Jim (J.R.) Reiter, 67, of Powell died Thursday, May 24 at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Mont.
He was born Jan. 19, 1940, in Powell to Aleck and Rachel Dempster Reiter.
He married Randi Rickman on Aug. 19, 1960, in Casper. They lived in Cody before moving to Powell. J.R. enjoyed fishing, camping and riding motorcycles and snowmobiles. He loved animals.
He is survived by his wife, Randi; two children, Mark (Deborah) Reiter of Cody and Lara (Donny) Love of Thermopolis; one brother, Kenny (LeeAnn) Reiter of Cody; two sisters, Jeanne (George) Gasaway of Cody and Carol (Bob) Hogg of Casper; two granddaughters, Angela Reiter of Bellingham, Wash., and Rani (Michael) Roberts of Cody; two grandsons, Ethan and Monte Love of Thermopolis; three great-grandchildren, Jakob Chase, Joseph Bealieu and Mackenzie Roberts; and a very special friend, Mark Hartig of Billings, Mont.
A celebration of his life will be held Sunday, June 10, from 1to 4 p.m. at Hugh Smith Park in Cody. Lunch will be served.
Donations may be made to the Humane Society of Cody or Powell.
Martin Joseph Neves, 33, of Burington, died Sunday, May 27 at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He was born Feb. 1, 1974, in Powell to Lyle Joseph and Linnie LaFollette Neves of Burlington. He was the second child and oldest son in the family of six children. Martin was diagnosed with cancer in August, 2004. He underwent a successful stem cell transplant in September, 2005.
He was raised on the family ranch and learned the value of hard work alongside his dad and grandad. After graduating from Burlington High School, he attended Northwest College. In 1993, Martin met Monica Marie Meier of Cody. They were married Feb. 16, 1996, in Burlington. Wyoming. They were sealed for time and eternity on Nov. 27, 1999 in the Billings Montana Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Four children were born to Martin and Monica: Owen Tanner, 10; Miranda Marie, 7; Weston Lawrence, 5; and Malina Yvonne, 2. Martin's greatest joys were his wife and children. He loved having his children with him as he worked, checked cows and drove in the hills. He liked to take them camping.
Martin enjoyed hunting. He was an excellent horseman and cattleman, a true old-time cowboy. He was known as easy going by those who who knew him loved him.
Survivors include his wife, Monica, and children Owen, Miranda, Weston and Malina of Burlington; his parents, Lyle (Jody) and Linnie Neves of Burlington; his siblings, Melanie Sheets of Greybull, Julie (Kory) Allen of Laramie, Brenda (Bo) Allen of Meeteetse, JoLinn (Stacey) Shaw of Bakersfield, Calif., and Bryan (Lonna) Neves of Burlington; his grandparents, Reanous and Merla Henderson and Vivian Neves, all of Burlington; mother-in-law, Patricia Mettlin of Cody; father-in-law, Lawrence Meier of Worland; sisters-in-law, Nina (Jeremy) Russell of Sheridan and Laura Roth of Amelia, Va.; 16 nieces and nephews and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandad Owen Neves and grandpa Martin LaFollette.
Funeral services will be Saturday, June 2 at 10 a.m. at the Burlington LDS Church. Viewing at Haskell Funeral Home in Lovell is Friday, June 1 from 6-8 p.m. and one hour prior to funeral services.
A memorial fund has been established at Big Horn Federal Savings Bank, PO Box 471, Greybull, WY 82426.
Fredrick Earl Laing died at his home in Powell on Thursday, May 24 of congestive heart failure. He was 85.
He was born Sept. 29, 1921, in Broadwater, Nebr., to John A. and Margaret Colgrove Laing and was the fifth of 11 children. The family moved to Lovell in the 1940's. He joined the army at age 17 and served six years, primarily in the Philippines during World War II.
He attended Billings Business College and Photo Arts College in Dallas, Texas. He married Evelyn Louise Clyde of Hamilton, Mont., in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple on March 24, 1955, and they raised seven children.
In 1959 he purchased the Lucier Studio in Powell and opened Laing Studio. Through the years, he took professional portraits, wedding, family and school pictures throughout the Big Horn Basin and southern Montana. As a Master Photographer, he won national and regional awards. His passions included hunting, fishing and collecting.
