Joanne Carol Martin, 77, of Wolf Point died April 21, 2026. She was born to Eugene and Loretta Martin on Feb. 1, 1949, in Wolf Point. She graduated Wolf Point High School in 1967. She married Daniel Britton March 30, 1968. From that union, she had one daughter, Loretta a.k.a. Lorie. Her greatest joy in life came from raising animals. She loved them all, especially orphans — calves. horses, cats and dogs. chickens. She collected the less fortunate in droves. She greatly enjoyed taking photos and usually had a camera with her, trying to capture every memory with a picture. Her heart was big — she loved hard — and hurt hard when she lost, whether it was an animal or a person. She spent over 30 years in the home care business with much of it as a CNA for hospice. She showed

Ana Isabel Vargas Brenden, 87, of Scobey, Mont., passed away on Aug. 21, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1939. Twenty years later, Ana was an accountant at a tourist company when a chance encounter changed the course of her life. Tom Brenden of Scobey, Mont., spotted Ana through a window at her work. She was wearing yellow, he gave her a wink, and she waved and smiled back. This sparked a long-distance courtship and the beginning of a lifelong relationship in which love overcame the language barrier. Ana came to Scobey and learned English with the help of special friends and relatives during her first few years in America. She and Thomas Allen Brenden Jr. were married on Nov. 15, 1959, on a stormy day at Scobey Lutheran Church. Ana was a quick learner, an exceptionally hard worker and a woman who embraced her new home and family. She quickly learned the ways of her Norwegian- influenced family and built a full and busy life alongside Tom. During their 51 years of marriage, they owned and operated a farm, a cowcalf operation and feedlot. Ana’s family was the most important part of her life. She and Tom had three daughters, Connie, Mary and Tammy, whom they raised on the family farm south of Madoc, next to Tom’s parents, Thomas Sr. and Agnes Brenden. Before Mary was born, Ana’s mother, Marta Vargas, came from Costa Rica to help Ana with her young and growing family. Over the years, Ana became deeply involved in the Scobey community. She worked at Rasmus Nelson, MKL Fashions and Service Drug and was a member of Scobey Lutheran Church, WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics), Woman’s Club, the Daniels County Republican Party and the Hospital Auxiliary. She also served on the boards

Bartel Walter Andresen Jr. (Butch), 78, of Poplar, Mont., passed away at his home on Aug. 10, 2026, from natural causes. Butch was the son of Bartel (Barney) Andresen, who homesteaded at Poplar in 1915, and Thelma (Herting). He was born on July 28, 1948, in Wolf Point, Mont. Butch will be remembered always for his deep love of family and his boundless generosity. He loved sports, especially baseball and was an avid skier his entire life. He worked for several years as a professional ski instructor at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and at Snowbowl ski area near Missoula, Mont., and was an excellent mogul skier. He was proud to have taught his nieces, nephews, and friends to become expert skiers at Bridger Bowl, Showdown, and Bear Paw ski areas. He began skiing while attending Montana State University in 1966 and continued skiing every winter, including this past season. Holding a pass to Showdown Ski Area, where he spent the winter of 2026 doing what he loved most: skiing with his family. Butch attended schools in Salem, Ore., and Poplar, graduating from Poplar High School in 1966. He then earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science from Montana State University in 1970, where he was also a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) Fraternity. He furthered his education in the graduate program at Texas A& M University, studying Feedlot Management. Following his studies, he returned home to the family farm in Poplar. For the next 10 years, after spring-seeding with his father, he would hit the road to run a custom-harvesting crew cutting wheat from Oklahoma to Montana. He dedicated the rest of his life to farming in the Chelsea community. For several years, Butch hosted student interns from Brazilian agricultural colleges, teaching them American farming practices while helping them improve their English and mechanical skills. They quickly became part of his extended family-and, of course, he taught them how to ski (despite there being no ski resorts in Brazil!). Butch had a great love for children. For many years, he supported the

Xandre Matejovsky, 31, of Billings died Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Sept. 5, at the Immaculate Conception Church in Wolf Point. A full obituary will follow.

