Obituaries, April 30
Ehlert, Henning, Frey, Wolverton, Thomas, Herrierd, Black
Carl Ehlert
Carl Ehlert passed away on April 11, in his home and with his children at his bedside. Carl moved to Polson from Vandalia, Ill. in 2004 to be near his children: Anita and Barry Hansen in Polson, and Steven and Vicki Ehlert of Spokane.
Carl was born in Schleswig, Iowa in 1922. He married Elizabeth Joan Davies in 1945, after serving in WWII as a U.S. Navy airman/mechanic. He earned a bachelors degree on the GI Bill at Iowa State College and went on to teach High School Agriculture in Iowa until 1954. In his next career, he sold fertilizer for Swift and Company in Litchfield, Illinois. He returned to school in 1974 and earned a Masters Degree at Southern Illinois University in vocational rehabilitation. That degree landed him in the Vandalia State Penitentiary as an instructor until 1987.
Carl remained active throughout his life, and volunteered often to help in varied areas such as the School Board, Boy Scouts, his church, rural water development and most recently at 82, manning the cash register at the St. Joseph Hospital cafeteria where he made many friends. He was an avid storyteller and quick to share the details of his knowledge of gardening, wine making, bee keeping, fishing and hunting. During his last years in Montana, he thoroughly enjoyed fishing on Flathead Lake.
Carl was preceded in death by his parents Erdmann and Carolina Ehlert; his brothers Dewey and Loren, and his wife, Joan.
His daughter Anita Hansen, son Steven Ehlert, sisters Loraine Groves and Delores Arends, of Iowa, and his grandchildren Stephanie Ehlert, Robin Leabman, Scott Ehlert, Elizabeth Hansen and Warren Hansen survive him.
A Memorial Service will be held at Grogan Funeral Home in Polson at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 with Rev. John Payne officiating. Military honors will be held at the funeral home following the services. A reception will follow at the home of Anita and Barry Hansen. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com.
Daniel Howard Henning
MISSOULA — Dr. Daniel Howard Henning, 77, of Missoula, passed away on Monday, April 20 in his home of natural causes.
He was born August 1, 1931, in Cleveland Ohio to Daniel and Mae Henning. Daniel was the youngest of 3 children. His older sisters were Mildred and Gertrude. Gertrude spent time taking him on hikes and introduced him to the outdoors, which inspired him to dedicate his life’s work to conservation. He enlisted in the Coast Guard during the Korean War for two years and was discharged honorably. He had a love of education & earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green, master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and his Doctorate from Syracuse University. During summers, he worked as park ranger at Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Glacier National Park. While working as a park ranger in Glacier, he met his wife Dorothy. They were married 1968 to 1987 and they had a daughter, Tundra and son, Forest. Daniel was a professor of Political Science and Environmental Affairs at Montana State University in Billings for over 20 years. Daniel was recognized as a distinguished scholar, published multiple papers and books and was eventually awarded professor emeritus status at the end of his teaching career. His energy, his enthusiasm, his colorful stories and mission to save the environment inspired countless students and colleagues.
Daniel enjoyed fishing, hiking, backpacking, traveling and spending time with his family. After he retired, Daniel began his annual trips to Southeast Asia in an effort to preserve the delicate tropical rain forest ecosystem, which he continued for 20 years. Daniel often spent his time at Buddhist monasteries, communing with nature, and delivering his impassioned message to preserve the planet’s wildlife and remaining natural areas. In addition to being awarded Senior Fulbright Research Scholarships to South East Asia, he presented a number of papers and lectures at international conferences throughout the world. Daniel also attempted to deliver his message of conservation by authoring several books including “Managing the Environmental Crisis, Buddhism and Deep Ecology, and Tree Talk and Tales ,” as well as contributing chapters to such books as, “Heaven and Earth and I.”
Daniel was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Mildred.
Daniel is survived by his sister Gertrude Milliken in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.; his daughter, Tundra (Bruce) McDougal in Boise, Idaho; his son, Forest Henning in Missoula; and his two grandchildren Chloe and Logan McDougal in Boise, Idaho.
