James C. Ocheltree, 67

Former Spokane resident James C. Ocheltree, 67, of Great Falls, a businessman who owned Big Jim's Painting in Kalispell before retiring to Great Falls, died Saturday, May 31, 2008, at a Great Falls area hospital following an extended illness.

Jimmie P. Grobe, 79

Jimmie P. Grobe lost his valiant battle with cancer and "went home to our Lord" on March 24, 2006. He passed at home in Kalispell, surrounded by his loved ones.

Verda May Prangley, 77

Verda May Prangley, 77, passed away on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, at her home with her family at her side. 

Dale M. Buck, 91

Dale M. Buck, 91, of Columbia Falls, passed away Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006, at Colonial Manor in Whitefish. Dale was born May 24, 1915, in Moore, Minn., to Dudley and Lydia Buck; he was the last of nine children.

Elizabeth Lorang 'Bette' Jones, 69

A longtime resident of Kalispell in her youth, Bette Jones died March 7, 2006, in Edmonds, Wash.

Three more file for judge positions

Three more candidates have filed for District Court judge openings in the upcoming election.

Frank Willis, 63

Frank was surrounded by his family when he passed away early in the morning on Jan. 29, 2014, “to go and be with the Lord.”

Texting woman walks into path of freight train

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Police say a 27-year-old woman who was texting walked into the path of a freight train, was clipped and thrown into the air, but survived.

Robert Eugene Moon Sr., 89

Paul Allen Roberts, 53

Paul Allen Roberts died Feb. 2, 2011, at his home in Kalispell.

Miriam Lee (Dolly) Vallieres, 80

Miriam Lee (Dolly) Vallieres, 80

Patrick E. Farris, 63

Pat Farris passed away of renal failure at his home in Kalispell on Feb. 21, 2022.

Former Oroville chief of police reflects on past

For the last week, the small city of Oroville, California, has found itself in the national limelight, as heavy rain and snowmelt created fears of a failure at the nation’s tallest dam and forced evacuations in Oroville and other towns below.

Marilyn H. (Slaney) Mason, 85

Marilyn H. (Slaney) Mason passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10, 2019, at Good Samaritan Mountain View Manor in Eureka. She was born on Sept. 24, 1933, in Los Angeles to William and Hazel (Robbe) Slaney. She was the oldest of eight children. The young family moved to Eureka in 1934 where she started school at Roosevelt Elementary and eventually graduated from Lincoln County High School in 1952.

Indiana hospital bill proposal rolled back amid protest

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers on Monday rolled back a proposal that could cut how much insurance companies pay for medical services performed at offices located away from a hospital's main campus.

Idell H. Johnson, 84

Idell H. Johnson, 84, died Dec. 8, 2009, at Whitefish. Idell was born in Missoula on Nov. 8, 1925, to Harry and Ida Jones; she attended Paxson Grade School and graduated from Missoula County High School in 1943. Idell was baptized, confirmed and married at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Missoula. She married her high school sweetheart, Robert C. Johnson, on May 12, 1944. Idell was an active member of Missoula Women s Bowling Association for 30 years, serving five years as president and five years as treasurer. She was elected to the Missoula Bowling Association Hall of Fame for meritorious service. She enjoyed many years of league bowling and the many fun tournament trips with team members. She organized the Bitterroot 600 Club and served as their president for several years. Besides bowling, she also enjoyed golf, knitting and crossword puzzles. She and her husband of 65 years enjoyed weekends at Flathead Lake golfing with friends from Missoula and Polson. The often elusive hole-in-one was made by Idell on a very rainy day in September 2000 on the Whitefish Golf Course. Idell and Bob danced many a night to the big band sounds of Glenn Miller and took many weekend dates to enjoy their passion of playing golf. They resided in Missoula until Bob s retirement in 1985 and moved to Whitefish, where they continued to golf and bowl. Idell was preceded in death by her parents; and her best friend and sister, Dorothy McLaughlin. Surviving her are her husband, Bob; son, Doug, and wife, Cyndi, and their three children, Jarrod, Alyssa and Ashley; sister-in-law, Delores Criswell, and husband, Ted, and their children, Steve Criswell and Lucy, and Julie Ulrich and Ron. She is also survived by a niece, Susan Anderson, and her children, Michela and Erik; and nephew, Gary McLaughlin, and wife, Dixie. Memorials may be made to the Alice Ritzman Golf Tournament, which will provide an award in Idell s name for Top Female Youth Golfer. This will be awarded to schools throughout the Flathead Valley every year; donations may be made at the Whitefish Credit Union under Idell s name. Idell s family will host a gathering to receive friends from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish.

Asphalt batch plants proposed for West Valley

Board of Adjustment hearing is July 6

A proposed concrete batch plant and an asphalt batch plant in the West Valley area are the focus of a public hearing Tuesday, July 6, before the Flathead County Board of Adjustment.

Jensen Road homeowners seek solution to dust problems

By AMY MAY

Louise Robinson, 81

Louise Robinson passed away peacefully at her home on Oct. 10, 2010. She was born Martha Louise Redd in Hamburg, Iowa, on July 6, 1929, daughter to Garrison and Leta Redd. She traveled to Montana with her parents and sister, Lois, in an old Model A Ford pickup truck, with all their belongings strapped on back to look for adventure and land to homestead. She was raised in Ferndale and Swan Lake communities and traveled throughout the West as a young woman when her father was in the service during World War II. She attended Swan Valley School, as well as Flathead County High School. Louise married Jason Lapp in 1945. They resided in Kalispell with their four children until their divorce in 1968. She married Donald Robinson in 1970 and they continued to live in Kalispell until they moved to the sun of Phoenix, for many years. She returned to live in Kalispell with her children and grandchildren close by, until her passing. Louise was an adventurous woman who greatly loved her family, the earth, Mother Nature, the notion that extraterrestrial beings might exist, and Ronald Reagan. She and her family had multitudes of happy times exploring the Swan Mountains, the rivers and lakes of the Flathead, snorkeling in Mexico and gazing over the Grand Canyon. She was friend and companion to her father and best loved flying over the Bob Marshall and Schafer Meadows with him in his Cessna. She was kind and gentle, and generous beyond words. She was independent, valiant and brave to the very end. Louise was preceded in death by her parents, Buster and Leta Redd; her sister, Lois Ault; her husband, Donald Robinson; her daughter, Cindy Rupp; and her granddaughter, Leslie Rupp. She is survived by her children, Joyce, Gary and Richard Lapp; daughter-in-law, Libbie Lapp; grandchildren, Hunter and Ellie Lapp, and niece and nephew, Shannon and Don Ault. A celebration of her life will be hosted at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, Oct. 16, at the Mountain View Mennonite Church, 795 Mennonite Road, Kalispell, with a pork roast and side dish potluck. We would like to invite any friends that would care to share in this celebration to join us. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family. To send condolences to the family, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com

Mildred W. Boyer, 95

Mildred W. Boyer passed away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, at St. Patrick Hospital, after a week of sharing, from her hospital bed, her 95 years of love and wisdom to each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and lovingly caressing the cheek of her new great-great-grandson.