The morning of Feb. 29, 2024, Laura Wittenberg passed away after a short illness. Laura was born on Sept. 14, 1939, the youngest of eight children of Gottlieb and Erna Schock. She attended school at a country school, Circle and Wolf Point. After graduation she married Robert Wittenberg and settled on a farm north of Circle. Together, they had five children, Jeanne Rae, Robert, Shawn, Paula and Tracy. They farmed and raised their family until they divorced. Laura sold the farm and moved to Circle. She worked at Eissinger Equipment, worked for a short time as a dispatcher until she was elected County Assessor for McCone County and then later for the State of Montana. After her retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her children, grand-children and great grand children. She was well known for her love of dolls and teddy bears and had an extensive collection of both. She was always giving tips on the deals on QVC. She was the plant guru and everyone called her for advice on how not to kill their plants. She was known for her fudge and chocolate chip cookies. If you drove by her house you could see her puttering in her yard with her plants and flowers. She loved her bird feeders and watching the birds come and bathe outside her kitchen window. She always got mad when the robins would dirty the water and chase the smaller birds away. She loved Jesus and was involved in the church until her later years. She knew she was going home to be with her Savior. She was greatly loved by all of her family. Each of her family has special memories of her. She was so loved by her family and will be greatly missed. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings. She is survived by her children, Jeanne Rae (Tom)

Mary Anne Thornton, 88, of Wolf Point died Feb. 26, 2024. She was born May 12, 1935, in Poplar to Peter and Mary Dolezilek. She married Buddy Thornton on Aug. 25, 1953, and they enjoyed 57 years together. She enjoyed traveling to visit her children throughout the United States and especially enjoyed being with her grandchildren and delighting in their growth. She was a longstanding member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. She also loved her cats, had an interest and appreciation for art and had a newfound passion for computers. As she aged, she had support from her local community and friends. In her final years, when living independently became a challenge, she lived at the Faith Home in Wolf Point.