Horace H. "Smuck" Mann, 49
Horace H. "Smuck" Mann, 49, died Wednesday, May 26, 1999, at his home after a two year courageous battle with cancer. He was born June 29, 1949, to Horace H. and Betty L. Crowder Mann in Malta, where he was raised and attended schools. He married Laurel "Sis" Slade Aug. 23, 1968, in Malta. He wrestled for Miles City Community College for years, as well as for Eastern Montana College for a year. He worked part-time for the railroad in Billings, while attending college. He was a lineman for Big Flat Electric Cooperative in Malta for 10 years and then went to work for Pegasus Gold as an electrician at Zortman/Landusky Mine for 16 years. He was an avid outdoorsman and especially enjoyed bow hunting, trapping and hunting with hounds and sharing his knowledge with others. He had a competitive nature and enjoyed athletics. He was a loving husband and father and a steadfast friend to many. His integrity and compassion for others will be remembered by all. Survivors include his wife, Laurel "Sis" Mann, of Malta; two sons, Jody Mann of Helena, and Justin Mann of Malta; a grandson, Joshua Mann of Malta, who was the light of his life; three brothers, Martin Mann of Glendive, Jim Mann and Bill Mann, both of Kalispell; a sister, Cora Mann-Muir, also of Kalispell; and mother, Betty L. Mann, of Lakeside. Services were held in Malta.
Violet Olive Coen, 86
Violet Olive Coen, 86, died at home on May 26, 1999, after a long illness. She was born on Jan. 1, 1913, in Winnebago, Faribault County, Minn. As a young women she moved from Minnesota to Rapid City, S.D., with her family. There she met Guy Cleveland Coen and marriage followed on June 28, 1934. She gave birth to four sons, Wayne, Robert, David and Larry. In 1943 the Coen family moved to Tenino, Wash., where her husband served as a bi-vocational pastor of a small church and shipyard worker in Tacoma, Wash., during World War II. She and her husband served two other churches on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington from 1946 to the mid-fifties. In 1963, she and her husband moved to Coarsegold, Calif., and shortly thereafter they moved to Atascadero, Calif. There she and her husband worked with her second son, Robert R. Coen, managing a motel. In 1983, she and her husband moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, to live with their youngest son, Larry D. Coen and his wife and family. After her husband's death in 1987, she moved to Kalispell, with her son, Larry, and his wife and family. In 1995, she moved to North Carolina to live with her third son, David L. Coen. In 1997, following the death of her brother, Raymond E. Clow of Rapid City, she moved to Rapid City, to live with her sister-in-law, Hazel Clow, where she resided until her death. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Guy C. Coen; son, Wayne G. Coen; and two brothers, Robert Clow of Natick, Mass., and Raymond E. Clow of Rapid City. She is survived by one brother, Howard Clow and his wife, Eileen, of Tempe, Ariz.; her sister-in-law, Hazel Clow of Rapid City; three sons, Robert R. Coen, his wife, Sharon, of Paso Robles, Calif., David L. Coen, his wife, Brenda, of Burnesville, N.C., Larry D. Coen, his wife, Judy, of Billings; six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, six nephews, five nieces and a host of other relatives and friends. Her grandsons, Christopher G. Coen and Russell W. Coen reside in Kalispell. Graveside services will be held at Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell, on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Joseph P. Weinschrott, 84
Joseph P. Weinschrott, 84, of Whitefish, died May 28, 1999, at North Valley Extended Care. He was born on March 26, 1915, in Plevna, to John and Frances Weinschrott. He was raised and educated in Plevna, through high school. He attended Eastern Montana Normal School, graduating in 1934. He taught rural schools in the Willard area for one year and then moved to Billings in 1936, where he was employed by the J.C. Penney Co. He was transferred in 1939 to the Helena J.C. Penney store. He entered the Army Air Force from January 1942 to November 1945, at Fort McCord, Wash. On July 25, 1942, he married Catherine E. Gilbert, daughter of Wellington Earl and Cloral Gilbert of Eureka. After military service he returned in January 1946 to the J. C. Penney Co. in Helena. He then transferred to the J.C. Penney store in Baker, in July 1950, as manager. He was transferred again to the J.C. Penney store in Crosby, N.D., as manager in May 1957, until his retirement in July 1969. He moved to Whitefish, where he resided to date. He was also known as "Hobo Joe" when he entertained at the Colonial Manor and at the Montana Veterans Home. He was preceded in death by his wife, Catherine, in February 1986; his infant son, Charles