Virginia Gifford Olson
POLSON — On Monday, Feb. 19, 2007, Jesus wrapped his loving arms around Virginia Gifford Olson and carried her to heaven, surrounded by her beloved family.
Virginia was born in Lewiston, Idaho, Nov. 8, 1916, to Lester and Anna (Sulier) Gifford. When she was six weeks old, her father was killed. Left a young widow, her mother Anna made a trip with her baby daughter to Montana to visit her sisters who lived in Valley Creek, near Arlee. There Anna met Ed Schall, who was also widowed and had two young daughters. Ed and Anna were married in 1920 and settled on the Schall Ranch near Arlee, where Mary Virginia grew up.
She attended the University of Montana at Missoula where she met her husband, Will Olson. During their lives together, while raising a family of four, they lived in Montana, Washington, California, Wisconsin and Florida, while Will pursued his career as a newspaper advertising man.
While raising her family she continued her education and graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in Microbiology. Virginia’s career was in medical laboratory work and she worked for many years in Pensacola, Fla., at the Florida State Board of Health as a microbiologist, retiring in 1980. Later they moved back to Montana and lived in Polson, overlooking Flathead Lake, for many years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Will Olson; her father, Lester Gifford; mother, Anna Schall; and her beloved baby granddaughter, Cathy Olson.
Virginia is survived by her loving family consisting of sons Curtis G. Olson and his wife Chen Yi of Coeur d’Alene, Chris Olson and wife Susie of Polson, William A. Olson, Jr. and wife Judy of Neenah, Wis.; daughter Joy E. Bell and her husband Robert Bell of Pensacola.
She is also survived by one brother, Ted (Juanita) Schall of Arlee; and two sisters, Cleo Lytle of Tucson, Ariz., and Sidney (Tuffy) Powell of Arlee; brother-in-law, Arnold Helding of Arlee; sisters-in-law Betty Schall of Arlee and Dorothy Wendt of Great Falls.
Virginia loved her grandchildren and they cherished her, too. Surviving their Grandma are Amy Hansen, Carol Madden, Danny Olson, Andy Olson, Anna Olson, Cindy Pritchard, Jeremy Olson, and Donny Olson. Virginia is also survived by 17 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Virginia loved gardening in her beautiful big yard overlooking Flathead Lake and she also loved growing her African Violets. She was a member of the South Shore Garden Club and was a volunteer at the Country Store in Polson. She was a life-long voracious letter writer and was the author of the book “Mountains in the West,” a collection of memories of the early families who settled in Valley Creek in the early 1920s. She loved riding horses and had a varied and interesting life as the child of some of the earlier settlers in Montana and Idaho.
Graveside services will be held at Mountain View Cemetery in Ronan at a later date, where her remains will be placed with her husband, William Olson. The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the nurses, staff and caregivers at Four Seasons Assisted Living Community in Coeur d’Alene, where Virginia lived for the past year. They were good to her and she was very fond of them all.
Local arrangements are under the direction of Grogan Funeral Home & Crematory in Polson.
Sue Elizabeth Lanier
11/28/1935 - 02/23/2007
POLSON — Sue Elizabeth Lanier was born in Polson to Elizabeth and William Gregg. She graduated from Polson High School and the University of Montana.
In 1958 she married Keith Lanier and they were happily married for over 48 years. Together with their four children they traveled the world while living on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and in Germany and Japan.
In 1995 Sue and Keith returned to Montana and Sue’s beloved Flathead Lake. Sue was an avid hiker, skier, kayaker, gardener and beloved grandmother. She was a member of the PEO and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Polson.
Sue is survived by her husband Keith; her children, Elizabeth Laimbeer (John), Gregg Lanier (Megan), Tom Lanier (Cristina), Catherine Young; grandchildren Ian, Sean, Alex, Claire, Connor, Lucas and Cade; her brother Bill Gregg (Jeannette); sister Kathy Farmer (Mike); numerous nieces and nephews and friends worldwide.
Services will be held on Saturday, March 3, at 1 p.m. in St. Andrews Episcopal Church. Private family inurnment will be held. Memorials may be made to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Dollars for Scholars, Flathead Lakers, Mission Mountain Enterprises or the local charity of your choice. Grogan Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Richard Charles Mathis
ST. IGNATIUS — Richard Charles Mathis, born in Seattle on May 12, 1954, died in an automobile accident Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007.
