Olga Mae Elgen, 87, of Culbertson died the morning of July 9, 2025 at the Roosevelt Medical Center. She was born to Carl and Mae Kjarmo on July 17, 1937, in Big Timber. She grew up on a sheep ranch outside of Grey Cliff alongside her three younger siblings. She graduated from Sweet Grass County High School and attended college at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Soon after, she married Dennis Elgen in 1957. Together, they had six daughters and made their home in Culbertson. She was a devoted mother, wife and Christian. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and the Sweet Adelines singing group. She loved singing hymns at church and tending to her flowers. She enjoyed cooking and baking for Dennis and her girls. They took many trips to visit family and friends, often on their motorcycle. In her later years, she was known for crocheting and gifting pot holders to many family and friends. She is survived by her daughters, Debbie Lombardo, Kathie Elgen, Karen Sather, Dixie Berwick, Lori Jasper and Linda Hinds; numerous

It is with heavy hearts we announce that Sgt. Michael Anthony Ellerton passed away on July 1, 2025, after a four-year battle with cancer. Born Jan. 31, 1994 in, Lohr a.M., Bayern, Germany, he spent the first seven years of his life there before moving with his parents and brother Paul to the U.S. to be raised with his future brothers. From an early age, he excelled academically, despite frequent moves and hard times. He graduated from Polson High School near the top of his class. He then went to Montana State University chasing a chemical and biological engineering degree. It was not for him. He then spent a year out of state finding himself and returning home to restart. From early on, Michael always wanted to be a soldier and serve his country, since his dad is a veteran. This desire to serve led him down the path to becoming a Deputy, where he could protect people and take criminals off the street. He thrived in that environment, asking for a K-9 and S.W.A.T. training, which he talked the county into providing. This proved fruitful, wiht them finding missing children and doing much more in the few short years they served. His level of dedication, attention to detail and looking at things through a different lens led him to also take on investigative tasks for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His end goal was to be a U.S. Marshal, because he wanted to find the most dangerous among us and bring them to justice. He was strict, but loving. He would enforce the law while fiercely protecting rights and exhibiting great patience. He loved what he did and he did it exceptionally well. He loved his family and

Rodney “Rod” Eugene Lemieux, 74, died July 7, 2025, at Sidney Health Center. He was born May 17, 1951, in Havre, the second of nine children born to Roy and Viola (Schiff) Lemieux. In 1960, the family moved from Big Sandy to Culbertson. He excelled at basketball and running track and, after graduating from Culbertson High School, he attended Minot State University on a basketball scholarship. On Sept. 11, 1971, he married his high school sweetheart, Donna Damm. He then transferred to Eastern Montana College, where he earned a bachelor of arts in business administration. Settling in Sidney, they raised their children, Alisha and BJ. After a successful career in the insurance industry, he spent

Dianne Kay (Schillinger) Sukut, 72, of Circle died July 11, 2025, in Sidney. Born Oct. 17, 1952 in Wolf Point, she was the youngest of three children born to Allan and Shirley (Njaa) Schillinger. She spent her childhood growing up on the Vida farm surrounded by her older brothers, Donald “Don” and James “Jim,” and multiple cousins. She attended Vida Elementary and graduated from Circle High School in 1970. She attended MSU - Billings (formerly Eastern Montana College) and started to obtain a degree in education, but soon realized her organizational skills would be much better served with an associate degree. In 1973, she returned to her hometown and began a remarkable 43-year long career as the executive secretary at Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, where she became a steady, trusted presence and developed life long friendships with her warmth and dedication. She married Wade Sukut, in 1976. They had two children, Nicole and Brent, and focused on building a home full of love, laughter, pets and warm memories. She was a devoted mom and Circle Wildcats fan. She rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on her children and, as dedicated as of a minute- taker she was during Mid Rivers Board meetings, she was even more meticulous in

Patrick McKay, 52, of Poplar died July 1, 2025. Funeral services are pending under the direction of Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point.

