June Evelyn Schabel
June Evelyn Schabel, 85, passed away on Wednesday, June 4, 2003, at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell.
She was born Sept. 24,1917, in South Bend, Ind., to Frederick E. Wilder and Dolly Singleton Wilder. At an early age, June moved with her parents to Bakersfield, Calif., and then to Visalia, Calif., where her parents farmed until their deaths.
She met Loren Schabel of Dutton while he was a flight instructor at Sequoia Field Army Air Corp Base. They were married on May 8, 1943, and a few years later moved to Dutton where her husband had a flying service and later ran Schabel Brothers Grocery.
In 1958, the family moved to Visalia, and then to Soquel, Calif., in 1961, where they were in the restaurant business. Due to her husband's health, they retired and moved to Kalispell, in 1975, where she resided until her death.
June was a member of St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Kalispell.
June was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Loren; and a brother, Frederick Wilder Jr.
She is survived by her children, Charles Schabel of Great Falls, and Jeffery Schabel, Cathlyn Sullivan, and Debra Birks, all of Kalispell; one brother, Richard Wilder of Wellton, Ariz.; 11 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
A private family service will be held on Saturday at Johnson Mortuary and she will be entombed next to her husband.
Arrangements are under the direction of Johnson Mortuary and Crematory.
C. Wayne Mahugh
C. Wayne Mahugh, 85, of Polson, passed away at St. Luke Hospital in Ronan from natural causes on June 5, 2003.
Wayne was born on Aug. 3, 1917, in Froid, to Orville and Cressy Mahugh.
Wayne had a long successful career as a salesman and manager in California, Wyoming, Iowa, Missouri and eventually returning to Montana.
He married Dora Burton on Sept. 26, 1938, in Creston.
Wayne served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and was sent to Bingham Canyon to the Utah Copper Mine. He served as a gang boss, building railroad and operating a track shifting machine.
Upon returning to the Montana area, he worked at Buttrey's, and sold Fuller Brush and industrial lubricants for Hydrotex Industries.
Wayne was employed at Garey Motors Ford in Kalispell, later relocating in Polson as owner-manager of Mahugh Ford in 1957. Wayne was also the owner-manager of Mahugh Implement Massey Ferguson Dealership from 1958-1975.
After a brief retirement, he managed the Cenex Co-op at Ronan, from 1976-1982.
He enjoyed gardening and time spent at his Lake Blaine and Flathead Lake properties. He was active in the Christian church, Kiwanis, Soil Conservation, director of Seeley Bank and was a charter member of the First Citizens Bank in Polson.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Chet, and a grandson, Kyle Fulford.
He is survived by his wife Dora of 64 years; his children: sons, Bryan Mahugh of Polson, and Larry Mahugh and his wife, Nona, of Anchorage, Alaska; daughter, Gina Fulford and her husband, Brian, of Kalispell; grandchildren, Valerie, Morie and his wife, Christy, and Joni, all of Anchorage, and Jeffery Fulford of Kalispell; great-grandchildren, Zoe and River Mahugh. He is also survived by one brother, Les Mahugh and his wife, Mary, of Creston; and a sister-in-law, Freda Mahugh of Kalispell.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 14, at 11 a.m. at the Polson Community Church in Polson with Rev. Richard Widerholdt officiating. Military honors will be given immediately following the church service.
Memorials may be made to the Polson Community Church or to add a book to the Lewis & Clark Expedition selection at the Polson City Library.
Arrangements are by Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory in Polson.
Jack Frazier
Jack Frazier, 65, left his family and friends on May 27, 2003, in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
He was born in Wolf Point, on June 22, 1937, to Jake and Eva Frazier.
Jack made Lake Havasu his home in April, 2000, moving from Whitefish.
Jack suffered 10 years of medical problems resulting from his captivity as a hostage in Baghdad at the beginning of the Gulf War. At the time he had been held hostage, he was a general superintendent for Bechtel, the largest privately owned construction company in the United States.
Jack worked on numerous jobs overseas besides Iraq, he was in charge of bringing in all the equipment to put out the oil well fires in Kuwait after the gulf war, as well as numerous other countries in the Middle East and Europe. He was also in charge of dismantling the missiles in Uman, Russia, and on his last job he helped with a grass roots refinery in Kazakstan.
There was a lot of media regarding Jack as he sued the country of Iraq and Saddam Hussein and he won. After years of battles, he collected from Iraq just weeks ago.
Jack is survived by his wife, Deanna, of the family home in Lake Havasu City; children, Kimberly Roth, Sam Frazier, Scott Frazier, Wendy Frizelle; grandchildren, Nicole, Jamie, Danielle, Tyler, Shelby, Kenneth, Kolda, Tyra, Kelsie; great-grandchild, Jayce; brother, Bob Frazier; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish. Pastor John Weaver will officiate.
Flowers are welcome or contributions may be made to the Assembly of God Church, 420 E. 5th St., Whitefish, MT 59937 to create a stained glass window for the church in memory of Jack.
Arrangements were entrusted to Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home.
Douglas Lee Oliver
Douglas Lee Oliver, 69, passed away at his Whitefish home on Thursday, June 5, 2003.
Douglas was born May 30, 1934, in Baltimore, Md., to Henry and Marie (Valdivia) Oliver. Doug received his education in Temple City, Calif., graduating from high school there. He went on to join the U.S. Marine Corp from 1952 to 1955, serving his country in Korea.