Ric attended grammar school in Seattle, Middle School at Mary Mount Military Academy in Tacoma and graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle. At age 18 he joined the Marine Corps. Ric moved to St. Ignatius approximately two years ago. Ric enjoyed playing foosball at Tiny’s Bar in Charlo each week.
Ric married in 1974, they had a son Delano B. Mathis in August of 1975. Later, they divorced and Ric married Becky Kruch of Spokane. They lived in Spokane, Seattle, Everett and Whidby Island through 16 years of marriage.
Ric left behind his mother, Greta Dunsmore of St. Ignatius; his father and step-mother Delano and Judy Mathis of Sequim Wash.; his son, Delano B. Mathis of Everett; five grandchildren, (three boys, two girls) all of Washington state; a sister and brother-in-law, Tammy and Fred Matt of St. Ignatius; his step-brother, Richard “Rick” Mathis of Sequim; two nieces, April and Faith Matt of St. Ignatius, and several cousins, aunts and uncles mostly of Washington State.
There was a community service and rosary at the Foster & Durgeloh Funeral Home on Feb. 27. The family suggests that memorials be made to your local disability group to assist with access ramps.
Mina B. Albert
SPOKANE — On Feb. 20, 2007, Mina “Nana” Albert went in peace with the angels to Heaven. She will be missed more than words can ever day. She will never know the amount of people she touched in her lifetime. We will all always treasure our time spent with this wonderful lady.
Mina was born July 5, 1918, to Ennis and Millie Mullis in Round Butte. She went on to marriage and being a wonderful mother to four beautiful children (Leonard, Marvin, Carolyn and Linda). They were all here treasures. On July 6, 1957, she married the true love of her life and best friend, Edgar Albert. This July they would have celebrated 50 golden years of marriage. She will be truly missed by Edgar.
Mina “Nana” had an unbelievable work ethic that carried on through all she did in her lifetime. She worked at the hospital in Hot Springs and St. Joseph Hospital in Polson.
Her true happiness came from all her family. She loved to be surrounded by all her family. Her way of showing so much love to all of them was with her cooking, supporting them through all of their lives with the good and bad and just having so much patience for everyone.
You could always count on a great meal when at “Nana’s” filled with so much love. Her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren were a true enjoyment that filled her heart to the top. She gave all she had to all of them and enjoyed every minute of time they gave to her.
A time came in Mina’s life that took a lot away from her strength. She became a kidney dialysis patient in Kalispell. Edgar and Mina made a big decision in their lives and decided to get closer to a kidney treatment center and moved to Spokane.
You would always hear Mina say, “I have to go to work” on dialysis days. During their years of treatment, Mina never game up. She was like the Energizer Bunny, she just kept going and going. Her quote was always, “I am just happy to be alive.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ennis and Millie Mullis; sisters, Ella, Inez, Carlotta, Edna, and Lois; brothers, Walter and Lloyd.
Surviving are her loving husband, Edgar Albert; children, Leonard (Nancy) Morigeau, Marvin (Janis) Morigeau; Carolyn (Don) Woods and Linda Howlett (George); her sister, Melva Hanson; 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, March 2, at Lakeview Cemetery in Polson. After the graveside services, friends and family members will gather at the Polson VFW Hall for food, fond memories and celebration of “Nana’s” life.
Lloyd C. Cook
Lloyd C. Cook, 95, died of natural causes on Jan. 27, 2007, at his winter home in California. He lived on Finley Point for 36 years in the summer.
Lloyd was born in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sept. 4, 1911. He worked for North American Rockwell as an aeronautical engineer for 44 years.
Lloyd is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Bette Cook; two daughters, Dee and Carol, and a son, Greg. He also had 17 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
His wishes were to be cremated and brought back up to Flathead Lake in Montana. Memorial services will be held this summer.
Gary Andrew Fossum
ROCHESTER, Wash. — Former Lake County resident Gary Andrew Fossum, 67, born Feb. 18, 1940, in Kalispell died Feb. 14, 1007, at his home in Rochester after a long bout with cancer.
Gary moved to Washington with his parents Wayne and Frances Fossum in 1952. He was graduated from Bellingham High School in 1958.
After graduation, he joined the US Army and served until his discharge in 1961. After his military years, he joined his family in the Rochester area. Gary spent several years as a volunteer firefighter for the Grand Mound Fire Department, where his father Wayne served as assistant chief. Gary retired from the Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation in 1997 after 30 years of faithful service.
