Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 8

2, 2, Section M. GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE WWW.GREATFALLSTRIBUNE.COM Thursday, August 11, 2005 OBITUARIES Arne Farbo SWEET GRASS Arne Farbo, 92, a lifelong Sweet Grass farmer, died of natural causes Sunday at a Shelby care center. Visitation is 1 to 8 p.m. today at Whitted Funeral Chapel in Shelby. His funeral is 3 Farbo p.m.

Friday at Sunburst Lutheran Church, with burial in Sweet Grass Cemetery. Survivors include his daughter, Tanya (Richard) Duarte of Shelby; sons Wally (Connie) Farbo of Poulsbo, and Tom Farbo of Denali Park, Alaska; a stepson, Jerry (Jeanette) Frank of Great Falls; 11 grandchildren and 11 stepgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Farbo; a son, Gary Farbo; a sister, Ellen Johnson; a brother, Laurence Farbo and his longtime companion, Agnes Sommerstad. Arne was born Sept. 26, 1912, to John and Margaret (Bye) Farbo, on the family farm at Sweet Grass, where he was raised and educated.

He married Margaret Speck on July 3, 1949, at Sweet Grass. Arne lived and worked the farm his entire life. He served on the Sweet Grass School Board until it closed, was a member for Sunburst Lutheran Church and the O'Hare Fishing Club. He enjoyed fishing, playing cribbage, being outdoors and spending time with his family and friends. Memorials are suggested to Peace Hospice of Montana, 2600 15th Ave.

Great Falls, MT 59405. Condolences for the family may be sent to www.whittedfuneralchapel.com. Ronald Wayne Denzer CONRAD Ronald Wayne Denzer, 70, an Army veteran and Conrad area farmer, died Saturday at his home in Conrad. The family chooses not to release the cause of death. A memorial Denzer service is 11 a.m.

Friday at Pondera Funeral Home in Conrad. Survivors include his wife, Sandy Denzer of Conrad; a son, John (Lori) Denzer of Seattle, a daughter, Kristi (Chris) Brislawn of Santa Fe, N.M.; sisters Shirley Habets and Sharon; and four grandchildren. Ron was born March 28, 1935, in Conrad, to Ray and Edith Denzer, and attended a country school north of Conrad. He graduated from Conrad High School in 1953, and attended college in Havre for two years. He served in the U.S.

Army and Army Reserve, and was honorably discharged in 1956. Ron married I Sandra Woodruff on July 23, 1960, in Cut Bank. He and Sandy ran several businesses around Conrad, including the building and starting up of the Keg Restaurant. He manufactured machinery and other equipment, and was awarded a U.S. patent for one of his designs.

Ron spent the majority of his life farming north of Conrad. Ron will be missed by many friends and relatives whom he touched during his life. June Corbitt June Corbitt Corbitt WALKERVILLE June (Cady) Corbitt, 85, a retired nurse and homemaker, died of natural causes Monday at her home in Walkerville. Visitation is 9 to 10 a.m. Monday at St.

Patrick's Church, Corbitt with funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Cremation will take place after the service, with burial of ashes at a later date. Duggan Dolan Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include sons Joe Corbitt of Butte and Dan Corbitt of Denver; daughters Rose Crowley of Billings and Mary Lewis of Butte; a brother, Willis Cady of the Havre area; and sisters Lorraine Eyman and Carol Heggen of the Havre area; numerous grandchildren She and great was preceded in death by her husband, Daniel J. Corbitt, on March 11, 1989.

OTHER STATE DEATHS Kalispell Chad William Lewis, 32. Popular C.M. Russell dies; Oregon memorial Russell Auction artist memorial planned Julia C. Julia C. 13th Ave.

Hawthorne Cemetery. Funeral arrangements. Survivors Melissa Tracy Lynn Bill Allan ter, Janet Creek, Calif. Hawthorne Hawthorne, 68, of 1501 S.W., a homemaker, died of a heart attack Sunday at a local hospital. A memorial service is 11 a.m.

