Obituaries

May 11, 2018

Esther Loretta Hemming, 80, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, May 9, 2018.

Esther was born on Sept. 14, 1937, in Regan, North Dakota, to Edward and Lillian (Hochhalter) Schafer. She grew up in the Regan and Bismarck, North Dakota area, and graduated from Bismarck High School in 1956.

She married her loving husband, Harold Hemming,...

May 8, 2018

Darrell Ray Asay, 86, of Billings passed away peacefully on May 3, 2018 at Aspen Meadows Nursing Home.

Darrell along with his twin sister, Donna, were born to Carl and Anna Fries in Deaver, Wyoming on

August 17, 1931. Their mother died 11 hours after giving birth to the twins leaving 8 other siblings. Their...

May 7, 2018

John Kalmer Olson, Sr., 84, passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 7, 2018, at home in Billings.

John was born on a farm in Tyro Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, on July 24, 1933, to Arnold and Lenore Olson. John was baptized and confirmed at Clarkfield Lutheran Church. He attended elementary schools in Clarkfield, Blue...

May 4, 2018

Gene John Etchart passed to his Heavenly Home on May 3, 2018, with family at his side. Gene was born in Glasgow on Dec. 26, 1916, to John and Catherine Etchart, Basque immigrants from the French Pyrenees who came to Montana and settled on the grasslands north of the Missouri river in 1912. Gene, his older sister and three...

May 2, 2018

Surrounded by his children, Pastor Cecil Hawkins, 80, went home to be with the Lord and his loving wife on April 28, 2018.

Born in Crow Agency, Montana, in 1938, he was the son of Heron (Glenn) and Ella Hawkins. Cecil graduated from Billings Senior High and served six years in the U.S. Marine Corp. Cecil began...

Apr 26, 2018

Doris Kuykendall Peck Oblander born in Deadwood, SD, on Dec. 30, 1936, passed away on April 25, 2018, in Billings.

She was raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota, married and moved to Eastern Montana in 1956. She later moved to the Billings area in 1968. She worked in retail grocery stores the majority of her...

Apr 23, 2018

Carl M. Skurdal, 93, passed away Sunday, April 8th in Eugene, Oregon. Carl was born on the family farm east of Williston, North Dakota, along with a twin sister on January 20th, 1925 into a family of 14 children to Anton and Anna Skurdal. He attended 8 years of rural school and graduated from Williston High School in 1944....

Apr 23, 2018

Pat (Patricia) Garding, 95, a longtime Billings resident, died at her home on April 19, 2018. She was born to Florian and Monica (Matz) Mosbrucker on March 25, 1923, on the family farm near Center, ND. She was the second oldest of seven children. In 1928, the Mosbrucker family moved to Senate, Saskatchewan, Canada, to continue farming. In 1939,...

Apr 23, 2018

Mike was born on Nov. 13, 1967, to Colleen Dunn Chapman and Darryl Chapman in Billings. He died on April 22, 2018, of natural causes. Mike lived his entire life in Billings, attending Senior High School, followed by a computer training program. Mike loved technology, motorcycles, and his circle of close friends and their children. He had a special...

Apr 23, 2018

On April 22, 2018, our aunt, great-aunt and great-great aunt, the last leaf on the Wagner family tree, joined her parents and siblings for a wonderful family reunion in heaven, and The Lord said "Welcome Home, Mata."

She was born on Jan. 13, 1932, on a farm near Haynes, ND, to George and Catherine Wagner, and attended...

Apr 20, 2018

Our mother, F. Joyce Grubaugh, left this world on Thursday, April 19, 2018, after declining health. Family members were with her at her passing.

Mom was born on Oct. 31, 1929, to Percy and Lula Bryson in Ollie, Montana. She was named Florence Joyce but an older brother thought Florence was too long a name for such...

Apr 12, 2018

Barbara Ellen Seader "Bobby" passed away on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at MorningStar Senior Living.

Bobby was born on May 28, 1924, in Libertyville, Indiana, to Floyd and Faye Dowlin. After three months, she and her mother arrived to their home in Forsyth to meet her dad and older siblings, Floyd, Jr. and Peggy.

On...

Apr 9, 2018

On March 31, 2018, the world lost a wonderfully humble and amazing man. Ron Burnam was a loving husband, tender father, friend and doctor whose generous, loving heart stopped much too soon. Born to Lon Stiver and Nina Louise Burnam on Feb. 23, 1943, in Tucson, AZ, he was the oldest of four kids. He was raised in the...

Apr 4, 2018

Wanda Lee Hartman, 80, of Billings, passed away under hospice care at Tender Nest, on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Wanda was born on May 23, 1937 in Beulah, N.D., to Arthur and Leona (Miller) Fischer. She was raised in Beulah and graduated from Beulah High School. Wanda lived in California and Washington State before settling in Billings. She met...

Apr 3, 2018

Patricia K. Eickhoff, 73, of Billings, passed away April 3, 2018. She was born on April 16, 1944, in Flint, Michigan, but raised in Pocahontas, Arkansas. She was known to most as Fluffy and was beloved by all who met her. She married Walter Eickhoff in 1978 and traveled the country with him, as he was a manager with...

Apr 2, 2018

Walter Edward "Ed" Warner-Combs was born on April 4, 1932, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Ruby (Castor) Combs and William (Grady) Combs. He passed away on April 1, 2018.

Ed was raised on dirt floors for much of his youth and often told stories about the struggles of life during the Great Depression. It is from this...

Apr 1, 2018

Myrna Ellen Metz (Loken) passed away on March 29, 2018, of natural causes in Seattle (where she had moved from Billings in 2015). She was born in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, on Nov. 22, 1928, to Mary Lee Richardson and Lorenz Anderson. Myrna was the oldest of five siblings, including Wilbur Anderson, Wayne Anderson, Lorene Rowland and Lee Arbuckle....

Apr 1, 2018

On March 10, 2018, Gail Guscott went to join her husband Richard, mother Marion, father Vinton, brother Vin and sister-in-law Phyllis. What a celebration this must have been in Heaven!

Gail was born in Great Falls on Nov. 27, 1928. After several moves in her childhood, she attended college in Missoula, majoring in art, where she also...

Apr 1, 2018

Harold Roy Van Sickle, 98, of Billings, rose to a new life on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at home, in the loving arms of his wife of 71 years.

Harry was born a twin on Feb. 3, 1920, to Guy R. and Hilda A. Van Sickle in Minot, North Dakota, where he was raised and educated. Harry...

Mar 29, 2018

Vidak B. Damjanovich, 81, of Manhattan, Montana, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, March 25, 2018. Vidak was born on June 23, 1936, in Gebo, Wyoming. The son of Blazo and Drage Damjanovich, Vidak was raised and educated in Billings. He spent his younger years farming on the family farm. He grew the most amazing gardens wherever he...