Tracy Lea Goerss Hentges, 61, of Oswego died Saturday, July 5, 2025, at her home. She was born on March 2, 1964, in Springville, N.Y., to Susan LaRoque and Raymond Goerss. She was raised in Springville and spent her teenage years in Frazer,, where she earned her GED. She lived a life of hardship and hard work, but she always made the most of it. She led a busy life, balancing motherhood with various jobs, including work at Town Pump, irrigation, asbestos removal and seismographing in California. Her favorite job, however, was farming and ranching. She loved farming, especially being around cattle and horses. They were not just her livelihood, but also her passion. She loved animals as if they were family. In addition to her love for animals, she had a deep passion for gardening. She spent countless hours tending to her garden, making sure her vegetables were properly watered and thriving. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, going on late-night cruises and doing anything that brought people together. She stood up for what was right and never let anyone take advantage of her. A headstrong woman, she was deeply committed to caring for her family and friends, always making sure they had what they needed. She was just a phone call away, always on the move and always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. Many knew her as a friend, a sister, a mother and a (great) grandmother. She welcomed many into her life as a family. It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from; if you were around long enough, she saw past boundaries and made you one of her own. She fought a long battle with cancer. As difficult as it was, she held on as long as she could and remained strong until the very end. She is survived by her husband, Gerald Hentges; mother, Susan; stepfather, Henry LaRoque; children, LeAndra Gustafson and Brockie Standing; numerous grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; siblings, Niki Smoker, Carman Welch, Roxanne Turntoes, Lori Jones, Carol Holt, Will Goerss, Kelly Myers and extended sibling Melody Foster. She was preceded in death by her son, Eric Follet; and great-grandson, Jayden White. A wake was at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at the Frazer Community Hall. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 17, at the Frazer Community Hall with cremation to follow. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point was entrusted with the arrangements.

Don Kenneth Parks, a lifelong Christian Vietnam Veteran, went to be with his Lord and Savior on June 26, 2025, after a hard fought battle against the effects of exposure to Agent Orange. His bright blue eyes are sparkling and sharp again and he is walking Heavens pathways with family and friends and a huge happy smile. Don was born on Sept. 21, 1943, an equinox baby, to Kenneth and Beulah (Torrison) Parks in Wolf Point, Mont. He was the first little brother of three older sisters, Audrey, Bonnie and Cleone, with the youngest brother Everon following a few years later completing the family. The family would live in a few different locations around the northeast corner of Montana. Don and his friends growing up had a love of guns and hunting and every spare minute possible was spent traveling the back roads of McCone and Roosevelt counties. After his high school graduation in 1962, Don was drafted, and went through basic training in Fort Ord, Calif., and was there when JFK was assassinated. Don served his country in the Vietnam War with honor and pride and it would be the only time he ever left the shores of America. After his discharge in 1966, he was driving along Nickwall Road and passed the Whitmer farm. Two brothers were teaching their sister, Mary Ann, how to shoot a rifle. Never missing a chance to shoot, Don pulled in and the pretty little gal wasn’t able to hit a rock on top of a fence post with the rifle she was using. Don pulled out his reliable .243 Winchester Featherweight bolt action with Leopold scope and told her to put the dot on the rock and squeeze the trigger. The rock evaporated and the next 60 years is a hunting, shooting and fishing romance story for the ages. To this day, the “gun that got us married” is still in their home and is a symbol of their enduring relationship. They were wed in Wolf Point, Mont., on Nov. 23, 1966. Son Barron D in 1967 and daughter Gina Ann was born in 1969. Don drove big rigs for a few years working out of Wolf Point, Glendive and Circle, Mont., until an opportunity to use the communications training and Signal Corps service from the Army happened along and he was offered a job as a lineman for Mid-Rivers Telephone Co-op. Mid-Rivers was soon expanding and in the spring of 1976, an opening in Grass Range seemed like a good idea, so Don and Mary Ann moved to Central Montana. Don would work a full 30-plusyear career with Mid-Rivers and saw several technological advances during his tenure. He climbed poles fixing copper lines, then installed thousands of miles of underground copper lines, then upgraded to fiber optic cable and then, in the twilight of his career, worked and maintained the equipment for wireless communications. The hunting, fishing and outdoor activities around Grass Range fit Don very well and he never missed an opportunity to take his wife and kids trapshooting, scouting for big game, watching rodeos or any other anything else going on outside creating treasured memories too numerous to count. Games of cribbage, UNO and pinochle with friends and neighbors were played to all hours of the night. Don and Mary Ann could always be found cheering on Barron, Gina and all the Grass Range Rangers at their games and, later, they loved to travel and cheer on their grandchildren playing football and basketball. Don was a proficient reloader of firearms ammunition. All calibers and gauges of shotguns and rifles were examined, tweaked and modified until the perfect load for each weapon was found. His “gun room” was where some of the best hunting, trapshooting, roping, and big buck memories were regaled with family and friends. Don was led to Heaven by his parents, Ken and Buelah; sister, Audrey (James) Marcom; sister, Bonnie (George) Sagissor; sister, Cleone (Mick) Davis; sisters-in-law, Debbie Parks and Betsy Jueschke; nephews, Doug Marcom, Ken Sagissor and Tom Sagissor; and niece, Ella Marcom. Don is survived by his supportive, caregiving, wife of 58 years, Mary Ann; brother, Everon Parks; son, Barron (Linda) Parks; daughter, Gina (Troy) Delaney; grandchildren, Joel (Kayla) Parks, Kyllisha (Nate) Swanner, Trenton Delaney and Kaylyn (Justin) Malecek; six dearly loved great-grandchildren; and numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. The celebration of Don’s life was held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at the Grass Range Cemetery. Contributions in Don’s name can be made to the Grass Range Endowment, 401 7thAve. S. #208, Lewistown, MT 59457 or the central Montana charity of your choice. Arrangements were under the care of Creel Funeral Home. Don’s family and friends can share memories and condolences at www. creelfuneralhome.com. (Paid Obituary)