Wednesday at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, with private burial in Mount Olivet Chapel of Chimes Home is handling include daughters Ann Hawthorne and Hawthorne; a son, Hawthorne; and a sisHarrington of Walnut Stephen H. Topel DENVER resident Topel Topel tion has direction of Former Great Falls Stephen Herman Topel, 49, who owned and operated a financial planning business in Denver, died of respiratory failure Sunday at a Denver hospital. At his request, no services are planned. Cremataken place under the Horan and McConaty Funeral Home of Denver. Survivors include his wife, Peggy Topel of Denver; his mother, Adeline Topel of Great Falls; sisters Ellen (Gene) Stumpf of Redmond, Diane Topel of Great Falls and Patty Topel of Sedona, brothers Richard (Deena) Topel of Billings and Thomas (Pam) Topel of Kalispell; several nieces and nephews; and other family members.

He was preceded in death by his father, Henry T. Topel; and grandparents Herman and Mabel Topel and John A. and Clara Sieben. Stephen was born Oct. 5, 1955, in Great Falls, to Henry T.

and Adeline (Sieben) Topel. He attended local schools, graduating from Great Falls High School in 1974. While at GFHS, he excelled in track, being a member of a relay team which set a record in 1972. This record remained unbroken for nearly 20 years. After graduating, he attended Montana State University in Bozeman, to pursue a degree in accounting and finance, graduating in 1978.

He moved to Denver, passed the CPA exam, and over the next several years, served as controller or vice president of finance for several national and international oil, gas and mining entities. He married his wonderful wife, Peggy E. Propp of Worland, on Nov. 17, 1979, in Denver. After a number of years, he left the oil and gas business in order to open his own financial consulting firm, Contemporary Financial Planning.

There, as a certified financial planner, he successfully operated this business for 15 years, until his untimely death. Stephen was a sports enthusiast and a longtime football and NASCAR racing fan. He was knowledgeable about sports and knew all the stats of the NFL teams, especially his favorite, the Denver Broncos. He was an avid golfer and was part of the organizing board of directors instrumental in planning and building an affordable public golf course in the Denver area. In spite of the loss of his leg due to an illness in 1999, he didn't lose his passion for golf and continued playing, competing in various tournaments around the country until shortly before his death.

He gave generously, donating both his professional services and resources to various charitable organizations. Prominent among these were Bridgeway Home for unwed teenage mothers, and the Jeffco Action Center, a refuge for the homeless. True to his love of sports, he sponsored a Little League team for several years. This included furnishing their uniforms, attending all their games and hosting the end of the season party. He gave of himself all year long, and while he had no children of his own, he was an anonymous Santa at Christmas, helping to ensure that the underprivileged children and families in his area were provided for.

He always looked forward to spending time with family and friends. He was fun-loving and enjoyed life, and his strong spirit and sense of humor will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Memorials are suggested to the Great Falls Rescue Mission, 326 2nd Ave. Great Falls, MT 59405; or to a charity of the donor's choice. Joyce A.

Thompson Joyce A. Thompson, 81, of 1618 2nd Ave. died of complications from a stroke Tuesday at a local nursing home. Arrangements are pending at Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory. Joseph Francis Lewellen Lewellen FORT BELKNAP Joseph Francis Lewellen, 81, of Fort Belknap, an Army veteran and retired building inspector, died of pancreatic cancer Monday at Colonial Manor in Whitefish.

A memorial Lewellen service is 11 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Fort Belknap, with burial of ashes in Harlem Cemetery. Johnson Mortuary Crematory of Kalispell is in charge of arrangements. He is survived by his wife, Emma Jean (Larsen) Lewellen of Fort Belknap; two daughters, JoAnn Karlin of Kalispell and Hattie Wiysel and husband Gary of Minneapolis, nine grandchildren, Jesse Lewellen, Richard Lewellen, Bill Lewellen, Ben Lewellen, Darlene Grachek and Duane B. Karlin, all of Lewellen of Denver, and Justin Wiysel and Sarah Wiysel of Minneapolis; five great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Joe was born March 18, 1924, in Harlem, to Ben and Hattie (Keeney) Lewellen. He served in the United States Army in both World War II and the Korean War. During his valiant years in the Army, he earned numerous honors and medals. He was wellliked by his fellow soldiers and was known as "Sergeant Lew." His resourcefulness and ability to appropriate supplies made him invaluable to his company. Although he enjoyed his life in the military, he returned to Montana as his family became a priority.

He then began a 50-year career in construction as a master craftsman. In 1981, he and his wife, Jean, moved to Fort Belknap, where he was employed as a building inspector before retiring. Joe was an animal lover and was happiest while working in his woodworking shop. He was truly a unique man and be missed by all who knew him." He was preceded in death by a son, Jesse Lewellen; a son-in-law, Duane R. Karlin; his sisters, brother and parents.