He met and married Sharron Rickman on March 21, 1959, in Sierra Madre, Calif., and to this union two daughters were born. They later divorced.
Doug attended Long Beach State University for a couple years and then worked for the Long Beach Fire Department.
Doug met Gerlinde Witty in Aspen, Colo., and the couple was married in Austria on May 20, 1978. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Whitefish, where Doug worked as a ski instructor on Big Mountain and as a fire inspector for Glacier National Park. He was employed as the safety officer with the Park Service.
Doug loved the outdoors; hiking, skiing, and mountain climbing, but his greatest love was his family. He was a very devoted and loving husband, father, brother and uncle. His family was literally his life.
Funeral services for Doug will be held 3 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2003, at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish, with Pastor Robert Ross officiating. Burial will follow at the Whitefish City Cemetery. Military honors will be by the United Veterans of the Flathead.
The family suggests memorial gifts be given to the Ray of Hope, 2680 U.S. 2 East, Kalispell, MT 59901.
Arrangements are under the direction of Johnson Mortuary and Crematory.
Richard "Rick" Welliver
Richard "Rick" Welliver, 57, died June 3, 2003, in Great Falls, of an apparent aneurysm.
Rick is survived by his wife, Vivian; his sons, Rick Jr., Dewey and Chauncy; daughters, Nicole and Barbara; his beloved "T"; his mother, Barbara; his grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. Rick is also survived by brothers, Bob, Pat and Tony; his sisters, Kelly Thumm and Darlene "Memoree" Zundel, all of Spokane and Kalispell.
Services are pending.
Margaret Elizabeth Dern
Margaret Elizabeth Dern, 81, died peacefully at home on June 3, 2003.
She was born on March 28,1922, in Ramona, S.D., to Alvina (Hannemann) and Emil Borchardt. She was the seventh of eight children and the youngest daughter.
She was preceded in death by son, John Keith Dern in 1964; husband, Donald L. Dern in 1976; as well as a brother, Clements Borchardt; and sisters, Clara Reveling and Florence Borchardt.
Margaret is survived by her three daughters, Carolyn and husband, Duke LaRance of Choteau, Karna Herr of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Kay Woodworth of Missoula; five grandchildren, Beth and Barron LaRance, Jonathan Herr, and Andrea and Kara Woodworth; and a brother, Gene Borchardt and his wife, Phyllis, of Madison, S.D.; three sisters, Lydia and Bob Hendricks and Erna Caproon, all of Minneapolis, and Irene Theel of Hartford, S.D.; and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.
She graduated from Ramona High School in Ramona, S.D., moving to live with her sisters in Minneapolis to attend cosmetology school. In Minneapolis, she met the "love of her life" and was married in Madison, S.D., in St. John Lutheran Church to Donald L. Dern of Kalispell, on June 10, 1947.
She and her husband moved to Montana and operated a small grocery in Hungry Horse and then in Kalispell, until 1956, when they moved to Evergreen. Margaret became a stay-at-home mom with four children for many years before starting work with Buttrey Foods in Kalispell where she retired after 21 years.
Margaret has always been active in the Calvary Lutheran Church in Evergreen and after retirement, participated with the RSVP program and volunteered at Friendship House, Cornelius Hedges School, Flathead County Care Center, and Evergreen Food Bank.
She loved to dance and read. She loved her "widow ladies" and all her friends.
She was a very optimistic and faithful person with a bright smile and often advised "life is great if you don't weaken." She was very much loved and will be missed by all, especially her family.
A celebration of her life will take place 11 a.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church on June 14, 2003.
Remembrances may be made to the WINGS Program, American Cancer Society and the Calvary Lutheran Church Women.
Laura M. Risdahl
Laura M. Risdahl, 86, passed away of natural causes at her home in Missoula on June 5.
Laura was born on March 24, 1917, in Lewistown, Mont., the second of three daughters born to Clifford McCrery and Louise (Jenni) McCrery. She graduated from high school in Lewistown in 1935 and attended business college in Butte.
Laura worked in various secretarial positions, including secretary to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and for attorney Ed Schroeter. She was office manager for the local council of the Boy Scouts of America until she retired.
Laura's special love was for her family. She and Lowry married in 1940. (They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on May 11.) Their only son Ronald, preceded them in death in 1997. Laura and Lowry helped to raise their three grandchildren when their parents were no longer able to do so. Her grandchildren are very thankful for Laura's strength and commitment to them.
Laura was an active church member and community volunteer. For many years, she attended the Atonement Lutheran Church and later the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula. Besides her church positions and activities, her many community activities included work with the YWCA, Boy Scouts of America and Son's of Norway. Along with her husband, Lowry, she founded the Missoula Chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AMI). She truly helped to make her community a positive place for all people.
Survivors include her beloved husband, Lowry; grandchildren, Susan Risdahl Pittman of Federal Way, Wash., Greg Risdahl of Broadus and Andy Risdahl of Bozeman; six great-grandchildren. Survivors also include sisters, Margaret Toulouse of Amarillo, Texas, and Helen Warden of Bellingham, Wash.
A service to celebrate Laura's life will be held on Tuesday, June 10, at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made in Laura's name to either the Missoula Chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, c/o Dorothy Salmonson, (406) 543-3055, or to Partners in Home Care Hospice, 2687 Palmer Street, Suite B, Missoula, MT 59808.
Sunset Memorial Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