He was a loving husband, father, brother and grandfather, as well as an extremely loyal friend.
Gary was preceded in death by his beloved son Jason who died on Dec. 10, 1986.
Survivors include his wife, Maria Fossum, of Rochester; daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Jeff Woods of Blackie, Alberta, Canada; stepsons and daughter-in-law Michel and Anne Petersen of Rochester and Darren Petersen of California; brother and sister-in-law, Warren and Ann Fossum of Olympia; sister and brother-in-law, Janice and Terry Shaw of Soap Lake, Wash.; and two nieces, Marianne Jordan of Federal Way, Wash. and Melissa Young of Tacoma.
Gary was grandfather to Ellie and Lana Woods of Blackie, Alta., Dana Petersen of Centralia, Wash., and beloved “Papa” to Brayden and Garrett Petersen of Rochester.
A memorial service was held Feb. 24 at Sticklin Funeral Chapel in Centralia.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society, under Gary Fossum, 1313 Broadway, Suite 100, Tacoma, WA 98402.
Antoinette Leona ‘Bubs’ Acevedo
ST. IGNATUIS — Antoinette Leona “Bubs” Acevedo was born June 6, 1984, in St. Ignatius to Roxanne McClure Acevedo and Frank Acevedo, and she left us suddenly Saturday morning, Feb. 24, 2007.
Leona was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She attended grade school and high school in St. Ignatius and was very proud of her achievement, graduating with her senior class of 2002. She worked her butt off to graduate and her whole family was so proud of her.
Leona attended Salish Kootenai College for one year studying early childhood development and worked for the Children’s Learning Center in St. Ignatius. This was an extremely fulfilling job as she loved all the kids and all the kids loved her.
Leona decided to retire at a very early age and dedicated her life as a very proud single mother of two children, son Trevor Anthony Curtis and daughter D’Vea Patience. She shared her small family with their grandparents “yi” and “papa” at the family home of Mission Dam.
Leona enjoyed cruizin’, visiting her “buds” and “homies” and shopping in Missoula with her sister Val and best friend Michael Marie, who were inseparable to the end.
Whenever Leona and Michael had any kind of crazy night, the stories would fly with so much enthusiasm, style, voice of trouble, you couldn’t help but think of the truesome twosome Sox and Sheila. Trained by the best of friends, Michael and Leona could not deny the automatic label of little Sheila and Sox, true ‘til the end, side by side, and out with style.
Leona loved watching the Branding Iron 2 women’s pool team, which consisted of her mom Sox and all her cousins, She, Scoobz, Mar, Stma, and Ol’ School. You could always hear her in the background screaming for the team, “Let’s go Cuzint,” and “Let’s go Mamavedo.”
Leona also fulfilled her lifelong dream of visiting Las Vegas with her mother and father in December 2006. She finally got to take her first plane ride, scared at first, but the “Bubs” we know didn’t stay scared for long. Now our beloved Leona will always be high above.
This Valentine’s Day was a very special one for her. Not only did she share it with her special friend Shep, she was able to share his birthday on the same day. They had an amazing day, sharing some unforgettable moments.
Leona was always the life of the party. Her personality was so bright, you would see her shining from miles away. You couldn’t help but be drawn to her. She had tons of friends of all age groups; from her friends’ kids to her mom’s friends, they were all her buddies. Everywhere she went, she knew someone. She will be extremely missed but always remembered by all her little homies of the Rez.
Leona was preceded in death by her grandparents Lindy and Janie McClure and Leon Acevedo; uncles Vinson “Leon” Bourdon and Columbus “Sibs” Bourdon, and cousins Marlene “Muck” LaFrombois, Jesse Jake Carpentier, Charlene Kee and Ruby Bourdon.
She is survived by two children, Trevor Anthony Curbs and D’Vea Patience; her parents Roxie and Frank Acevedo; her loving sister Valerie (Shilo); nephew Curtis Lee; grandmother June Acevedo; uncles Tom (Liz) Acevedo, Gary (Laurie) Acevedo, Rick (Marilyn) Acevedo, Alvin McClure and Daniel (Martha) McClure; great uncle Bill Bourdon; her very special cousins Cori McClure Matthew, David McClure and Zion Thomas Bolen.