Virginia Fay O'Dell HELENA (Bandy) O'Dell, O'Dell Virginia Fay 66, a Helena homemaker, died of cancer Friday at St. Peter's Hospital in Helena. A memorial service is 2 p.m. Saturday at 4345 Green Acres Drive in Helena. Retz Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Her family was with her at her passing: husband Ernie O'Dell of Helena; daughters Cynthia Lee Gaines and Sandra Fay Harrell of Great Falls; a son and daughterin-law, Ernest John and Myrna O'Dell of East Helena; and grandchildren Jonathon O'Dell and Naomi O'Dell of East Helena, Candace Looper and Shaienna Harrell of Great Falls and Tyson Marks of Missoula. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mildred Irene Bandy; her father, John Bandy; son-inlaw Scott Gaines; and granddaughter Amanda Fay Looper. Virginia, or "Ginny" as she was fondly called, was born in Juneau, Alaska, on Jan. 27, 1939. In 1941, she moved to Columbus, with her mother Mildred, who owned and operated the Liberty for many years.

She met Ernie at an old-fashioned hoedown dance and they were married April 13, 1957. They lived in Helena with their three young children for several years before moving to Hawaii, where they lived from 1966 to 1978. Ernie and Ginny moved back to Helena in 1978 and have lived here since. Virginia's family was the center of her life. She spent countless hours involved with youth activities such as Brownies, Girl Scouts of America and Boy Scouts of America.

She shuttled not only her own children, but also most of the neighborhood children, to many sports activities and events. Virginia fought a long battle with cancer and other illnesses, but never let it slow her down. She was avid bowler, fisherman, gardener, hunter and outdoor photographer, and she still found time to make wonderful apricot jam. One of her favorite pastimes was sitting around the dining table with her family and enjoying hours of reminiscing and laughing over many good times. All who knew her loved Virginia.

She was a strong spirited lady and our "Sarge" will be sorely missed. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to St. Peter's Cancer Center, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601. Gary Wilfred Nadeau Nadeau VALIER Gary Wilfred Nadeau, 67, a retired Montana Power town manager, died of cancer Tuesday at his home in Valier. A memorial service is 2 p.m.

Saturday in the multipurpose room at Valier Nadeau High School, with private family burial of ashes at Crown Hill Cemetery in Cut Bank. Whitted Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Cora M. Nadeau of Valier; sons Glen A. (Pam) Nadeau Great Falls, Brian W.

Nadeau of Valier and David G. Nadeau of Shelby; a sister, Debra Nadeau Wood of Olalla, and three grandchildren, Michelle, Craig and Adam. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilfred and Gladys Nadeau; a sister, Reba Jo Nadeau; and numerous other 1 relatives. Gary was born Nov. 28, 1937, in Everett, Wash.

He grew up in Cut Bank, where he was educated at St. Margaret's School and Cut Bank High School. He married Cora M. Christopherson on June 15, 1957, in Cut Bank. Gary worked as the town manager in Valier for the Montana Power Co.

for 38 years before retiring Sept. 19, 1997. He was a member of the Valier Rifle Club, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and a retired member of the Valier Fire Department. He enjoyed working on cars, guns and opening up 1 the Panther each morning. In consideration of Cora, no fragrances or flowers please! The family request memorials be given to the Valier Fire Department, Valier Rifle Club, Valier Scouting groups or to the donor's choice.

Funeral Services THURSDAY BROSS- Funeral Service FRIDAY at the O'Connor memorial Chapel for Eleanor (Wardinsky) Bross, 90, 820 2nd Ave NW with Rev Patrick Zabrocki presiding. Rite of Committal Mount Olivet Cemetery. Vigil 7:00 P.M. O'Connor Memorial Chapel. Memorials, the are donor's suggested choice.

to a The O'Connor Funeral Home. MENISH- Funeral Service 2:00 P.M. this THURSDAY (TODAY) at the O'Connor Memorial Chapel for Frank George Menish, 81, 1200 32nd Street South with Messianic Rabbi Donald Hettinger officiating. Burial in Highland Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Beth Ha Derekh or Disabled American Veterans.

