Obituaries

Nov 1, 2021

Caroline M. Diebert-Stockton ‘Carol’ Cooney

Carol Cooney passed away on Nov. 1, 2021, at St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings. She was born on Oct. 19, 1922, in Balfour, North Dakota, to Joseph and Magdelene (Keller) Diebert.

Carol worked at McKesson & Robbins Phone Co. and retired from Eastern Montana College. She was a member...

Oct 31, 2021

Bernice K. Wiley Mowat

June 10, 1929 — Oct. 31, 2021

Bernice “Bernie” Mowat was born on June 10, 1929, as the first child of Frank W. Wiley and Bernice K. Wiley (Barker) in Miles City. Her father Frank was an early aviator, so they moved around a lot as Bernie grew up....

Oct 31, 2021

Gerald ‘Jerry’ R. Swanson

Jerry Swanson has passed peacefully and with great dignity on Oct. 31, 2021. At 95 years old, he entered death as he lived life.

If you knew Dad, then you were his friend. It didn’t matter who they were, where they came from or their status, he greeted everyone...

Oct 29, 2021

Thomas ‘Tom’ Lee Strouf

On Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, Thomas “Tom” Lee Strouf lost his six-year battle with Multiple Symptom Ataxia-Cerebellum. Born on Dec. 10, 1960, in West Yellowstone, to Truman and Pat Strouf, Tom made an impact on the lives of everyone he came into contact with.

As a child, Tom’s family...

Oct 29, 2021

In Loving Memory of a Very Special Man

Thomas Clare Nelson

Oct. 6, 1959 — Oct. 29, 2021

Thomas “Tom” Clare Nelson was born on Oct. 6, 1959, in Standesamt Wurzburg, Germany, to Clare and Donna Nelson. Tom grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Tom and Renee were married...

Oct 24, 2021

Gloria Jane (Bryant) Mawyer

I think of my mom as being brilliant and beautiful, feisty and funny, gifted and generous, creative and complicated, sensitive and a determined survivor.

Gloria Jane (Bryant) Mawyer peacefully passed away in her home on Oct. 24, 2021, with her family close by, after a brave and determined battle...

Oct 23, 2021

Marilyn Horan

April 16, 1940 — October 23, 2021

Wife, Mother, and Grandmother to few.

Friend, Confidant, Inspiration and Accomplice to many.

Marilyn Horan stepped foot into a world unprepared for her impact. She began her journey with parents Wilber and Bernice, accompanied by big sister and partner in...

Oct 19, 2021

Thomas MacDonald Welch ‘Mac’

Thomas MacDonald Welch “Mac,” born on March 21, 1957, died on Oct. 19, 2021.

He graduated from University of Nebraska. While at Nebraska, he was on the Crew team. In the ’80s, he moved to Seattle. He married Sandra on Sept. 17, 1993, and they moved to Montana in...

Oct 17, 2021

Sandra Lynne ‘Sandy’ Barz

Sandra Lynne “Sandy” Barz, 78, passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, surrounded by her loving husband and three daughters.

Sandy was born on Aug. 10, 1943, in Chicago, the daughter of Hazel Murphy Brown and Robert Anton Stelzer. When Sandy was 3, she...

Oct 14, 2021

Mary Jane Keller

Mary Jane Keller passed away Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, at TenderNest Assisted Living in Billings.

She was born on March 29, 1926, on the family homestead 8 miles southwest of Winnett, the sixth of eight children born to Arthur L. Barnes and Ethel A. Feaster. Jane attended grades one through...

Oct 7, 2021

Patricia “Patti” Anne (Conner) Morledge

Patricia “Patti” Anne (Conner) Morledge died on Oct. 7, 2021, at the age of 93, from complications related to colon cancer. She was born in November of 1927 to Cloyd and Pearl Conner in Portland, Oregon. When Patti was 6 years old, the family moved to Livingston, where her father...

Oct 5, 2021

William "Bill" Neil VanWieren, 99, of Billings, died peacefully at Eagle Cliff Manor on Oct. 5, 2021.

Bill was born to the late Neil VanWieren and Jane Lentner on July 29, 1922, in Powell, Wyoming.

He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and fought in the Pacific. He was a member of...

Oct 5, 2021

Helen Marie Ries Strekall

In the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2021, our dearly loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother was paid a visit by God’s angels, who assisted her on her journey to join Him and her husband.

Helen Marie Ries Strekall was born on Nov. 9, 1926, in Conrad. Her...

Oct 4, 2021

Dorothy Homewood (Dietz)

Dorothy Homewood (Dietz) was born on Nov. 24, 1929, to Eugene and Mary (Rowlett) Dietz in Neligh, Nebraska. She married Duane Homewood in Billings and had one son, Kevin. Dorothy and Duane divorced in 1966.

Dorothy worked for Carpenter Paper Company for 39-1/2 years, many of those years as office...

Oct 2, 2021

Betty Jane (Wittman) Harrison

Betty Jane (Wittman) Harrison, 92, passed away on Oct. 2, 2021, at Billings Clinic Hospital, surrounded by her family. She was born on Oct. 8, 1928, in Huntley, the oldest child of Samuel Wittman and Katie (Nafts) Wittman. Betty attended grade school in Huntley and high school in Billings.

...

Sep 29, 2021

How do we capture the fullness and beauty of a life in a few inches of text? The following is our attempt.

Barbara Griffin — mother, wife, and friend of extraordinary love, grace, and inner and outer beauty — took her last breath on Sept. 29, 2021. She passed away peacefully in Billings, surrounded by family and...

Sep 28, 2021

Kathleen ‘Kathy’ Heinert

Kathleen “Kathy” Heinert, 91, passed away on Sept. 28, 2021, at Fischer Cottage, where she resided for the last three and a half years.

She was born on May 8, 1930, on her grandparents’ farm near St. Anthony, North Dakota, to Anton and Cecilia Bender. She was raised in Mandan,...

Sep 25, 2021

Michael James Mitzel was born on May 17, 1978, to parents Burt and Carol. He left this world on Sept. 25, 2021, at the Tongue River Reservoir.

Mike’s life flame burned brightly with a great zest for life. He lived his life to the fullest with a smile that lit up the room. He possessed an immense...

Sep 25, 2021

Neil Lawrence Powell

Neil Lawrence Powell was born in Billings, on June 4, 1959, to Cliff and Nancy Powell. He was the oldest of five children: three brothers, Brian, Mike and Chris, and sister Lisa Strouf. He went to Miles Avenue School, Lewis & Clark Junior High, and graduated from West High in 1977. He...

Sep 24, 2021

Norberto “Bert” Lopez

On Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, we lost Norberto “Bert” Lopez, at the age of 61. His daughter Hallee was by his side.

Bert was born on Oct. 25, 1959, in Powell, Wyoming, to parents Manuel and Irma Lopez. He was the eldest to four sisters: Edna, Amanda, Maria and Alicia....