Funeral services for Alton Vernald Hillesland are Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Pella Lutheran Church in Sidney, Mont., with Pastor Barb Haugerud officiating. A luncheon will follow the service for a time of fellowship and sharing. Visitation will be Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fulkerson Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Sidney, Mont., and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pella Lutheran Church with a celebration of life service to follow, open to the public. Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home of Sidney, Mont., is assisting the family. Remembrances, condolences and pictures may be shared with the family at www.fulkersons.com. Alton Vernald Hillesland passed from this life on Feb. 10, 2024, at his home in Sidney, Mont., surrounded by family. He was born on July 2, 1928, to Ted and Lottie Hillesland in Calmar, Iowa, and grew up on the family farm with three brothers: Dalos, Glenn and Harvey. He married Harriet Ohnstad and they enjoyed 62 years of marriage. He later married long-time family friend Ruthann Knutson. His 95 years were filled with the love of learning and his unwavering, steadfast faith in God. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He served as pastor in Spring Grove, Minn.; Willow City, N.D.; country churches around Parshall, N.D.; Mondovi, Wis.; Culbertson and Bainville, Mont.; Sidney, Mont.; and Watford City, N.D. Upon retirement as pastor, he was asked to be the building inspector for the city of Sidney and Richland County and served in that role until age 89. His desire to help others and love of medicine led him to become a certified EMT. He served in that role through age 85. His list of hobbies continued to grow through the years. He taught himself to play the guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin and most recently the piano. He also taught himself Norwegian rosemaling, oil painting, wood carving, sketching, wood turning, fine woodworking and house building. He also authored daily devotions for Christ in Our Home. He made space for his ever- growing wood shop in each of their homes. His woodworking skills included building a pull-behind camper complete with a kitchen on one side and wardrobe on the other side that was used for annual summer camping vacations. One of the biggest woodworking challenges Dad tackled in his shop was his History Clock. It was a project that took him just over 20 years. It is a testament to his drive and determination. He was an active member in Kiwanis for many years. He met Monday through Friday for over 30 years with his Coffee Buddies (“the grandpas”) and was always up for a game of Pinochle. Philanthropy and giving back to the communities he lived in was something he felt very strongly about. As a result, he enjoyed supporting many different organizations in the communities where he lived, including serving as a founding member of the McKenzie County Heritage Park in Watford City. Alton is survived by his wife, Ruthann; four children, Tom (Marie), Jeff (Sally), Chris (Billie) and Sana (Ken) Keller; five stepchildren, Chad (Brad) Knelson, Joe (Jeni) Knutson, Sandra (Mark) Fetting, Marty Knutson (Jenifer Grau) and Bethany (Erick) Spiegel; 23 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. Adding to the family, reconnecting with long-lost relatives and discovering new family was a joy throughout his life. One of his greatest joys was spending time with all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers; first wife; and grandson, Jade. If desired, memorials may be made in Alton’s name to the Foundation for Community Care, Pella Lutheran Church, or Martha’s Place in Sidney. (Paid Obituary)

Joan Gouldstone, 87, of Culbertson died Sunday Jan. 28, 2024, at the Sidney Health Center. She was born in Que Que, Rhodesia, Africa, on Aug. 28, 1936, to Harry and Cathrina Knoesen. She lived in Rhodesia until moving to Atlanta, Ga., in 1979 with her husband, Murray, and son, Craig. In Africa, she worked as an administrative assistant. While living in Georgia, she had various jobs including elderly care, floral design and doing demos for “Boars Head.” In 2014, she moved to Culbertson to live closer to her son. She loved Culbertson and it quickly became her “home.” She enjoyed going to the senior citizen gatherings where she made many friends. She attended Bethel Community Church. Her unwavering faith and compassionate spirit touched the lives of many. She is survived by her son, Craig; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and sister, Leonie. She was preceded in death by her sister, Glenn; and brother, Bill. A celebration of life was held Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Bethel Community Church in Culbertson.

Gwen Eileen (Knudsen) Bolstad of Homestead, Mont., was born July 11, 1963, in Williston, N.D., to Wayne and Janice Knudsen of Bainville, Mont. She passed early Saturday morning, Feb. 3, 2024, surrounded by family. She was 60 years old. Fiercely independent and determined, she was the third of four children. Gwen was diagnosed with diabetes at age five but never let it define her. She attended Bainville Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and was active in sports, band and choir. Her opponents on the basketball court often described her as a fierce competitor with sharp elbows, not unlike her eventual daughter. As a teen, she was crowned Miss Montana Angus Queen. She attended Eastern Montana College (MSU-B) in Billings, where she received her teaching degree and met her eventual husband Jon — whose attempt at a first date to a Merle Haggard concert proved fruitful, somehow. They were married in June 1985 and moved to a farm and ranch east of Homestead, where they would raise their two children — Jenna, born in 1988, and Jackson, born in 1991. A passionate, ruler-wielding educator to her many students, Gwen taught in several schools before settling at Culbertson Public Schools. She taught physical education for a while before moving to junior high math and science, where she thrived helping her young students master the order of operations and correctly read/pronounce organism. Never one to sit idle, Gwen earned her master's degree in education, coached basketball and track, enjoyed stamping cards, helped with the cows and farming and maintained a healthy garden and meticulous yard. No one was ever allowed to mow HER lawn or touch HER garden, especially after she put her husband in charge of the garden once while at Mayo Clinic. When asked about her garden, he responded, “best