The O'Connor Funeral Home. KRAFT- The funeral service for Marion Isabel (Legault) Kraft, 79, is THURSDAY (TODAY), August 11, 2005 at Hillcrest Lawn Chapel at 2 P.M. with viewing one hour before. Patrick Zabrocki is presiding burial Father, to follow at Highland Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Peace Hospice, 1501 26th St.

Great Falls, MT 59405 or American Heart Association, 501 Ave. Great Falls, MT 59401. Schnider Funeral Home. RECORDS STATISTICS BIRTHS BRIEN Daughter born Wednesday to Rebecca and Shane Brian of Great Falls. WAGNER Daughter born Wednesday to Raylonda and Steve "Sonny" Wagner.

LOTTERY For the past six months' winning numbers or more information on the Montana Lottery games, visit www.montanalottery.com or call (900) 225-5825. Each call is 50 cents per minute, with a minimum charge of one minute. HOT LOTTO 07-09-25-29-39, Hot Lotto 01 Estimated jackpot: $1.1 million POWERBALL 13-31-36-38-49, Powerball 02 Estimated jackpot: $93.4 million WILD CARD 02-16-19-25-29, Wild Card Queen of Spades Estimated jackpot: $138,000 MONTANA CASH 01-09-24-34-36 Estimated jackpot: $40,000. IMPOUNDED ANIMALS Picked up and taken to the Humane Shelter at 1010 25th Ave. N.E.: Short-haired cat.

8-week-old female tabby. Found on 4300 block of 6th Avenue Northwest. Duck. Found in Vaughn. Rabbit.

Giant brown male. Found on 800 block of 9th Street South. Shelter hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call 454-2276; the e-mail address is the Web site is www.hsccshelter.org. COURTS DISTRICT COURT Blatter, Mikell James, 46, 2203 2nd Ave. changed plea to guilty of felony nonsupport and felony DUI, fourth or subsequent offense. Sentencing Sept. 12.

Lee, Brian David, 46, Cascade County regional jail, changed plea to guilty of felony nonsupport. Sentencing Aug. 8. Prine, Natasha Jean, 23, 1301 1st Ave. S.W..

sentenced to deferred imposition of sentence for three years, with credit for 108 days served, for felony assault with a weapon. By ERIC NEWHOUSE Tribune Projects Editor Joelle Smith, a regular at the C.M. Russell Auction of Original Western Art and a popular Quick Draw artist, died Friday in Ashland, after a long fight with cancer. She was 47. A memorial service is 1 p.m.

Aug. men in the Bend, First Presbyterian Church. "One of the highlights of her early career was being accepted into the Russell Art Auction," said her mother, Sally Smith. "And just days before her death, she achieved a lifetime goal when she received word that she had been accepted into the Prix de West show in Oklahoma City," she said. Smith first participated in the Russell A Auction in 1988.

Auctiongoers awarded her the People's Choice award for best painting in 1989. She worked in watercolor exclusively for two decades, then in oil for eight years. Five years ago, she began sculpting. A dedicated fan of Russell and his art, she lived for a time in Hobson. She also emulated her idol by hanging a buffalo skull in her studio as Russell had done in his.

"Joelle was a true artistic spirit who loved the West and all its creatures, especially horses," said her friend Elizabeth Dear, former curator of art for the C.M. Russell Museum. Smith also was a gifted and knowledgeable horsewoman, which showed in her paintings and sculptures and in the craft of saddle-making, Dear said. "Her abilities in art shone through i in her detailed, colorful paintings, which depicted the West she loved pinto horses, Montana, Oregon and California landscapes, and many of her buckaroo friends at work on their ranches," Dear said. "Joelle had become a favorite artist at many of the Western art and cowboy poetry gatherings." Power: Three fires burned in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex I-90 was open to two-way traffic after several days of restrictions imposed to protect firefighters from the hazard of passing vehicles, but only one lane for traffic moving each direction was open Wednesday, the Montana Highway Patrol said.