Although Leona left us at such an early age, she must have known that her son Trevor and daughter D’Vea would be left in loving hands with “yi” and “papa” and auntie Val and nunu Shilo.
Funeral services were held Feb. 28 in the St. Ignatius Catholic Church.
Foster & Durgeloh Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Michael-Marie Cottet
ST. IGNATIUS — Michael-Marie Cottet was born Jan. 29, 1987, in St. Ignatius to Lorene Yvonne DuMont and Michael Douglas Cottet. Michael-Marie died as a result of a car accident early Saturday morning, Feb. 24, 2007.
She reached out and grabbed life from the moment she was born. There didn’t seem to be anything she wouldn’t try at least once. She was constantly talking and no one quite knew what was going to pop out of her mouth at any given moment. Michael-Marie could hold a conversation with any adult and sit down and play with little kids with equal enthusiasm. She had a huge personality in a petite body.
Michael-Marie attended school in Plains until high school, and then went to Ronan, St. Ignatius and Pablo. Art was her favorite subject in school and she loved to play baseball in the summer. At 18 she started working at Jore in the packaging department and was promoted to machine operator in 2006. Her nickname from her co-workers was “Mikey.” Michael Marie was pursuing her GED and looking forward to attending college.
She always enjoyed the outdoors and especially looked forward to hunting season with either her dad or Uncle Doran, getting a buck this last year. On one hunting trip with her dad and Tyler, she was using her grandpa Mickey’s rifle and having trouble seeing through the scope. They told her to just shoot and she did, bagging her first deer.
Michael-Marie always surrounded herself with friends and family. A few of her special friends were Abby, Tatiana, Chandel, Val, Alia, Trinity and Leona. You wouldn’t find Michael-Marie without her best friend Leona, best friends forever, and unfortunately that came way too soon for both girls. She loved her family and idolized her sister Launita Lynn Christy “Nita.” Nita lived life to the fullest and Michael-Marie wanted to follow in her footsteps.
Michael-Marie lived on ranches most of her life and thoroughly loved to be around the horses and cows. Her favorite horses were Chip and Dale. The first vehicle she learned to drive was her father’s pickup truck until she moved to St. Ignatius her junior year.
She lived with her family Grandma Lois, Antie Lori and sister Nita who all spoiled her greatly.
The Sanders County Fair was always a favorite with her. The family would camp out at the fair from beginning to end, walk through the animal barns, attend the rodeo and the Demolition Derby.
One of her most exciting adventures was taking a ride on a helicopter that helped capture and move mountain sheep from the Perma Valley. The New Zealand pilot gave her quite a thrill by flying upside down over the Flathead River.
Survivors include her mother Lorene Yvonne DuMont Mitchell (Gary); father Michael Douglas Cottet (Sharon, Season and Jeremy); sister Launita Christy (Conan); brothers Tyler DuMont, Chad Cottet and Tyson Cottet; aunt Lori DuMont and uncles Doran DuMont, Doug DuMont, Dick Molten and Mike Graham (Myrna); grandmas Lois DuMont and Harriet Cottet; nieces Katie, Cheyenne, D’vea, Drew, Chloe and Frankie; nephews Shonko, Jedi, Kanen, Trevor, Curtis, Michael Douglas, Corbin, Dylan and Ty; Jacob, Grandma Cheryl, Poppa Clint, Ona and Tom.
Passing before her were Grandpa Mickey, Grandpa Percy, best friend Steven “Bubba” Ash and Leona Acevedo.
Michael-Marie will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Dual funeral services for Michael-Marie and Leona Acevedo were held at the St. Ignatius Catholic Church on Feb. 28.
Linda Pedi
RONAN — Linda Pedi, 56, of Ronan
died of natural causes Sunday, Feb. 25, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. Arrangements will be announced by Livingston, Malletta & Geraghty Funeral Home.
Betty Lou Umphrey
ARLEE — Betty Lou Umphrey, 45, peacefully died in her sleep at her home on Feb. 21, 2007.
A member of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe, Betty was born May 9, 1961, in St. Ignatius to Glenn Henry and Mary Madeline (Pierre) Umphrey. She was raised in Missoula and lived most of her life there until moving to the Arlee area in the early ‘90s.
A hard and dedicated worker, her family was everything to her and she helped wherever needed, whether it was babysitting or helping care for her elderly parents.