Ashley Ceaser Bigleggins, AKA Kojak Shyface, 34, of Wolf Point died June 30, 2025, in Wolf Point. He was born March 16, 1991, in Poplar to Patricia Ann Shyface and Curtis Bigleggins. He is survived by his spouse, Kate RunsThrough; and his seven children: his oldest from Miya Smith is Amrah Smith; then with Clarissa Muniz, he has two sons, Quincy Shyface and Ceaser Shyface, and a daughter, Kaylohni Shyface; and with Tyray Bird, he has two daughters, Amora Shyface and Rosilee Shyface, and a son, Dean D Bird. He lived for a while in Glendive and worked at Dickey’s BBQ , RJ’s Burger and Taco John’s. He also worked for Bryce Kirk, who was a good friend. He was a loving and caring man who loved his children, friends and family very much. He was a happy person, always being goofy and, smiling all the time. He was

David Keith Brown, a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, passed away on the evening of 6 July, 2025, at the age of 86 at the Faith Lutheran Home in Wolf Point, Mont. The son of Clarence and Beulah Brown, he was born in Helena, Mont. David grew up in Vida, Mont., and graduated from Wolf Point High School in Montana before heading off into the Navy. He was an Aircraft Maintenance Shop (AMS) technician and supervisor from 1957 to 1977. He valued this service highly and rose through the enlisted ranks until finally attaining his commission as a Chief Warrant Officer 02. During his 20 years of service, he was stationed at Naval Air stations in San Diego, Calif.; Cubi Point, Philippines; Agana, Guam; Whidbey Island, Wash.; Imperial Beach, Calif.; and Alameda, Calif. He was attached to 'Air wings' on the Aircraft Carriers Constellation, Ticonderoga, Coral Sea and Oriskany. His military decorations include the Navy Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal (4), National Defense Service Medal (2), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (3 bronze stars) and the Vietnam

Melody Lynn “Mel” De-Marrias, 14, of Poplar died June 28, 2025, at Poplar Hospital. She was born on April 25, 2011, in Wolf Point to Stephanie Cloud. She was a happy baby. She was a fast learner; walking by 9 months old. She was always a mama’s girl. If she wasn’t with her mom, she was with her siblings. She loved Noah braiding her hair in different styles. The older she got, she loved to do makeup and nails. She was entering the 8th grade this year. She had many friends. She loved to visit with her soft voice. If her friends weren’t around, she loved to spend time with her brother, William. She had a heart of gold but, when she needed to be, she was outspoken, not only for herself but for her friends also. She was just learning how to drive. Her mom and aunt Judy would take her for country rides to practice. At the age of 4, she met John O. Weigand. From that age on, he was her dad. Even after Steph and John O separated, they remained good friends and he continued to spend time with the children. She was a direct descendant of Bad Temper Bear. She