Clayton Montclair, 44, of Wolf Point, died Dec. 17, 2023. He was born July 24, 1979, to Meryle Judy Hotomanie and Clayton Raymond Montclair, both of Wolf Point. He stepped up to support his nieces and nephews. He was very proud of them, especially Manny who joined the Marines in May 2023. He was also very proud of his niece, Kaitlyn Burling, who is also a Marine since 2022. He was also in a relationship with Dawnette Green and this union produced three daughters, Mila Montclair, Justine Green and baby Dawnette Montclair. He was a very intelligent person with a high IQ. This tended to get him in trouble if he was bored. He had numerous jobs, working concrete, construction with Hi-Tech and Fisher in Billings and cooking at various fast food outlets in Great Falls. He was an awesome cook and enjoyed it. He was a delivery person for Deaconess Hospital before it became Billings Clinic. He was into being healthy, eating healthy and staying fit. He also liked to garden and enjoyed planting flowers and vegetables. He enjoyed hanging out with family, laughing and joking around and always found

Orren Cleo Vinger, 89, of Billings, formerly of Wolf Point, died Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. He was born March 20, 1934, in Wheelock, N.D., to Olaf and Olive (Gilbertson) Vinger. He graduated from Wheelock High School in 1953. He met Elaine Remmen in November 1955. They got engaged that December, and the two young Norwegians were married on St. Patty’s Day in 1956. It was a whirlwind start to a romance that lasted nearly 67 years, holding hands to the end. They had three children — two sons, Terry and Mark, and a daughter, Tammy, along with their eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They spent most of their married years between North Dakota and Montana and eventually settled in Wolf Point, where they raised their family. They also enjoyed their time together in Billings and Chandler, Ariz., which allowed them to be close to family. He started working as a meter reader at 89 cents an hour and worked his way up to division manager in his 40 years with Montana-Dakota Utilities. He was a member of the JCs, the Wolf Point Stampede Committee, Luther League

Raymond William Randolph, 81, of Charlotte, N.C., formerly of Wolf Point died Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Born in Havre on Nov. 7, 1942, to Edith and Homer Randolph, he spent his childhood in Havre and graduated from Havre High School. He married his high school sweetheart Gail Stromberg on July 1, 1962. They moved to Wolf Point, where they raised their four sons. An astute and successful business leader, he headed Randolph & Son Builders, Inc., the construction company that his father founded in 1936. He was deeply involved in the industry and the community and was a devout Christian serving as deacon in the Wolf Point Presbyterian Church. He and Gail moved their family and the business to Charlotte, N.C., in 1986. He retired from the company in 2012, passing his vast expertise to his sons. He was also an avid sportsman. He was happiest when in nature, hunting, fishing and golfing. Hunting elk, deer and birds was his true passion and he spent much time in the Missouri Breaks in Montana and in Chester, S.C. He shared that love of hunting and the outdoors with his sons and grandchildren in the same manner his father had shared it with him. Above all, he loved his family

Brenda Fay Harvey She was born April 16, 1959, in Culbertson to Almont and Helen (Skillingberg) Harvey, the fourth of five children. She graduated from Froid High School and Montana State University. She began her teaching career in Savage and also taught at Frontier Elementary, Flaxville, Plevna, Bainville and finally Culbertson. She truly loved teaching children of all learning styles. She also worked for a short time at the Culbertson hospital. Never one to stay too long, she and her trusty set of encyclopedias squeezed into the old horse trailer for many moves to a new town and new school. She also loved animals, particularly cats. She was always ready to adopt another feline friend. She loved books

Charles “Chuck” Nerud, 72, of Missoula, formerly of Circle, died at his home in Missoula on Dec. 15, 2023. He was born Feb. 1, 1951, in Wolf Point to Clayton and Irma Nerud. He had two siblings, Mary Jo and Frank. They grew up together outside Circle on the family ranch and spent much of their time in Brush Coulee playing with neighbors. As an adult, he took over the family ranch and continued ranching for over 40 years until the effects of Multiple Sclerosis forced him to retire. He attended school in Circle, enjoying his years and activities, especially baseball, but he loved the times he was able get out of school to take part in a cattle drive. He was happiest on the back of a horse. He broke his first horse at the age of eight and continued for many years, forever remembering each horse along the way. His second love was branding and dragging calves to the fire. As a child, he learned to rope both left- and right-handed so he could stay in the pen longer. He also had a slew of friends and memories from team roping. He was involved with all aspects of roping and rodeo. He joined the local race and rodeo club when he was 18. The rodeo community showed their appreciation by dedicating the 2018 Mc-Cone County rodeo to him for 50 years of commitment. They also made him a lifetime honorary member of the Circle Roping Club. His service included being on the elevator board and, in his later years, the McCone County stockyard board. In September 2018, he was recognized by Sen. Steve Daines for his years of community