She enjoyed crossword puzzles, her movies, camping, her dogs and being with her family.
Betty was preceded in death by her daughter, Tambi Weinberger; dad, Glenn Umphrey; step-dad Rennal Bramsen; brothers, William Michael Hawkins and Owen Dave Hawkins; sister, Julie Marie Umphrey; former spouses, Willie Weinberger and Rusty Fiddler; and an uncle, Lamar Umphrey.
She leaves behind her husband of 15 years, Steven Alfred Martin; a great-niece that she raised, Kayla Hawkins; her mother, Mary Bramsen; her stepchildren, Lisa Fiddler, Lakota Fiddler and Louis Fiddler, all of Arlee; brother, Calvin Douglas Hawkins of St. Ignatius; sisters, Gwen Lee (Kurt) Bautch of Pasco, Wash., Cindy Lynn Umphrey of Pablo, and Billie Jo (Don) Staggs of Polson; stepsister, Karen (Vern) Fisher of Ronan; nieces and nephews, Reba, Angela, Cassie, Juanita, Matthew and Glenda Hawkins, Mandy Umphrey, Bessie Townsend, Edward Truman, Benny Staggs and Mary Jo Staggs, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends including her uncle Lamar Umphrey’s family who live in the area.
Funeral services were held on Monday, Feb. 26, in the Longhouse. Interment was in the St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery where she was laid to rest by her daughter.
Delma M. Clairmont
LIBBY — Former Mission Valley resident Delma M. Clairmont, 73, a resident of the Kootenai Valley for the past 38 years, died Friday at a Libby Hospital. She and her late husband Keith came to Libby from the Polson area in 1969.
Delma was born at Zap, N.D., June 10, 1933, to Emanuel Bellon and Esther Bauer Bellon. The family moved to Butte and later to Charlo where she was raised and educated. Following school, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the Ursuline Hospital in St. Ignatius. She married Keith Clairmont Oct. 15, 1952, at the St. Ignatius Mission.
Delma and Keith resided in the Polson area for 17 years before moving to Libby in 1969. She had been a devoted wife, mother and grandma to her 17 grandchildren and had, until the time of her death, remained an avid Libby Logger sports fan — especially those her grandchildren participated in.
Delma enjoyed handcrafts, most especially making “scrubbies” dish scrubbers, and the outdoor activities, particularly picking huckleberries.
She was a longtime member of St. Joseph’s Parish and Altar Society as well as a member of the Libby Senior Citizens.
Preceding her in death were her husband Keith in 1999; her brother Gary Bellon in 2005, and son-in-law Bob LeCount in 2006.
Survivors include her daughters, Brenda DeBerg and husband Kenny of Reno, Nevada, Jeanne Robertson of Libby, and Cheryl LeCount of Springfield, Ore.; sons Rod Clairmont and wife Marj of Tacoma, Mike Clairmont and wife Geri of Bemidji, Minn., and Dan Clairmont and wife Elaine of Polson; sister Inez Vincent of Charlo; and sisters-in-law Kay Neiss and Rhonda Clairmont-Swaney, both of Polson; 17 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated Feb. 27, at St. Joseph Catholic Church with the Rev. Jozef Perhubka as celebrant; interment wss in the City of Libby Cemetery. Nelson & Vial Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Rose Marie Lyman
POLSON — Rose Marie Lyman, 77, formerly of Plains, died on Monday, Feb. 19, 2007, at Evergreen Healthcare in Polson.
She was born on March 20, 1929, in Missoula, the daughter of Carl and Levenia Clark. A lifelong resident of Plains, Rose graduated from Plains High School in 1947. In October of 1950, she married Dick Lyman and to this union there were two children: Beth and Kenneth.
Preceding her in death were her parents; husband, Dick; and an infant daughter.
Rose is survived by her sister, Muriel Holland of Plains; daughter, Beth Smith (and her husband, Allen) of Polson; son, Kenneth Lyman (and his wife, Susan) of Spokane; grandchildren Chris and Shari Lyman of Plains, Siobhan, Amanda and James Uhde, all of Polson, and Meagan Lyman of Spokane; great-grandchildren Keagan, Catroina, and Mitchell, all of Polson, and Aiden of Plains.
At Rose’s request, no public services will be held.
Arrangements were under the care of Bunch-Toews Funeral Chapel of Plains.