Earl in 1944; his parents; one brother, John; and two sisters, Anna Hannah and Helen Buzzetti. He is survived by two daughters, Joan Kay Sather of Magna, Utah, and Carol Jo Nodsle of Washburn, N.D.; six grandchildren, Lori Sather of Magna, Cory Sather of West Valley City, Utah, Morris Sather of Magna, Crystal Nodsle, Robin Nodsle and Scott Nodsle of Fargo; two sisters, Mary Muth of Santa Ana, Calif., and Agnes Munsell of Miles City; one brother, Charles, of Billings; and three great-grandchildren. Services will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish, with the Rev. John Bent officiating. Burial will follow at Whitefish Cemetery with military graveside honors. The casket will not be open for viewing. Austin Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Joyce M. Fielding, 83
Joyce M. Fielding, 83, passed away Aug. 16, 2000, at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell. She was born Feb. 25, 1917, to George and Coila F. Scharf Flint. She was a graduate of Flathead County High School in Kalispell, and after graduating, entered into nurse's training at the Sacred Heart Clinic in Havre. She met George Fielding while there and married him in Glasgow. They moved to Kalispell in the early 1930s. In 1960, they moved to Phoenix, where they owned and operated an apartment court for 10 years. She loved to take cruises, mostly to Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico. George preceded her in death in 1970. Her hobbies included handiwork, playing cards at Buffalo Hills Terrace and time spent with her nephew Dick. She moved to Buffalo Hills Terrace in 1990. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Her last move was to Immanuel Lutheran Home in June 2000. She is survived by sister, Cleo Neifert of Kalispell; nephews, Richard and his wife, Kitty Neifert, of Whitefish, and Dan and his wife, Jessie Neifert, of Dallas, Texas. Disposition was by cremation. No funeral services will be held. Memorial contributions may be made in Joyce's name to the Flathead Humane Society. Arrangements are under the direction of Johnson Mortuary and Crematory.
Steven Robert Harner, 47
Steven Robert Harner, 47, unexpectedly passed away at his home in Nordenstadt, Germany, on Aug. 6, 2000, after suffering a heart attack. He was born on June 25, 1953, at John B. Simons Hospital in Whitefish. He grew up, and attended schools in Coram. He graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1971, and later from Montana State University in Bozeman in 1976. After college, he returned to Columbia Falls to work for the Anaconda Aluminum Company. Thereafter, he moved to Anaconda, where he conducted air quality monitoring for the Environmental Protection Agency. He moved from Anaconda to Las Vegas, in 1979, to work for Lockheed Space and Aeronautics. In 1981, he was hired by the Electronics and Space Division of Emerson Electric (ESD) and was home-based in St. Louis, Mo. He remained with this division through many mergers and name changes and was employed with this division as a subsidiary of Engineered Support Systems, Inc. (a St. Louis corporation) at the time of his death. During his employment with ESD, he was given many overseas work assignments in conjunction with the U.S. military. These work assignments included stays of up to five years in countries such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Jordan, Hungary and Italy. While on assignment to Hungary, he spent one day most weekends visiting the orphans at Oreglak Orphanage in Hungary. He also arranged, at his expense, to have periodic "care packages" prepared in the United States for all of the orphans which included items such as vitamins, clothing and toiletries. Throughout all of his traveling, he remained very close to his parents and sister, and every year vacationed one or more times with his immediate family in Montana and California. He was an avid downhill skier, golfer, and bicyclist, and religiously scheduled extended vacations with his family and friends in the U.S. to join them in these activities. He also traveled and visited friends in Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, France, USSR, UK, and Spain. He is survived by his father, Robert, and mother, Mary Louise, of Columbia Falls; his sister, Cheryl Harner Walsh and his brother-in-law, Michael S. Walsh, of Gilroy, Calif. Mass of the Resurrection will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Richards Catholic Church of Columbia Falls. Committal services will follow at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Columbia Falls. Columbia Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. The family requests that all memorial donations be sent to the Steven Robert Harner Memorial Fund (Foreign Orphanages) c/o Valley Bank of Kalispell, P.O. Box 48, Kalispell, MT 59903-0048.
