
the imperiled Cabinet-Yaak
grizzly bear population by
Montana Fish, Wildlife and
Parks and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
The 2-year-old siblings
were captured in the Deadhorse Creek drainage on
the Flathead National Forest and moved Friday to the
Spar Lake area in the West
Cabinets.
The bears have no history of conflict with people
and have never been captured before.
Gladys Ronning Clark
ACHIEVERS
MILES CITY — Gladys
Ronning Clark passed away
p e a c ef u l ly
on June 16,
2014, at the
age of 98
surrounded
by family.
She was born
on April 28,
1916, in her GLADYS CLARK
family’s
homestead
cabin in Rock Springs, Mont.
After graduating from
Custer County High School
in 1933, she obtained a provisional teaching certificate and began her 40-year
teaching career in a oneroom schoolhouse on Crow
Rock Sheep Ranch in 1934.
She met Amos Clark in
Miles City the same year
when they were both 18, and
they were married in Lewistown on Oct. 16, 1937, a
union that lasted 67 years.
Soon after marrying, they
moved to Culver City, Calif., to join the fledgling aircraft industry, and their son
John was born there in 1944.
Gladys and Amos became
charter members of Grace
Lutheran Church and Gladys was selected to teach at
an exclusive private school
in Beverly Hills, where during a Christmas pageant Art
Linkletter and Red Skelton
ad-libbed in the audience
prior to the child performance.
Missing the small town
community feel, they moved
back to Montana, relocating to Red Lodge, in 1954.
At first, Gladys taught multiple grades and subjects in
a two-room school house in
Fox, and later in Red Lodge
she most enjoyed teaching
the fourth grade. She taught
Sunday school and served on
the council of the Messiah
Lutheran Church, and was
a member of the Red Lodge
Festival of Nations, chairing
the Scandinavian group.
Gladys loved people,
compassionately
taking
care of several temporarilyadopted kids and family members throughout
her years in Red Lodge,
and delighting in conversations with tourists and
locals while operating the
Clark Guest House and coffee shop. An avid reader and
budding writer, she was
known to fight off the occasional bear intruder and
would walk at least a mile a
day well into her 90s.
Gladys returned to Miles
City to be among her siblings, nieces and nephews in
2013 and celebrated her 98th
birthday there at Friendship
Villa.
She is survived by her
son John (Nani) Clark; her
grandchildren Jeff, Will,
Shinta (Rob) Daniels, and
Angie; her great-grandchildren Isis Clark and Kaleb
and Lily Daniels; her brother
Warren (Elizabeth) Ronning; sister Dorothy Bakken;
sister-in-law Kate Ronning,
and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins on both the
Clark and Ronning sides of
her family.
There will be a service
celebrating her life held at
Friendship Villa in Miles
City at 2 p.m. on June 24 and
at Messiah Lutheran Church
in Red Lodge at 2 p.m. on
June 27. Cremation has
taken place. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation
in her name to your favored
charity. Stevenson & Sons
Funeral Home of Miles City
is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be
sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.
Sandstone PE
teacher earns award
VOLUNTEER
The Billings Gazette is
committed to promoting
volunteerism as a way to
build a caring community
for all citizens.
This listing includes opportunities registered with
the United Way Volunteer
Center.
1. Billings Parks and
Recreation Department
Call Chris at 657-8308
Spring and summer 2014
park rangers are needed.
Make weekly patrols of assigned parks in pairs. Be an
ambassador to the public.
2. United Way of Yellowstone County Youth
Volunteer Corps
Call Tari at 794-1468
Interested in working
with youth and supervising
volunteer projects? Team
leader opportunities are
available for those ages 19
and older.
For more information
about other volunteer
opportunities or to learn
how to have your volunteer
opportunities listed in this
column, call 252-3839 or go
to www.YouCanVolunteer.
org.
A Billings elementary
school physical education
teacher has won the Dave
Oberly Striving for Excellence Award from the Montana Association for Health,
PE, Recreation and Dance.
Todd Bertsch, of
Sandstone Elementary, will
receive the award at the
2014 MTAHPERD Conference, in August at Helena
High School.
The Dave Oberly Striving
for Excellence award is
given to a person who has
made outstanding contributions and shown dedication to health and physical
Education in Montana.
Kim McCullough, of
Big Timber’s Sweet Grass
High School, will receive
the group’s Distinguished
Service Award.
Family Promise elects
new board members
Family Promise of
Yellowstone Valley has
selected its 2014-2015
board of director’s executive
committee and new board
members.
President, Shane Colton,
Attorney at Law, Edmiston
and Colton; Vice President,
Deb Peters, MSU Billings;
Secretary, Roger Williams,
community volunteer;
Treasurer, Spencer Smith,
community volunteer; and
Past President, Andy Rio,
Little Horn State Bank.
New board members
include Kathie Todd, community volunteer; Steve Restad, St, Vincent Healthcare;
Brian Brown, First Interstate Bank; and Jodie Hart,
community volunteer.
Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley (formerly
Interfaith Hospitality Network) is a community of 26
Billings religious congregations and more than 1,400
volunteers that provide
meals, shelter, and safe, nonjudgmental environments
for families experiencing
homelessness. Congregations rotate weekly providing hospitality and basic
needs to homeless families.
Concordia honor list
Several students from
the Gazette’s readership
area have been named to
the Dean’s Honor List at
Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., for the 2013-14
academic year.
To qualify for this designation, students must carry
a minimum of 12 semester
credits and have a grade
point average of at least a
3.7 on a 4.0 scale.
Laura Habein, senior,
daughter of Theresa and Peter Habein, Billings; Lauren
Lee, sophomore, daughter
of Stephanie and Curtis Lee,
Billings; Miles Otstot, sophomore, son of Patricia and
Roger Otstot, Billings; Laura
Prosinski, junior, daughter of
Shelley and Steve Prosinski,
Billings; Marta Prosinski,
junior, daughter of Shelley
and Steve Prosinski, Billings;
Renee Tostengard, daughter
of Kay and Tim Tostengard,
Billings; Elizabeth Clapp,
junior, daughter of Alan
Clapp, Glendive; Derek
Algaard, sophomore, son
of Duane Algaard, Laurel;
Tori Benders, sophomore,
Laurel; Hannah Weishoff,
sophomore, daughter of
Shanna Weishoff of Laurel;
Jonathan Sutton, junior son
of Lisa and Joseph Sutton,
Miles City; and Brianne
Downs, senior, daughter of
Lynette Downs, Molt.
Organizations
The Downtown Exchange Club of Billings held
the election for officers and
board of directors. Those
elected include Brandon
Berger, Big Sky Economic
Development, president;
Lisa Von Laven, Entre Technology Services, presidentelect; Dax Simek, Morrison
Maierle, vice-president; Ron
Cole, Montana Peterbilt,
treasurer; Michael Lee,
Mike Lee Financial Connections, LLC, secretary, and
Jeff Winkler, HGFA Architects, past president.
On the board of directors are: (three-year term)
Racquel Kaelberer, Payne
West; Susan Schloss,
Underriner Motors, and
Dusty Young, Copy Right;
(two-year term) Ed Lawler,
Billings Dental Clinic; Melodie McDermott, Buddy
Dog Walk and Peacemaker
Ministries, and Jens Selvig
III, Jens Selvig Photography; (one-year term) Trina
Besel, Mann Mortgage; Tom
Krause, Rimrock Mall, and
Jennifer Mercer, Billings
Depot. Jerry Michels is an
ad hoc board member.