Daniel’s undying passion for the environment, his love of writing, fearless advocacy for what he believed in, and the memorable tales of his adventures will be a cherished legacy by all who knew him. Daniel will be remembered and missed deeply by his family and friends.
A celebration of his life was held on Saturday, April 25 at the sheltered picnic area in Greenough Park of Missoula.
We’d like to express special thanks to the staff at the Grizzly Peak, Parkside Community Family Care, and Home Instead.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Daniel’s name to the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan, or the World Buddhist University are encouraged.
‘We love you.’
Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home.
Meranda Frey
Meranda “Randy” Theresa Anderson Frey, 94, beloved mother and grandmother passed away on Monday, April 20, at Peachtree Place Assisted Living in Roy, Utah surrounded by her loving family.
Randy was born on December 21, 1914, to Henry and Volberg Anderson on their homestead near Killdeer, N.D., the sixth of eight children. As a youth, she worked for her room and board in town in order to graduate from high school. She also played on the girl’s basketball team and taught Sunday School.
She married Clyde Payne on March 15, 1936. They had two children. They were divorced in 1959. In 1947, they purchased the St. Ignatius telephone company which serviced 98 telephones. They expanded the company to service nearly 500 telephones.
Randy moved to Polson in 1959 where she held a position as a bookkeeper for the television cable company and later at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Randy married Walter A. Frey in June of 1960. They built their home on the west shore of Flathead Lake. They enjoyed their home: the fruit trees, the large vegetable garden, sitting at the kitchen table and watching the hummingbirds. They also enjoyed entertaining their large family. Her grandchildren remember looking forward to the tasty meals she produced when they would visit and Walt pulling them around the lake on water skis.
Randy enjoyed pampering her nine grandchildren: Phil (Susan) Burnett, Kent (Suzanne) Burnett, Beverly (Spencer) Zaugg, Andrea (Bill) Gossett, Kristin (Brett) McInelly, Kim (Payne) Alonso, Karol Payne, and Douglas (Lisa) Payne; 29 great-grandchildren and three great great-grandchildren.
Always an energetic person, she loved to work in her vegetable garden and was a gourmet cook. She looked forward to playing bridge until she was 88 years old and simultaneously belonged to four different bridge clubs. She was an active life-long member of the Lutheran Church. Randy was also involved in the Polson community; helping with the Toys for Tots program at Christmastime and serving as an election judge. She was an active member of the Polson Rebecca Lodge #94, having twice served in the position of Noble Grand.
Randy had many good friends and was close to her family as well as her husband, Walt’s family. She will be missed by all.
Preceding her in death are her husband, parents, thee sisters, four brothers and two grandchildren, Marvin Burnett and Andrea Burnett Gossett.
She is survived by her daughter, Marlene (Keith) Burnett, of Roy, Utah and son, Douglas (Mary Ann) Payne of Polson.
Her family wishes to express gratitude for the loving care given to her at St. Joseph Retirement Center in Polson, Peachtree Place Assisted Living in Roy, Utah, Hospice for Utah, as well as the many acts of kindness given by her friends and neighbors.
Funeral services was conducted on Saturday, April 25 at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 409 4th Ave. East, Polson. The Rev. Dr. Paul L. Rowold will officiate. Burial followed at St. Ignatius Cemetery, St. Ignatius. The family will received friends at Grogan Funeral Home, 101 6th Ave. East, Polson on Friday, April 24 and one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. Grogan Funeral Home, Polson is assisting the family.
Margaret H. Wolverton
MISSOULA — Margaret H. Wolverton, 89, of Arlee passed away on Wednesday, April 22 at her daughter’s home in Missoula.
Cremation has taken place and services are pending with Foster Funeral Home and Crematory of St. Ignatius.
