Helen Marie Waller, 92, of Malta, formerly of Circle, died June 24, 2026, at the Phillips County Hospital in Malta. She was born in Circle on Nov. 4, 1933, to Floyd and Clarissa Quick, the fifth of seven children. She attended Stoney Butte School 12 miles west of Circle and then moved to Circle for high school. During her first few days in freshman typing class, she met a young man named Gordon. They must have had a strong attraction to each other because it wasn’t long until he figured out that typing was not for him. As the story goes, Gordy got up from his seat, walked behind the row of other students who were typing, stopped at Helen and whispered in her ear, “I’m dropping this class because only one of us in the family needs to know how to type!” He then promptly enrolled in a mechanics class. She was very studious, sang in musical groups and cheered at football games where Gordon excelled. They both graduated from Circle High School in May 1951 and began their 68 years of marriage on Sept. 25, 1951. He enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean War. While he was stationed in Germany as a mechanic, she moved to New York City and worked as a teletyper for KLM Dutch Airlines. When he was discharged, she had saved enough money to purchase their first car and they returned to Gordon’s family farm 15 miles northwest of Circle. In 1965, they moved into their new house three miles north of where he grew up and began their own farming/ranching operation, while raising five children, Mary, Lois, Lorie, Lisa and Harold. She worked in the fields alongside Gordy. He would drive the small tractor and till the outside round in each field, while she drove the big tractor and tilled the rest. She was not only a hands-on farmer, but she used those typing skills from high school and served as the farm’s bookkeeper. In the early 1970s, she became very concerned because Farm Credit Services only allowed the husband’s name on all their paperwork and she said, “If something happens to Gordy, I can run this farm just fine.” Through her efforts and many trips to testify before Congress in Washington, D.C., she was successful in getting the law changed so the wife’s name can also be listed on farming paperwork. With her unwavering devotion to stewardship of the land and her drive to make the world a better place for future generations, she was a champion for family farmers and ranchers and a leading spokesperson for natural resource protection. She was a 55-year member of the Northern Plains Resource Council, served as national president of the National Family Farm Coalition, an organization she helped to create. In 1980, the Smithsonian Magazine featured her family farm and the inspirational message of sustainability of our national resources and agriculture’s

William Jr. “Chuck” Hubing, 101, of Miles City died June 17, 2026, at St. Vincent’s in Billings. He was born Sept. 7, 1924, in Glendive, the son of Will and Daisy (Croatt) Hubing. He joined brothers, Lee and Greg, and sister, Lucille. The Hubings came to Montana from Wisconsin in the early 1900s and homesteaded in the Brockway (McCone County) area. Will and Daisy eventually moved their family to Terry when Chuck was a young boy. He spent his early years traveling “the north side” of the Yellowstone River with his father buying cattle and horses. He was fortunate to live in a time and place where the country was wide open and full of horses. He loved taking part in some of the big horse round-ups that occurred in eastern Montana. When he was in his early teens, he left school and went to work for Susan Haughian. In 1947, he married Marjorie Chapman. To this union, three daughters were born. For the next two decades, he and boyhood friend, Art Reukauf, bought and leased land around eastern Montana and western North Dakota to run their livestock. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, he was involved in a cattle operation in Australia. Referred to as “The Big 10,” it consisted of 10 ranchers from eastern Montana who bought land and gathered wild cattle in the Outback along the Fitzroy River and Alice Springs. He traveled to Australia several

Percy Bear, 83, of Wolf Point died June 28, 2026, in Wolf Point. The funeral service will be announced at a later date pending the completion of the arrangements with Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point.