He is survived by his wife Evelyn Louise Laing; two sons: Guy (Tamara) of Roy, Utah and Robin of Mesquite, Nev.; five daughters: Margo (John) Wilson of Mesa, Ariz., Ginger (Zane) Fross of Lost Cabin, Tracy (Ralph) Decker of Orem, Utah, Winona (Alpine) Gibson of Washington, Utah, and Jill of Orem, Utah; four siblings, Bill (Grace) Laing of Bountiful, Utah, Dorothy Morris of Delta, Utah, June Landess of Casper and Joyce (John) Hinrichs of Ogden, Utah; 27 grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
A viewing will be held Friday, June 1 at Thompson Funeral Home from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and again Saturday, June 2 one hour before funeral services at 10 a.m. at the LDS Church on Avenue E in Powell.
For those who wish, the family would appreciate donations to Powell Valley Hospice, in care of Powell Valley Health Care, 777 Avenue H, Powell, WY 82435.
Funeral services were Saturday, May 26 at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Powell for Lillian Frances Schiltz, 78, who died Wednesday, May 23 at the Powell Valley Care Center after an extensive battle with Alzheimer’s.
“Grandma Lill” was a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
She was born April 11, 1929, to Carrie (Drake) and Alfred Danielson in Wilton, N.D. She attended grade school and high school in Wilton and in Bismarck, N.D. She married Paul Schiltz in Bismarck on July 9, 1946.
The couple lived in Dickinson and Gladstone, N.D., before moving to Caldwell, Idaho, where they homesteaded. In 1960, they moved to Powell with their daughter, Paula, and son, Cecil, to become a part of the Ralston Bench/Heart Mountain farm community. They moved into town in 1997 to live a quiet, retired life.
During Lill’s life, she enjoyed her children and grandchildren and one great-grandchild, along with sewing, cooking, crafting, gardening and helping on the family farm. She also enjoyed being a 4-H leathercraft leader.
While living in Idaho, she worked for a time at a fly-tieing factory and in the county courthouse. In her later years, she loved being a Jafra cosmetics salesperson. Her hobbies included sewing, knitting and crocheting. She regularly crafted and played bridge with friends.
For many years, she was on the St. Barbara’s Catholic Church Council, was a Eucharistic minister and helped organize funeral, wedding and special occasion dinners for the church. As a volunteer for the Powell Valley Healthcare Auxiliary, she helped distribute Life-lines and gave permanents to women residents of the nursing home.
Survivors include her husband, Paul of Powell; daughter Paula (Greg) Gorton of Otis Orchards, Wash.; son Cecil (Donna) Schiltz of Powell; grandson Mike (Kelly) Gorton of Newman Lake, Wash., grandson Tyler (Amy) Schiltz of Lovell, granddaughter Elysa (Klay) Nelson of Laramie, and great-grandson Logan Schiltz; sisters, Garnet (Frank) Swindling, Winnie Schiele, Aileen Salter; brother, Skip Danielson; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her step-father, Harris Howard; and her brother, Bud Danielson.
Burial was in Crown Hill Cemetery. For those who wish, donations to the Powell Valley Healthcare Auxiliary or a charity of choice would be appreciated by the family. Thompson Funeral Home assisted with arrangements.
Long-time Lovell area chiropractor, Dr. Gerald W. Ohman, died Saturday, May 19 at the North Big Horn Hospital in Lovell. He was 72.
He was born March 15, 1935, in Bertha, Minn., to Lloyd and Mildred Ohman of Deer Creek, Minn.
He was raised in Deer Creek and attended schools there, after which he served his country in the U.S. Army. He married his life-long sweetheart, Marcell Buising, on July 29, 1954, in Deer Creek.
He graduated from the University of Natural Healing Arts in Denver in 1959. He practiced chiropractic until his retirement in 2005.
He was a faithful member of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Lovell. He treasured the time he spent hunting, fishing and camping with his family. Gerry was an avid sports fan, supporting the youth of the community by attending as many games as possible. His real joy in life was caring for his patients.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Marcella; sons Kent (Jeanette) of Lovell, Brent (Cindy) of Greybull, Todd (Allison) of Billings, Mont., and Reed (Minda) of Lovell; his brother, Ronald (Marlys) Ohman of Powell; and 10 grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, May 25 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Burial will be in the Lovell Cemetery.
Visitation will be Thursday, May 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Haskell Funeral Home in Lovell.
Ann Kostenko Vontz of Powell died Saturday, May 12 at the Powell Valley Care Center.
Born in 1913 near Makoti, N.D., she was the daughter of Sam C. and Youstina Kostenko. She was educated at Minot State Teacher’s College, with additional coursework at Montana State University, Eastern Montana College, the University of Wyoming and Northwest College.
