Brent Duane Hintz was born on Jan. 29, 1952, to Jean (McCellan) and Leland Hintz in Wolf Point, Mont. He passed away at home in Billings on April 4, 2026, surrounded by his family. We are assured that he is in the arms of Jesus, as he trusted Him as his Lord and Savior. Brent was raised on the family farm in the Vida community. He attended school in Vida and graduated from Wolf Point High School in 1970. He went on to attend Montana State University– Northern for several years before returning home to help on the family farm. From his early teens, Brent developed a love for airplanes and the freedom of flight. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1977 and owned a Cessna 177 Cardinal. His passion continued throughout his life — he could often identify a plane overhead simply by its sound and shape. In 1978, he met the love of his life, Lorene Pankratz Lund. After a short courtship, they were married on July 21, 1979. Together, they raised their two children, Bryan and Lindsey, in Wolf Point. Brent was active in the National Farmers Organization and served on the board of Gospel Fellowship Church. He later became a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Billings. He farmed until 2002, then became the owner and operator of Hintz Trucking, hauling grain locally with his Peterbilt truck until 2017, when he moved to Billings. At the time of his passing, he was working part-time for Jackson Group Peterbilt.

Phyllis Jean Johnson, 95, of Plentywood died March 21, 2026. She was born May 14, 1930 to Leora (Fitzer) and Arthur Lester in Plentywood. Her parents' families settled near Welliver and Daleview from Indiana and Illinois in the 1910s. She was the oldest of six children and helped around the place, feeding animals and siblings, tending the farm buildings and house, gardening, cooking, canning and driving equipment. She later would help neighbors. She spent summers with relatives in Plentywood, Medicine Lake and Froid. She started school at the Marsh School and traveled to school by horseback, sleigh and wagon. She continued her schooling in Plentywood, staying with her grandmother Lulu and boarding with her siblings with dierent families. She graduated from Plentywood High School in 1949 where she played high school softball. She went to college at Northern Montana in Havre for a term. She met Maynard in high school and were married on Thanksgiving Day 1949, which became their de facto anniversary day. He worked for Montana-Dakota Utilities. She worked as a Rexall soda jerk, an Avon lady and a sales clerk at the Anthony's Clothing Store. She and Mark closed out Grandpa Johnson's Second Hand Store and finished her work career at Sheridan Memorial Hospital O_ce as an insurance coder. She and Maynard had four boys over about 10 years: Greg, Mark, Brian and Doyle. She was a den mother for all four boys and attended many school and sporting events through the years. The boys now reside in California, Colorado and Montana. She and Maynard were longtime members of the Evangelical United Brethren later the Evangelical United Methodist Church where they were married by Reverend Dunn. They filled many roles at the church: Sunday School teacher, board member,

Brian Weston, 49, of Wolf Point died April 15, 2026, in Bismarck, N.D. Funeral services are pending under the direction of Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel.

Joann Eleanor Senner, 90, of Richey died Monday, April 6, 2026, at McCone County Health Center in Circle. She was born Oct. 16, 1935, in Glendive to Elmer and Viola (Babb) Schmasow. She graduated with the Richey High School Class of 1953. After high school, she moved to Glendive to work for Shell Oil Co. where she loved her job. On Aug. 28, 1955, she married Walter Senner. They made their home on the family farm in Bloomfield. They had two daughters, Patty Colbert and Pamela Schipman; five granddaughters; and 13 great-grandchildren. She loved the farm and especially summer fallowing with her 935 Versatile tractor. She also loved to bake. Her children could always count on something freshly baked when they came home from school. She also taught afterschool Bible Club. She loved going to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s activities and was their biggest cheerleader. In January 2018, she and Walter moved to The Lodge in Sidney. Six months later, Walter moved to the Eastern Montana Veterans Home in Glendive and she moved to The Grandview. She visited him nearly every day until his death in 2023. In 2024, she moved back to The Lodge. The day after Christmas 2025, she moved to the McCone County Health Center in Circle. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter; and her sister, Betty. Funeral services was held at the Richey Alliance Church on Tuesday, April 14, with Pastor Fred Kanagy o_ciating. Interment was in the Richey Cemetery.

Kitty Aletha Kolden, age 62, of Wolf Point, Mont., died at her home on Friday, April 3, 2026. She fought the good fight against a cancer she said had been trying to kill her for 19 months. She was born June 4, 1963, the last of four children to Dewey and JoAnn Forsness of Wolf Point and she joined her siblings Layne, Penny, and Cindy on the family farm and ranch. As a child, Kitty often lamented that she was to have been born first and her siblings would not let her out. She was the namesake of her great-grandmothers Kitty Scott and Aletha Forsness and became the keeper of the family photos, home movies, and relationships with relatives and family friends. At age 3, Kitty learned to read from the Great Falls Tribune taught by her grandmother, Nathalia Scott Mull. This started a lifetime of wanting to learn (and learning!) what things were and how they worked. Kitty earned an associate of arts degree in journalism from Williston State College before becoming an avid collector of many varied and interesting things. You could often find her at a yard sale, estate sale, auction sale, Goodwill or a campsite searching for rocks, bones and fossils. She had a keen eye for seeking out treasures, which developed into an interest in photography. She would lay in a snowy field to get a closeup picture of a badger or rooster pheasants in battle — a photo displayed in the Museum of Natural History in San Diego, Calif. Kitty also had her photos painted by longtime friend and artist Lance Johnson of Sunrise Studio & Art Gallery. In 1997, Kitty met James Kolden and they were married that year. They enjoyed many adventures together traveling, camping, making new friends and watching the wildlife from the lanai. Kitty is survived by her husband, James Kolden; siblings, Layne Forsness, Penny Vossler and Cindy Hanks; stepchildren, Tammi and Tina; nine nieces and nephews; and a multitude of friends who we are so grateful to for supporting Kitty in her final days. You finally get to be first — spread your wings and fly sister. (Paid Obituary)

Virginia Clancy, 83, died Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 17, at 11 a.m. at Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow at Oswego Presbyterian Cemetery.

