All Obituaries

Fern Johnson, 89, died peacefully March 5, 2022 at her home at the Vista.  She was born Fern Audrey Rishoi on May 21, 1932, to Arnold Rishoi and Ethel (Hendrickson) Rishoi in Jamestown, ND.  In 1934, Fern became a big sister to Arlene Maree. When their family moved to Brookings, SD, the girls enjoyed life on the farm. While Arlene spent her time outside in the fields with Dad, Fern preferred to be anywhere away from the chickens that terrified her and so her time was spent indoors...

Fern Jordan Stene was born in Miles City, Montana, in May 1934. She was the daughter of William Carl and Helen Neuhardt Jordan. Fern was raised on the family ranch at Brockway, Montana. After graduating from Circle High School in 1951, she moved to Billings to attend cosmetology school. In 1953, she married Andrew Stene, Jr. in Miles City. They lived in Billings, where they raised their family. After many years of marriage, they divorced. Fern worked as a cosmetologist, owning several...

Robert James McDermott   Robert J. McDermott passed away on May 5, 2022. He had hoped to make it to his 88th birthday, which would have been May 23. Bob was a Montana boy through and through. His parents raised him in northern Montana, where his father started working in an oil refinery, later moving to Billings in the early 1950s. Bob graduated from Senior High and attended automotive school while in the Army. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Bob went to work at ExxonMobil,...

Sarah Marie Ostlund escaped her earthly struggles on May 3, 2022, in Billings. Sarah was born in 1931, in Malta, Montana, the second of Albert and Olga Solberg’s 10 children. Her beautiful red hair matched her beautiful disposition. Growing up on her father’s homestead north of Dodson, she began working at a very young age, helping with household chores and the care of her younger siblings. She walked with several neighboring cousins three miles to attend Longview School until...

Michael Alan Amen, 60, passed away the evening of May 2, 2022, surrounded by family, at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, after a brief, courageous battle with cancer. Mike was born in Billings to Ralph and Beverly Sands Amen on Sept. 17, 1961. After graduating from Billings West High School in 1979, he attended Eastern Montana College and graduated with a degree in Business in 1984. He spent his entire life farming and feeding cattle on the West End of Billings and enjoyed everything about...

Lori Jane Jans, age 57, passed away on May 1, 2022, in Billings, Montana, after a courageous, 10-year encounter with Parkinson’s disease. Lori was born on Aug. 13, 1964, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Velman and Berniece Wester. She graduated from Bismarck High School in 1982 and from Bismarck Junior College in 1984 with an associate degree in accounting. She married Stephen Jans on Feb. 22, 1986, in the Bismarck Reformed Church. They subsequently moved to Montana, where they lived in...

Robert Lewis Pierce, 67, passed away on April 28, 2022. Bob was born on Sept. 20, 1954, in Billings. He grew up in Billings and graduated from Billings West High School before attending automotive school shortly after. He then worked for Hammond Implement before beginning his career at Conoco, where he worked for 32 years. In his free time, he enjoyed paddle fishing with his brother, riding motorcycles, working on cars and spending time with his grandkids. Bob is survived by three children:...

Roger N. Hecker, 89, of Billings, passed peacefully in his sleep on April 24, 2022, at RiverStone Hospice. Roger was born in his grandparents’ house in Dickinson, North Dakota, on March 26, 1933, to Therese (Kubista) and Casper Hecker. He moved to Laurel at age 12 and, at 18, entered the Army, prior to his last year at Laurel High School. He served as an MP in Korea from 1951 to 1953. In 1956, Roger met and married Shirlee (Umland), moving to California shortly thereafter and...

On Sept. 20, 2001, the world was blessed with a true fighter, social media queen, and a rap goddess. Makiah was a genuine inspiration and left us in awe by overcoming many chronic health issues. She endured 53 surgeries and procedures during her 20 years of life. It was said by many doctors and specialists in the nation that Makiah was one of a kind. Every day, she loved spending time with her mother, Barbara Clark. Together, they would spend time eating and listening to music while Makiah...

Barbara Oser Potzman was born on Oct. 6, 1954, in Billings, Montana, to William and Raetta Oser. Barbie came out of the chute with spirit, exuberance and confidence. Barbara knew what she liked, what she wanted and, eventually, she knew exactly how to go about accomplishing all of her dreams. When Bill and Rae told her they were buying her a watch for her high school graduation, she quickly informed them that if they didn’t get her a bike, she would sell the watch and buy a bike for...