She taught elementary school in North Dakota and in Worland. She married Kenneth M. Vontz. She taught Russian language classes for Northwest College and privately.
Ann enjoyed painting, sculpting, traveling with her husband, teaching and helping children through 4-H clubs, Girl Scouts and her church. She was fond of playing cards, especially bridge with her friends.
Survivors include three daughters, Judy (Bob) Wilkins of Cheyenne, Martha Wood of Bozeman, Mont., and Laurie (Bryan) Lee of Frannie; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren (with the ninth expected in October).
She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; six sisters; and one great-grandchild.
A private family service is planned for a later date. Thompson Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Funeral services were Monday, May 14 at Thompson Funeral Home in Powell for Violet D’Anna Lair, 88, who died Thursday, May 10 at West Park Long Term Care Center in Cody.
She was born Aug. 14, 1918, in Sheridan. She enjoyed her children and friends, music, flowers, painting and Yellowstone Park.
Survivors include five children, Joan Mason (Hubert), Russell Lair (Linda) and Robert Lair (Jo), all of Apache Junction, Ariz., Juanita Arnold (Evertt) of Lake Esabella, Calif., and Linda Standifer (Bob) of Orange Park, Fla; several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
George O. Knutson, formerly of Powell, died Friday, May 4 at St Johns Lutheran Home, Billings Mont. He was 91.
He was born on a farm near Wakonda, S.D., on May 6, 1915, to Henry and Gunda Knutson. In the late 1930s George rode out to Montana with a cattle buyer and immediately fell in love with Montana and Wyoming.
Later, moving to Billings, he worked several jobs and eventually ended up at Sawyers Groceries. In the early 1940’s, he started “The Dutch Mill” ice cream shop in Powell. This turned out to be a great success, until the army called him to help out with WWII.
After returning, he married the love of his life, Marguerite, in Centerville, S.D., where his family and friends resided. Shortly after, they moved to Powell and started a hatchery business. In 1953 he became a salesman for Occidental Feeds in Billings. In 1955 George and family moved back to Billings as their permanent home. George became a super salesman, later selling Artsway farm equipment and a side line of household insecticides.
In Powell, he was one of the founders and organizers of the Hope Lutheran Church. In Billings, he was on the committee that arranged financing to start St Johns Lutheran Home. He was an active member of American Lutheran Church Billings and served as both church-council president and a Sunday school teacher. His Bible was read, re-read, dated, noted, bookmarked, paper-clipped, underlined, and highlighted.
He is survived by two sons of Billings, George Jr. (Linda) and Dr. Robert Knutson; two grandchildren, Robby and Katie; and a brother, Richard (Midge) of Fairfax Station, Va.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Marguerite, and two brothers Charles and Floyd.
Burial will be at Mountview Cemetery, 10 a.m. Thursday, May 10. A memorial service will follow at American Lutheran Church, Thursday at noon.
Memorials may be made to American Lutheran Church, 5 Lewis Ave, Billings Mt., 59101 or to a memorial of your choice.
Dee (Moewes) Turner died Sunday, May 6 in Cheyenne in the company of Tom Stockman and her four children after a valiant fight following heart bypass surgery.
She was born Nov. 16, 1941, in Steamboat Springs, Colo., to Boe and Marie Turner. She was raised in Mt. Harris and Hayden, Colo., where she walked uphill to school both ways with her brothers and sister.
She met Don Moewes (the first love of her life) at the Craig Drugstore in Craig, Colo., and they married in 1961 in Grand Lakes, Colo. They moved to Powell where they had four children, Darren (Billings, Mont), Denice (Seattle, Wash.), Debbie (Laramie) and Donelle (Seattle, Wash.). Her children were the pride and joy of her life, and the feeling was mutual. In 1987 she moved to Hayden, Colo., and eventually moved back to Wyoming in Baggs, where she resided until her death. In 1998 she met the only other love of her life, Tom Stockman. Tom, who affectionately called her Big Un, was by her side until her death.
Her family will remember Dee as loyal to a fault and as the kindest, most nonjudgmental person you could ever meet. She loved being outdoors in Colorado and Wyoming, In her earlier years she snowmobiled, golfed, bowled and played softball. She was also an excellent piano player. She enjoyed fishing her entire life, especially with Tom. She was a stone cold crazy Denver Bronco fan and knew John Elway could walk on water. She read constantly and was a history buff.