Pearl Evelyn (Pedersen) Swank, 100, died Jan. 9, 2024, in Poplar. She was born Oct. 19, 1923 in Congor, Minn., near Albert Lea, Minn., to Danish immigrant parents Peder Marius and Inger (Paulsen) Pedersen. When she was five years old, the family moved to a rented farm north of Circle where she went to country schools. The family moved to Malta after she finished the seventh grade. She graduated from Malta High School in 1941. She graduated in 1945 from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. She taught in Culbertson, Nashua, Fairview and Poplar High Schools. She married Eugene Swank of North Poplar in 1952, where they raised their four children. She was an active leader for decades in the Up‘N-Atom 4-H Club teaching girls to sew, using her home economics teaching skills. She sewed all her own dresses, always had a big garden and many people appreciated “Pearl’s potatoes.” She took up quilting after her children graduated from high school, cutting blocks and sewing quilts for babies and old folks. She put together thousands of quilt tops that were donated to Denver Children’s Hospital, Daniels County Nursing Home and other charities. The star quilts she made were all quilted by her hand and she gave several neighbor teens quilts when they graduated high school. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church (north Brockton) and attended Pleasant Prairie Lutheran Church (Flaxville). She had a wonderful 100th birthday celebration with friends and family, continued sewing until the last two months and resided on the family farm until her death. She is survived by her children, Donna Swank Rudiger, Mark Swank, Lyle Swank of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Lois Weber; numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Chris, Emil, Rosa Seppala and Paul; and her husband, Eugene. A private family burial will take place at Zion Lutheran Church at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, north of Brockton. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Pleasant Prairie Lutheran Church (mile marker 32 on Hwy 251, County Line Rd). Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.

Susan Finnicum, 67, of Culbertson died Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in her home in Culbertson. She was the seventh child born to Montana and Bernie Finnicum, born Nov. 6, 1956. She grew up around a lot of family. She graduated from Culbertson High School in 1975. She played basketball in high school and passed her love of basketball on to her daughter, Jenna. She was a lifeguard at the Culbertson pool in the summers. She attended college in Billings until she married Terry Anderson and then received her degree from Wyoming State University Laramie. They lived in Albin, Wyo., where they had two daughters, Tana and Jenna. They eventually moved to Missouri and lived there for several years. They finally settled in Sheridan, Wyo., where they raised their girls, kept horses, dogs, cats and other animals. She worked for a credit union during this time. She had a great love for God, children and animals. She always had at least one dog, a cat and a couple of horses. In 1997, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She had great faith in God and was a 27-year survivor of breast cancer. Her family rallied around her to get her through all the chemo, stem cell treatment and radiation. Unfortunately, her marriage did not survive breast cancer and she eventually took a job with a ranch near Wyola where she did haying and feeding cattle. She met her second husband, David Soto, while working at the ranch. They moved to a small farm near the state line east of Bainville where she had her horses, cat, dog and a pot belly pig. She worked with her brother, Butch, at the furniture store in Williston until it closed in 2011. While she had never been to Kalispell, she decided to move there when the store closed. She made her first trip to Kalispell and bought a place on top of a mountain for herself and her horses in Kila. She found a church she loved and made many friends. She worked at a hotel for a while, but found a job in home health care that she truly loved and at which she was very good. She retired when COVID hit. The summer of 2022, she was diagnosed with stage 4 Mesothelioma. Her sister LaVonne and her husband, Scotty Scotson, spent several months with her while she did chemotherapy. She came home in November 2022 after a heart attack so her sisters could share her care. She started immunotherapy at the Sidney Cancer Center in January 2023. She lived in her Grandmother Annie’s little house with her dog, Mattie, and cat, Mewly. Her brother- in-law Steve was her personal chef and provided her with two meals a day. In September 2023, she decided she was done with any cancer treatment. Her sisters continued to give her care until her death. She was preceded in death by her brother, Butch Finnicum. She is survived by her daughters, Tana Bahruth and Jenna Anderson; one grandson; brothers, Paul Finnicum and Bill Finnicum; sisters, Diane Hampton, LaVonne Scotson, Nancy Hansen and Bonnie Hellweg. Per her wishes, she had a graveside service at the Culbertson Hillside Cemetery on Dec. 23, 2023, and she was interred with her companions, Mattie and Mewly.

Norman Edward Olson, 86, of Culbertson died Jan. 4, 2024. As a young man, he dedicated his life to serving his country as a paratrooper in the Airborne forces. He grew up in Culbertson and worked at the safflower plant for 35 years. He and Peggy Birch shared a part of their lives together and had two daughters, Terri and Lana. He also helped raise Peggy’s two sons, Tom and Michael Birch. They loved to go camping in western Montana. After 18 years of raising cattle on the farm, they decided to move into Culbertson, making the “last house on the left” their family home. They were raised to be a reflection of his strong values and guidance. Later, he married Juanita. In her, he found his best friend. They shared laughter and their endless faith in Jesus. They took the brave journey to Broken Arrow, Okla., to graduate Rhema Bible Training College together. Though their paths went different ways, their friendship lived on. He was a part of the lives of Juanita's children, Bruce, Misty, Zenas, Lynnette, Shannon, Roseina, Russell, Lloyd, Tracy, Randy, Melvin and Daisy. His guidance and warmth created an environment where love and laughter thrived. His grandchildren