Bartel Walter “Butch” Andresen Jr., 78, of Poplar died at his home on Aug. 10, 2026. He was the son of Bartel “Barney” Andresen, who homesteaded at Poplar in 1915, and Thelma (Herting). He was born on July 28, 1948, in Wolf Point. He will be remembered always for his deep love of family and his boundless generosity. He loved sports, especially baseball, and was an avid skier his entire life. He worked for several years as a professional ski instructor at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and at Snowbowl ski area near Missoula and was an excellent mogul skier. He was proud to have taught his nieces, nephews and friends to become expert skiers at Bridger Bowl, Showdown and Bear Paw ski areas. He began skiing while attending Montana State University in 1966 and continued skiing every winter, including this past season. He held a pass to Showdown Ski Area, where he spent the winter of 2026 doing what he loved most: skiing with his family. He attended schools in Salem, Ore., and Poplar, graduating from Poplar High School in 1966. He then earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science from Montana State University in 1970, where he was also a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. He furthered his education in the graduate program at Texas A& M University, studying feedlot management. Following his studies, he returned home to the family farm in Poplar. For the next 10 years, after spring-seeding with his father, he would hit the road to run a custom-harvesting crew cutting wheat from Oklahoma to Montana. He dedicated the rest of his life to farming in the Chelsea community. For several years, he hosted student interns from Brazilian agricultural colleges, teaching them American farming practices while helping them improve their English and mechanical skills. They quickly became part of his extended family and, of course, he taught them how to ski (despite there being no ski resorts in Brazil). He had a great love for children. For many years, he supported the Christian Children's Fund to assist with education costs overseas and he was a supporter of Bigger Sky Kids in Wolf Point. Agriculture was the core of his life. He grew certified wheat seed, constantly experimented with new crops and farming methods and was a passionate proponent of conservation tillage. He was a respected guest speaker on the topic across both the U.S. and Canada. He spent many years on the Montana Certified Seed Growers Association Board, an honorary member of the Montana Seed Growers Association, the Montana State University Experiment Station Advisory Board, and the Montana State Extension Advisory Council. He was always willing to try innovative soil conservation and tillage practices, heavily inspired by his father's stories of the Depression. He was preceded in death by his brother, Galen Richard Durkin; and sisters, Leone Walter and Elyse Matejovsky. He is survived by his sister, Alice Whitmer. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Greenwood Cemetery in Wolf Point. A gathering to celebrate his life will be held in Wolf Point following the autumn harvest, with the specific date to be announced in September.

Erika A. Austin, 33, of Fort Peck died at home Friday, July 24, 2026. She was born Jan. 19, 1993, in Glasgow to Kory and Kerry Hentges. She dated Dustin Braaten and they made a home together in Fort Peck. She attended grade school in Glasgow and then the family moved to Billings. She was involved in cross-country, volleyball and basketball while in Billings. The family moved back to Glasgow where she graduated from in 2011 with high honors. She was a Glasgow Scottie cheerleader for three years and played golf for one year. She attended college at Montana State University - Billings and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2014. She went on to get her master’s degree from Maryville University in accounting in 2021. While in Billings, she took part in the TRIO Upward Bound program through MSUB where she found her love for learning and travel. She worked hard and was proud of her work, she was employed at CHMS, P.C., Northwest Farm Credit Services, United Insurance & Realty and her most rewarding job was when she lived in Bismarck, N.D., and worked for the State of North Dakota.

Jaylen L. Country Red-Dog, 30, died July 26, 2026. He was born on Oct. 27, 1995, to Janelle RedDog and Paul Country. He attended high school, then decided it was not for him and went to get his GED in 2014. He was a hard worker; he always had a job. He worked as a flagger for several companies. One of the happiest moments of his life was when he became a dad to daughter, Sierra. He had numerous friends. He especially enjoyed visiting and hanging out with his high school friends. He enjoyed going to powwows, playing video games and listening to music. He was always down to have a good time. He is survived by his mother, Janelle RedDog of Waseka, Minn.; father, Paul Country of Lincoln,

Aaron Paul Hiller, 55, died July 4, 2026, in Lustre. He was born on April 21, 1971, at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, to Philip and Betty Hiller. As the oldest of five children born into an Air Force family, his childhood took him to many cities, including George Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base in California and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico before eventually settling in Las Vegas, Nev. He earned an associate degree from New Mexico State University in Alamogordo, N.M. Throughout his life, he worked in a variety of fields, including bartending, food service, petroleum logistics management, sales and convenience store management. One of his earliest accomplishments was achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, an honor he carried with pride throughout his life. He attended Philmont Scout Ranch twice, experiences that deepened his appreciation for the outdoors and adventure. Of all his accomplishments, however, he considered being a father to his two boys his greatest blessing. He married Jennifer Rice in June 1999 at St. Joseph Husband of Mary. They had two children, Ethan Hiller in May 2000 and Noah Hiller in April 2002. He gave back to his community by coaching youth baseball and helping where he could with his church, often doing maintenance. He was baptized, confirmed and married in the Roman Catholic Church and, during the last four years of his life, found fellowship and spiritual community among the Mennonites in his Montana community. He found particular comfort in learning about Jesus Christ in the television series The Chosen, deeply connecting with its portrayal of Jesus’ compassion, forgiveness and acceptance of people just as they are. He loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing with his dad. He enjoyed watching movies and history documentaries, playing board games, antique shopping in search of hidden treasures and spending hours building LEGO creations with his nieces and nephews. He had a special affection for animals. Family traditions like opening Advent calendars together and celebrating Independence Day with fireworks created lasting memories that will be treasured