Carol Pollmann Thomas
Carol Thomas, born Carol Francis Pollmann, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 25. She was at home, lovingly surrounded by her family. Carol was born in Polson, at the same hospital where all three of her girls were born. She was the second youngest of five children born to Louie and Marion (Harlan) Pollmann on Jan. 21, 1939. She graduated from Polson High School in l957, marrying her high school sweetheart Gary Thomas, on Jan. 24, 1958, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Gary and Carol lived in Polson until 1969 when they moved to Lake Mary Ronan to run a family owned camping and fishing resort, Camp Tuffit, along with Gary’s brother, Mark and wife, Dianne. Carol was very active in the operation of the resort, working hard to keep the camp “spic and span” for many years. Carol had an immense passion for the game of golf. She and Gary would get out on the course as often as their work would allow and in later years were able to travel to warm places where golf courses were plentiful. Carol felt fortunate to have personally witnessed some of the greatest golfers of all time such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas, Lee Trevino and Gary Player. She loved watching Tiger Woods and seldom missed a tournament on TV. Carol loved to garden which proved to be a challenge in the woods where she and Gary lived. Regardless, new flowers were planted every spring (or fall) and the hummingbirds were spoiled. Carol was a social person, who loved to visit with friends, enjoy a game of bridge or spend time with her family. She was an avid reader and never went to sleep at night without a good book. Her mornings weren’t complete without doing the previous day’s Missoulian crossword puzzle. No one dared mess with her crosswords! Carol had many, many close friends; some she knew “forever” and some she knew just a short time. Regardless, she took her friendships seriously and held them close to her heart. Her quiet compassion will be missed by all who knew her.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Louie and Marion, her oldest sister, Lillian, and her beloved niece Marian Dooley.
She is survived by Gary, her husband of 51 years, daughters, Jean (Wayne) Haskins of Elmo, Tracy Thomas of Polson and Jennifer (Ryan) Maroney of Lake Mary Ronan. Also, her grandchildren; Sydney (Derek) Alexander and Jessica (Dennis) Alexander, Joel Haskins, Sam Stolz, all of Polson and Calliope Mikulecky and Achilles Maroney of Lake Mary Ronan. Great-grandchildren Riley Berlin, Shay Alexander and Tristin and Emily Alexander. Sisters, Eva Funke and Karen (Dan) Corcoran and brother Chub (Harlan) Pollmann.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday at the New Life Christian Church with a reception following. Cremation has taken place and a private inurnment will take place at another time. In memory of Carol, the family suggests donations be made to the Polson City Library. A special thank you to Dr. Judy Schmidt, Jill, Joni and staff at the Guardian Oncology and Center for Wellness in Missoula, Montana. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. We love you mom mom.
Nadine Herried
Nadine Herried memorial service 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 at the Polson Community Church with Pastor Richard Widerholdt officiating. Nadine, 98, passed away on Dec. 15, 2008 of natural causes at Home Sweet Home.
Joseph A. Black
Joseph A. Black, 86, of Polson, passed away on Monday, April 13 at Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center from natural causes. He was born July 22, 1922, in Phoenix, Arizona to Joseph A. and Ida Rose Black. During World War II, he served in the South Pacific as a Tech 3 in the 3117th Signal Service Battalion. After his discharge from the service, he worked for Mtn. Bell / US West Telephone Company for 41 years. Joseph married JoAnn Blair in 1955 at Missoula.
Joe held the offices of Telephone Pioneers President/ Past president of Skyline Chapter and Tri-State Chapter; He was a Master Mason in Glendive, very active in the Al Bedoo Shrine Club of Billings and Bagdad Shrine Club in Butte. He was past Commander of Bagdad Legion of Honor, past Commander of Pacific Northwest Shrine Association and Legion of Honor; he stayed active with the Legion of Honor Bagdad Unit of the Polson Shrine Club, and was a member of the Finley Point Volunteer Fire Dept. He enjoyed Fly Fishing, hunting and hiking with his family and friends, and he served as President of Belmont Ski Club in Helena.
He is surivived by his wife JoAnn, daughters; Marilyn (Bob) Varner of Oklahoma City, Okla. and Susan (Greg) Houser of Highland Ranch, Colo., sons; David (Tana) Black of Australia, Douglas Black of Lolo and Joseph Black of Missoula, along with five grandchildren and thre great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, July 22 at the Montecahto Club from 1-3 p,m. Military honors will follow the service at the club. Memorials in Joseph’s name may be made to the Shrine Hospital in Spokane or the donor’s choice.
Cremation has taken place under the care on Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory. Condolences to the family at www.groganfuneralhome.com