Roberta Inez Howeth, 52
Roberta Inez Howeth, 52, of 1492 Mineral Road, Helena, died Friday, Aug. 18, 2000, following an extended illness. He was born July 17, 1948, in Great Falls, to Robert and Vivette Cain Daggett. She grew up in Laurel, and attended Fred Graff Elementary School, Laurel Junior High and then graduated from Laurel High School in 1966. She attended Central Bible College in Springfield Mo., in 1966-67 and was a member of the choral group which performed all over the country including Canada. She moved to El Cerrito, Calif., until 1970, when she moved back to Billings and worked for Piper, Jaffery & Hopkins. Recent years she attended Carroll College in Helena. On July 19, 1975, she married James R. Howeth in San Francisco, Calif. She gave birth to two children, Anna and Jimmy who were the love of her life. She loved babies, children, music, politics, and educational issues. She was very active in the education of her children and served on several study committees for the local school district. She was a devoted mother and homemaker for her family. Prior to her illness she was first vice president and then elected president of the Lewis and Clark Republican Women Club and a member of Lewis and Clark Republican Central Committee. In 1998, she was awarded The Volunteer of the Year award by the Lewis and Clark County Republic Central Committee. Recently she was awarded The Lifetime Achievement Award by the Lewis and Clark Central Committee, the first ever to hold that award. She lobbied the legislature extensively for educational and political issues she so firmly believed in. Survivors include her husband Jim; their two children, Anna Inez Howeth, James Robert Howeth; four stepchildren, Dave and Debbie Howeth, Philip and Joan Howeth, all of Helena, William Howeth and John and Rhonda Howeth, both of Denver; as well as her father Robert Daggett of Laurel; her brother, Larry and Linda Daggett of Great Falls; seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She was preceded in death by her mother Viviette Cain Daggett. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at First Assembly of God, 2210 Dodge Ave., Helena. Memorials may be sent to Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church, c/o Building Fund, 3384 Canyon Ferry Road, East Helena, MT 59635. Services under the direction of Retz Funeral Home in Helena.
Clarence Alfred Torgerson, 80
Clarence Alfred Torgerson, 80, passed away at his home in Kalispell, on Aug. 16, 2000. He was born on Feb. 6, 1920, in Kalispell, the son of Clarke and Anna Johnson Torgerson. He was raised and attended school in Kalispell. On July 3, 1940, he married Blodwin Beatrice McDonald of Ronan. They had three children, Sydney, Carol, and Thomas. He worked a variety of jobs over the years. He lived in Kalispell, his entire life except for a short period after he was married. They moved to Kellogg, Idaho, to work in the silver mines. When he heard there was a job opening at the Flathead County Road Department he packed up immediately and moved back to the Flathead Valley. He worked at Kalispell Lumber, owned the Fernwell Apartments, and later purchased Kalispell Wrecking. He also worked on road construction jobs. He operated the wrecking yard for 43 years and was known for his honesty in dealing with people and for his fair prices. He was a hard worker and helped log his property up to just a month before his death. He was fondly called Grandpa Torg by his grandchildren who loved and adored him. He enjoyed spending time over the years with his family at their cabin on Bitterroot Lake, fishing, playing horseshoes, and cards. He was a charter member of Calvary Lutheran Church in Evergreen. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Art and Norman; a sister, Agnes Hunt; his wife, Blodwin; and one son, Sydney. He is survived by his daughter Carol Torgerson; son Tom Torgerson and his wife Debbie; and a daughter-in-law, Sharon Torgerson, all of Kalispell; four grandchildren, Glenn Torgerson and his wife, MaryAnne, of Snohomish, Wash.; Gail Jellema and her husband, Jonathan, of Charleston, S.C., Robbie Torgerson and Ryan Torgerson of Kalispell; three great-grandchildren, Kristen Kujawa of Snohomish, Wash., and Hannah and Julia Jellema of Charleston, S.C. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Johnson Mortuary Chapel with the Rev. Glenn Woodson of Epworth United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will follow at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday at Johnson Mortuary from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A reception will follow the burial at the home of Clarence Torgerson. Arrangements are under the direction of Johnson Mortuary and Crematory.