An order closing about 20 miles of the Clark Fork River was relaxed slightly to allow access to an unrestricted area of the river. For the most part, however, that stretch remained off-limits to the public, a safety precaution as buckets attached to helicopters scooped river water for the fires. Also burning was the Prospect fire, estimated at 1,500 acres and described by Sweeney as "very spotty." It burned in the Superior Sweeney said burned land was broken up by large unburned areas "and we're figuring over the next couple of days those will slowly creep together." Managers of a wildfire near Eureka planned to lift an evacuation order, giving the go-ahead for occupants of nine vacated houses to return home. Occupants of at least a couple of FROM 1M the dwellings returned to them even as the evacuation order issued soon after the fire's start on Sunday remained in place, said Terry Knupp, information officer for the 868-acre Camp 32 fire. It was only 30 percent contained but conditions were deemed safe for the residents who had left, Knupp said.

In the Bitterroot Valley south Missoula, the Rockin Complex of fires in a wilderness area west of Darby had burned about 4,300 acres. About half a dozen new fires, the smallest half an acre and the largest 50-100 acres, started Tuesday night in the Bitterroot Valley, said Dixie Dies, spokeswoman for the Bitterroot National Forest. The largest, the Signal Rock fire about 20 miles southeast of Hamilton, was visible Wednesday from U.S. 93. On the Flathead National Forest, three fires burned in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, including the Kelly Point fire near the South Fork of the Flathead River.

Part of the river was closed as a precaution. In eastern Montana, a 423-acre fire burned 16 miles south of Ashland in the Custer National Forest. Shares: No sales have been announced want to pursue a sale." No sales have been announced, he said. Any major sales would be a public record, with the company selling the shares and NorthWestern required to make public filings. The SEC granted its approval, and NorthWestern is issued a prospectus Monday detailing its finances and history for potential buyers of the stock to evaluate.

"What you're seeing in the (SEC) filing is the registration in this stock," said James Bellessa, a vice president for the D.A. Davidson financial firm in Great Falls. "If they want to sell, they can go ahead and sell it. They're regis- FROM 1M tered with the SEC." Like Schrum, Bellessa said the filing is unrelated to the cities' efforts to buy NorthWestern. "This has nothing to do with Montana Public Power Bellessa said.

"This was all in the works before MPPI came out with an offer. It's just coincidence." A spokeswoman for Harbert Management based in Birmingham, said the company's policy is to not comment on its funds that are currently open to investors. Harbert Distressed Investment Master Fund invests in financially distressed companies at relatively low cost and later sells the stock for a profit. NorthWestern emerged from bankruptcy almost a year ago. Salvation Army overloaded with donations By Tribune Staff Generous giving has overloaded the Salvation Army of Great Falls.

Donations are coming in faster than workers can process them, said Maj. Al Summerfield, so the Salvation Army is closing the warehouse reception area at its westside thrift store for one week beginning Monday. The Salvation Army's westside thrift store is at 616 1st Ave. N.W. Summerfield said the Salvation Army is deeply grateful for the community generosity.

However, the large quantity of donations coming in is creating a fire hazard in its warehouse. Normal donations will resume Aug. 22, he said. Two deaths reported in motorcycle crash, Elk Park collision A motorcyclist died in a crash near Livingston and a second person died as a result of a crash along Interstate 15 north of Butte earlier this week, authorities said Wednesday. Officials said David R.

Woods, 33, was found early Wednesday near the wreckage of his motorcycle along the East River Road near Livingston. Park County Coroner Al Jenkins said Woods apparently was northbound when he crashed into a fence Tuesday night. The Montana Highway Patrol also said the adult driver of a pickup truck that ran into the rear of a tractor-trailer Monday morning along I-15 died in a Butte hos- By The Associated Press pital Wednesday. His name was not released. That crash killed Maliah Morningstar Jack, 4, who died at the scene after being ejected.

The patrol said the crew cab pickup with two adults and three children was heading to Fort Hall, Idaho. Seatbelts were not in use, the patrol said. Names and conditions of the other three Idaho residents were not available. Authorities on Wednesday also released the name of a Kalispell man who died in a motorcycle crash north of Browning. The patrol said Charles Moddrell, 55, lost control of his motorcycle on a curve along U.S.

89 Tuesday and was thrown into the path of a pickup truck. O'Dell in 1970s The Family of Shontelle Olson Would like to thank Schnider Funeral Home, Reverend Phillip Caldwell, and the hundreds of people who selflessly responded in our time of sadness. Your thoughtfulness and words of encouragement have inspired us to remain strong while we cope with our loss. The hugs, phone calls, cards, food, flowers, and memorial donations were received with heartfelt appreciation. Lance and Marilyn Olson Tammy, Dale, Buck and their families Me.