Susan Finnicum, 67, of Culbertson died Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in her home in Culbertson. Burial was held Saturday, Dec. 23, at Hillside Cemetery in Culbertson.

Phyllis L. Sethre was born on Aug. 10, 1945, in Williston, N.D., to Oscar and Lucille Olson. She passed away peacefully on Dec. 13, 2023, in Billings, Mont. Phyllis was raised on a farm north of Culbertson, Mont., and attended the Mc-Cabe Country School until the sixth grade. Her family then moved to Sidney, Mont., and she graduated from Sidney High School in 1963. After a brief time as a social worker, she graduated from Montana State University in 1969 with a degree in agriculture business management. She began her career as an agricultural loan officer in Great Falls, Mont. In the winter of 1977, she met Gary Sethre in Great Falls and they were married six months later. They returned to his family farm north of Wolf Point and together they built and enjoyed a successful farming operation for the next 45 years. During this time, she also acquired her real estate appraisal license and opened Sethre Appraisal Services. Appraising took her all across northeastern Montana and she thoroughly enjoyed the work and meeting people. Phyllis believed in volunteering in her community. She invested her time in many organizations including 4-H, the Roosevelt Country Fair board, the Montana Republican Party, First Lutheran Church, American Legion Auxiliary and the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation. She was honored to be named Grand Marshal of the Wild Horse Stampede in

Mabel Hackley Renz, 94, passed peacefully Dec. 4, 2023, with family present. Mabel was born on the family farm in the Cherry Creek community south of Culbertson on July 23, 1929, fourth of eight children to H.T. and Leoma Hackley. She attended Cherry Creek School and graduated from Culbertson High School. She worked in the bank in Culbertson and then moved to Wolf Point and worked at Western Bank and in the evenings at the theater — she told us she never attended the free movie after her shift. She met Robert Renz in Culbertson and they were married in Miles City in 1955. They resided on the Renz family homestead along the Missouri River south of Poplar where they farmed and ranched for many years. She moved thousands of small bales with her Oliver tractor and bale wagon! Although they never had children of their own, they were very involved with generations of nieces and nephews- following their school and sports events and taking them on the Culbertson Trail Ride. Mabel was a long-time active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Poplar. She also belonged to the Mona Homemakers for many years. One of her favorite pastimes was hiking in the badlands with her friends from church, enjoying nature and visiting. Many people probably have received a quilt or other hand sewn items over the

Charlene LaVonne Kennedy, Red Earth Woman, 61, died Nov. 28, 2023, at St. Vincent’s Healthcare in Billings, Mont. She was born April 3, 1962, in Poplar to parents Carolyn Cora (Martell) Bird and Charles Dona “C.D.” Martel Jr. Her childhood was most defined by her motherly instinct early on, leading her into a caregiving role for her younger brothers. Aside from this, she was also known to enjoy gymnastics in her youth. Helping raise her brothers early on also nurtured her abilities that later led her to pursue work as a CNA. It didn’t take long for her to find the love her life. It was in Poplar that she met Delbert Kennedy Jr. “Thumper” and there they wed on Nov. 29, 1980. Together, they raised a daughter, Juanita Yellow Hawk, and a son, Camden Delbert Kennedy. She helped raise countless nieces, nephews, step and adopted children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even a cancer diagnosis hardly slowed her down. After fighting and beating the cancer, she traveled around the United States with her family and created memories to be cherished forever. In late 2023, cancer was discovered to have returned. Above all else, she enjoyed spending time with her family and engaging in family activities such as karaoke, game night, hosting birthday parties and organizing holiday celebrations. She also enjoyed playing poker machines and bingo, visiting thrift stores and garage

Clayton Montclair died Dec. 17, 2023, in Billings. Funeral services are pending at this time under the direction of Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point.