Obituaries

Lois  A. Jones

Lois A. Jones

Mar 22, 2015

Lois A. Jones, 89 of Billings, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2014, while a resident at St. John's Lutheran Ministries.

Lois, a Billings native, was born on July 29, 1925, married Carl in 1952 and was a good mom to Carol (Gordon, deceased), Bob (Charlene) and Brian (Jolane). The family moved every few years, and Lois always...

Joseph  Thomas (Joey)  Tochihara

Joseph Thomas (Joey) Tochihara

Mar 22, 2015

Joseph (Joey) Thomas Tochihara was unexpectedly taken from us on March 19, 2015 following an emergency surgery to repair an aortic dissection. Joe was reunited with his father Jeff and Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Joe was born in Butte, MT on December 2, 1987 to Jeff and Norie (Quinn) Tochihara. In 1995 the family relocated to Absarokee, MT...

Margaret  Mahoney Converse

Margaret Mahoney Converse

Mar 21, 2015

Margaret Mahoney Converse, 99 of Billings, passed away Saturday, March 21, 2015 at her home. Through her faith in Jesus, she is home with Him now. Margaret was born March 3, 1916 in Nashville, Tn. She attended grade school and Junior High in San Angelo, TX be for returning to Nashville for High School. She moved to Billings in...

John M. “Jack” Galusha

John M. “Jack” Galusha

Mar 20, 2015

John M. "Jack" Galusha passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2015, from complications of Alzheimer's. His wife was at his side. Born on Sept. 7, 1928, in Cody, Wyo., to Barbara Mary (Mainland) and John Ernest Galusha, he spent most of his life in Laurel. He attended school in Laurel and graduated from Laurel High School in 1948. Jack...

Marie  E. Barnes

Marie E. Barnes

Mar 19, 2015

Marie E. Barnes, 86, of Bighorn, Mont., passed away Thursday morning, March 19, 2015, at Rosebud County Respite Care, Forsyth, where she was given comfort while she said goodbye to the family. She was born north of Custer at her parents' home near Pineview, the daughter of Jens and Alma Nielson. Marie's early school years were at the country...

James  Phillip Wittmer

James Phillip Wittmer

Mar 18, 2015

James Phillip Wittmer, 65, of Billings passed away March 18, 2015. His Golden heart stopped beating after a long courageous battle with cancer. Jim passed away at home surrounded by his loving family, being a born again Christian, he went to be with his savior Jesus Christ. Jim was born January 7, 1950 to Harold and Caroline Wittmer. He...

Norman L. ‘Norm’ Sulenes

Norman L. ‘Norm’ Sulenes

Mar 16, 2015

Norman L. "Norm" Sulenes, 95, of Billings, died on March 16, 2015 in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.

The son of Arthur and Minnie Sulenes, he was born in Minneapolis on Dec. 22, 1919. He was raised and educated in Minneapolis, serving in WWII with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during the invasion of Okinawa, and part of...

Harold  William Grusing

Harold William Grusing

Mar 15, 2015

Harold William Grusing, of Billings, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, at St. Vincent Hospital, on Saturday, March 7, 2015, after a hard-fought battle with pneumonia. Harold was born in Lakin, Kan., on Oct. 8, 1937, to Louis and Mildred Grusing. He had three children from an early marriage: Doug, Kevin and Steve. He met the love...

Major Elmor James Adkins, Usaf Ret

Major Elmor James Adkins, Usaf Ret

Mar 11, 2015

Our beloved father and grandfather, Elmor James Adkins, 88, passed peacefully into eternity at 12:28 a.m. on March 11, 2015. Born into the most humble and humbling of circumstances, Dad built, in the words of one grandson, "a legacy without price in value and without end in duration." Over the course of his life, he was a U.S. Air...

Vada  Estelle (Mercer)  Pitchford

Vada Estelle (Mercer) Pitchford

Mar 10, 2015

Vada Mercer Pitchford completed her earthly journey on March 8, 2015. She was born in Sherman, Texas, on Nov. 2, 1920, the daughter of Sallie (Legate) and Ernest F. Mercer. She was united in marriage with Louis C. Pitchford, Jr., in 1955 and spent her life loving God, her family and her friends. She is preceded in death by...