Bruce Garrett Mahlen, 71, of Shoshoni, Wyo., died March 26, 2026. Born on Jan. 16, 1955, to Ernest and Evelyn Mahlen, he grew up with a competitive spirit that defined his life. He was a man who worked hard so he could play harder. He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat Guidry-Mahlen, who died in 2010. He was a devoted father to his children, Scott Mahlen, Jason Mahlen, Wendy Nordtome, Kayla Mahlen and Summer Laven, and a proud grandfather to all of his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a presence you always felt when he was around. He was always a man testing his luck at the local casino playing keno, almost always leaving with a win and a funny story. If it wasn’t keno, it was most often a game of pool or bowling in his younger years. He loved cards and

Cheryl Lynn Sutherland, 65, died March 31, 2026, at the Billings Clinic in Billings. She was given her beloved nickname, “Boo Bear” from her older brother Richard when she was an infant. She was given her Dakota name, Waha’canka Duta Wi (Red Shield Woman). She was born Dec. 5, 1960, in Poplar to Richard “Dicky” Sutherland and Louise Ell. She was enrolled in Rocky Boy, but Poplar is where she called home. She loved both reservations as many of her beloved relatives resided in both. She in early years she followed her parents to California until they moved back home to Montana. She later moved with her father to Rocky Boy. They later moved to Columbia Falls, later moving back with her mother to Fort Peck Reservation. Together with her siblings, they lived at the Glasgow Air Force Base where she continued her schooling. In the years to follow, she married and divorced Jerry Small and, together, they had a son, Terrell. Grandma Louise raised him as her own. She continued on her own path and met Alfred Walking Eagle and, together, had Seneca, whom her uncle Walkie and aunt Rose Sutherland raised in Rocky Boy. She later met Frank Martell and had their sons, Cale and Brandon. They parted their ways, and she later met Bernard Noel Youpee. Together, they had their daughters, Britney and Marlene. Years later, she met Robert Brown and they had their sons, Richard and Zachary. Throughout her life, she wore several hats; she worked as a geographical seismic surveyor, firefighting camp crew, housekeeper for the Rocky Boy Tribal Health, net maker for A& S Industries and Fort Peck Tribes Daycare worker. But above all, her most cherished role was helping raise her grandchildren. She was a woman of strong

Marlin John “Porgie” Jackson, Ta’Wamni Oda’, “Many Eagles,” 53, died March 26, 2026, in Billings — the same day his younger brother, Miles J. Jackson Sr., died six years earlier. He was born Sept. 7, 1972, to Reginald Hotomanie and Mary Sue Jackson in Wolf Point. We know he was greeted in heaven by family and friends with overwhelming joy and happiness. He was raised in Frazer and attended Frazer Public Schools, graduating in 1992. He had a deep passion for sports and excelled in everything he set his mind to. He mentored countless young athletes, inspiring them to believe in themselves and guiding them with patience and love. He proudly coached the Frazer Bearcubs elementary, middle school and high school basketball, track and football teams, as well as coaching traveling basketball teams — sharing his time, knowledge and heart with the youth. An outstanding athlete himself, he went to state for javelin during his junior and senior years, taking third place in 1992. His record throw of 178’10” still stands today — a record he proudly claimed would “never be broken.” After high school, he attended University of Jamestown for a short period in North Dakota, often talking about his dream of playing in the Major Leagues. In the years that followed, he came close to that dream, earning recognition as one of the greatest softball players around — fierce, fast and competitive. Traveling across the rez and the state, he and his “softball family” brought home many tournament titles, MVP awards, Pendleton coats/blankets and star quilts. He also carried on the family tradition of Wild Horse Racing, competing alongside his brothers and supporting his nephews as a coach and mentor. He proudly called his uncles “the original O.G.s” — ‘Jackson, Inc.’ for life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing any chance he got. He enjoyed fixing things and making different contraptions. Throughout his life, he held many jobs and excelled in all of them. He worked

Donald “Alan” Stanford, 73, died in Billings, Mont., on Dec. 3, 2025. A lifelong resident of Culbertson, he was born Oct. 12, 1952, to Greel and Hazel Stanford. As the youngest of six children, he grew up with a deep connection to his family and his hometown. After graduating from Culbertson High School, he became a man of many trades. He spent much of his life behind the wheel of a truck or working with his hands as a carpenter. Those who knew him best knew where to find him when the workday was done: either on the back of a Harley Davidson or enjoying a cold drink and a good story at the local bar. His passion for motorcycles was sparked early on when his siblings gifted him his first bike — a gesture that fueled a lifelong love for the road. When he wasn’t riding, he was almost certainly with a dog. He rarely went through life without a loyal canine companion by his side. He is survived by his siblings, Irene Johnson of Culbertson and Mike Stanford of Costa Rica. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Robert, John and Ed Stanford. There will be a spreading of ashes at Charley Creek on April 18, 2026, at 11 a.m.