Jeffery John Leibrand, 44, of Williston, N.D., and formerly of the Scobey area, died Dec. 25, 2021, at the Billings Clinic in Billings. He was born on Jan. 2, 1977, in Wolf Point to Donna (Sletten) Leibrand and John Solberg. Shortly after, he was adopted by his dad, George Leibrand. He was raised on the farm south of Peerless by Donna and George. He graduated from Peerless High School in 1995. In high school, he enjoyed raising 4-H steers, tinkering on his dirt bike and helping out on the family farm. He attended NDSCS in Wahpeton, N.D., where he graduated with an associate of applied science degree in 1997. He worked for Rasmus- Nelson Incorporated in Scobey before moving to Williston, N.D., in 2000. In 2001, he married Heidi Erickson. They had two children, Noelle Marie in 2004, and Tucker Jeffery in 2008. In 2018, he was married to Holly Girard. In 2020, son Clayton Monte was. They lived in Williston where ge worked at several mechanic/ technician jobs. He was often the go-to-guy who could figure out how to fix most anything. His hobbies included working on derby and model cars, bowling, woodworking, and snowmobiling. He was always just a phone call away when friends or family had any mechanical problems. He enjoyed spending time with family, and was always willing to lend a hand. Jeff was thrilled to share his cooking talent and cooked for many family events. He loved serving his family and friends a good meal usually prepared on his Traeger. He enjoyed spending time with his kids; teaching them how to build or fix something, how to change oil, or complete a project for Holly’s classroom. He loved following his kids’ extracurricular activities and sharing their accomplishments with the rest of the family. He is survived by his wife, Holly; children, Noelle, Tucker and Clay; parent, Donna and George Leibrand; biological father, John Solberg; grandparents, Torlief and Jean Sletten; sisters, Sandy and TK; and several half-siblings. Services will be at 11 a.m. Jan. 8, at the Scobey Lutheran Church with Pastor Paul Landeraaen officiating.

Manuel Paul 'Manny' Melbourne Jr., 75, of Poplar died Dec. 18, 2021, in Poplar. He was born on July 12, 1946, to Lydia Cynthia Johnson and Manuel Paul Melbourne Sr. in Poplar. He was a tri-athlete, excelling in basketball, track and football, leaving unbroken records for Poplar High School. Because of his excellence in sports, he received a full ride scholarship to Northern Montana College. He attended a trade school in California, earning a welding/machine tool degree. He spent many years as an employee of Fort Peck Tribes, A& S Industries and Fort Peck Housing Authority as a carpenter, building houses, performing machine maintenance, as well as various office positions. He enjoyed shooting pool, playing horseshoes, playing softball, hunting, trapshooting and visiting with friends near and far. He was preceded in death by his wife, Aleta Archdale; son, Alex Stearns; step-son, Frederick Archdale; brothers, Alfred Melbourne, Clifford Melbourne and Lionel Johnson; and sisters, Beulah Melbourne, Arlene Johnson, Renee Melbourne, Paula Melbourne and Cheryl Melbourne. He is survived by his daughters, Michelle Melbourne, Monica Melbourne-Franklin and Lorraine Hopkins; and five grandchildren. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at the Poplar Cultural Center. Interment followed at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with arrangements.

Sharon Lee (Bonebright) Rau, 78, of Billings, formerly of Sidney, died Dec. 19, 2021. She was born June 30, 1943, in Williston, N.D. to Everett and Grace Bonebright. She was one of three children. She was raised in Culbertson where she graduated high school. Some of her fond memories of growing up in Culbertson were sledding down Skunk Hill and working at the Tastee Freeze. After graduation from Culbertson High School, she attended college at the University of Montana in Missoula where she had been awarded a music scholarship. She married Douglas Rau on Jan. 19, 1968. They had three children: Seana, Rhetta and Justin. She wore a number of hats in the public eye. First and foremost, she was the mother of three children who were in sports, rodeo, music competitions and 4-H. Every year before fair time, she would help her children halter break steers, polish horse hooves and time them on rodeo events. She would often pack up the camper, load the horse trailer and take the children to their rodeo events around Montana, North and South Dakota. In the late 1960s and through the 1970s, she was a social worker and then the executive director of the Richland County Welfare Department. After 12 years with the welfare department, she retired and then worked as a music teacher at Rau School for 13 years. She would coordinate the annual Rau School Christmas play. Her last rewarding job was being the director of the Chamber of Commerce in Sidney for 13 years until 2004 when she suffered a severe brain injury. After numerous brain surgeries and months of rehabilitation, she was able to go back to work part-time. She also stayed active within her church community. She thoroughly enjoyed organizing events for the town such as Arts in the Park, the Sunrise Music Festival, Peter Paddlefish Day and the Christmas Stroll. She played a big role in shaping the businesses that make up the Sidney community and, for many, a part of their success can be attributed to her hard work and dedication to Sidney. She was the first female Kiwanis president. Senators had mailed her letters telling her congratulations on that accomplishment. After her husband’s death, she later sold the farm and briefly bought a townhouse in Sidney before moving to Billings to be closer to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved scrapbooking and was very passionate about showing off her family. She had also enjoyed ceramics, started a t-shirt design business and anything with being creative. She loved playing games and would never pass up a good game of Farkle. She was preceded in death by her husband, Doug; sister, Joyce Persson; and brother, Gary Bonebright. She is survived by daughters, Seana Rau of Billings and Rhetta Rau of Billings; son, Justin Rau of Big Sky; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Funeral services were Wednesday, Dec. 22, at Ebenezer Congregational Church in Sidney with Pastor David Meehan officiating. Interment was in the Sidney Cemetery.