Oliver  Victor Stark

Oliver Victor Stark

Mar 8, 2015

Oliver Victor Stark earned his angel’s wings on March 8, 2015, after a valiant struggle against medical odds. He was born September 14, 1940, in Billings, MT to Edith and Oliver Stark, both of whom preceded him in death. Oliver married the love of his life, Karen Schwartz, on November 23, 1961, and their love shone for 53 years....

Rev. Dr. Lawrence F. Small,  Sr.

Rev. Dr. Lawrence F. Small, Sr.

Mar 7, 2015

Mom and Dad are together again Lawrence Farnsworth Small, Sr. died on Sunday, March 1, 2015. Here, in his own words, are his remembrances of his life: Lawrence F. Small Sr. was born in Bangor, Maine, on Dec. 30, 1925, the youngest son of Maine educator Irving W. and Geneva M. Small. Family included three brothers and his maternal...

Catherine (Schafnitz)  Jones

Catherine (Schafnitz) Jones

Mar 6, 2015

Catherine (Schafnitz) Jones passed away March 2, 2015, in her home, surrounded by her loving family. Catherine was 98 years old (or 97 years, depending on which birthday is used). She was born on Aug. 12, 1916 (or May 25, 1917), in Dickinson, N.D. No matter what date is celebrated, Mom delighted in having "two birthdays" parties a year...

Helen  Marie Driscoll

Helen Marie Driscoll

Mar 1, 2015

Helen Marie Driscoll, 89, of Billings, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, with family at her side. Helen was born on Dec. 20, 1925, to William and Miriam Hayes in Brooklyn, N.Y. Helen was a big city girl who fell in love with Big Sky Country. Raised in New York City, Helen spent her summers on a...

Carla  Jean Schmidt

Carla Jean Schmidt

Mar 1, 2015

Carla Jean Schmidt died on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, at St. Vincent Hospital. Carla was born on Nov. 30, 1949, in Salt Lake City, to Carl and Maude Swanson. She was their only child. Her father was in the service, and it was during Carla's early years that she grew to love traveling. In 1968, Carla married Steven Sandahl....

Rosalen  “Joy” Leavitt

Rosalen “Joy” Leavitt

Feb 28, 2015

Rosalen "Joy" Leavitt, beloved wife of Robert LaVerne Leavitt (deceased 11-16-14) for over 54 years, loving mother of Jerry, Russell and Tom, passed away in peace at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015. She is survived by her brother, Walter Wark, and preceded in death by her brother Daniel Wark, mother Margaret and father Frank Wark. She is survived...

Charles  Albert Pedersen

Charles Albert Pedersen

Feb 27, 2015

Charles Albert Pedersen was born in Chicago, Ilinois on Sept 10, 1917, the second of four children born to Norwegian immigrant parents, Selmer and Karen Pedersen. Before two years of age he had contracted polio which left him with a crippled leg, but his mother refused the prescribed brace so that he would learn to walk on his own....

Griffin Fox

Griffin Fox

Feb 24, 2015

Griffin came into our lives so quickly, and she left us even faster.

Griffin was born on Valentine's Day, 2015, at 26 weeks. She spent most of her life in the loving care of the Billings NICU nurses. On Feb. 24, they made the tough decision to send her to the Children's Hospital in Denver, where she...

Lois  Anne Klunder

Lois Anne Klunder

Feb 24, 2015

Lois Anne Klunder passed away February 19, 2015 at her Billings home, after a long battle with COPD. Her family was at her side. Lois was born on December 27th 1934 to Ershel and Venetta Boyce in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She went to college at the University of Idaho where she met and married her late husband Bill L....

Walter  “George” Snider

Walter “George” Snider

Feb 22, 2015

Our beloved George passed away Sunday, February 15th, at Riverstone Hospice Cottage with his daughter by his side. He was surrounded with family and friends in the week prior to his passing. He went to be with our Lord peacefully while listening to beautiful harp music.

He was born to Ira Ward Snider and Alta “Marie” Hathaway...