She will be missed by all who knew her and will be in her family’s hearts forever. She has been cremated and a memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 in Baggs at the Little Snake River Valley School multipurpose room.
She is survived by Tom Stockman; her children; her mother, Marie Turner; her sister, Jan Ward; and her brother, Chuck Turner. She is also survived by her four grandchildren, Jeremy, Steven, Trevor and Kourtney.
She was preceded in death by her father, Boe, and her brother, Randy. The family would appreciate donations to the Dee Turner Memorial Account, c/o Debbie Moewes, 502 S 17th St, Laramie, WY 82070 to purchase a tree to plant in her honor, although she would probably prefer it be used to start a fund to bring John Elway out of retirement.
Funeral services were conducted Monday, May 7 at the LDS Church on Avenue E for Pat Johnson, 78, of Powell, who died surrounded by her family on Wednesday, May 2.
She was a cancer survivor who bore with dignity a hereditary disease, Ataxia, to which she finally succumbed.
She was born July 30, 1928, to Irene and Wilfred Brown in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She spent her adolescent years in Alberta and British Columbia. She moved to Everett, Wash., where she met Carl E. Johnson, a young American who asked her to dance. They were married May 23, 1949 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. On June 2, 1961 they and their three sons were sealed in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. They lived in Everett, Wash., and Whittier, Alas., before moving to Wyoming to live in Burlington and Powell.
She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Throughout her life she served in various church callings including scouting, Relief Society and Primary president and in a stake YWMIA presidency.
Pat enjoyed dancing, bowling, gardening, playing games, crafts, and reading and telling stories to her grandchildren.
Pat’s family meant everything to her. She is survived by her devoted husband of 58 years, Carl Johnson of Powell, who has lovingly cared for her; three sons, Alan (Lana) of Billings, Mont. Randy (Lynette) of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Larry (Patty) of Omaha, Nebr.; 14 grandchildren and 30 great -grandchildren. Also surviving are her siblings Austin Brown (Pam) of Surrey, BC and Betty Pay of Burnaby, BC.
Thompson Funeral Home handled the arrangements. For those who wish, memorials for Ataxia research may be sent to the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), Patricia Johnson Memorial, 2600 Fernbrook Lane, Suite 119, Minneapolis, MN 55447 attention: Julie; or a charity of choice.
Zern Arthur Richendifer of Powell, 65, died Wednesday, May 2 at the Veterans Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Funeral services are pending at Thompson Funeral Home.
Ralston Bench homesteader and farmer, Lloyd Snider, 90, died peacefully early Tuesday, May 1 at the Powell Valley Hospital from congestive heart failure.
Born Aug.19, 1916, in Modoc County, Calif., he was the son of Robert J. Snider and Mary Sanders Snider. He grew up on a ranch in California on the edge of Goose Lake near the border town of New Pine Creek.
He attended college at the University of California, Berkley and graduated in 1938 with a B.S degree in Economics. From there he worked in the San Francisco area as a mortgage and loan appraiser for California Western States Insurance company. This career was interrupted by World War II as he entered the U.S. Navy in 1943, was commissioned an Ensign and volunteered for torpedo boat duty during the war. He had met Bertha Berg during his time at the insurance company in San Francisco, and they were married Dec. 2, 1945 in San Francisco after he returned from the war. He spent the remainder of his duty as an aide to an Admiral in San Diego until honorably discharged in 1946.
The couple moved back to the family ranch in northern California and ranched with his father for several years. In May 1949, their daughter, Sandy, was born in Lakeview, Ore. Shortly after, he signed up for the veteran’s homestead drawing and was awarded 150 acres in the Ralston Bench area. Early in 1950, he and his wife Bertie and daughter moved to a tar paper barracks with no electricity and running water and began turning the sagebrush into productive farm and as part of the Heart Mountain Irrigation project. He eventually expanded his farm to over 400 acres.
He was always an innovator and willing to try new ideas, being one of the first on the project to use siphon tubes for irrigation. During his farming career he was a cooperator on many research projects, both in sheep and crops, as he had an inquisitive mind and a willingness to improve production techniques.
These included a series of experiments with Ken Faulkner, extension sheep specialist, on feeding early lambs, using flavor additives, creep feeding, implanting spring lambs, and the economics of high protein feeds and early weaning procedures. He was instrumental in the creation of the Powell Early Lamb Pool which still serves as a marketing organization for sheep producers in this area.
Because of these efforts, he received a Ford Foundation Farm Efficiency Award in 1967 in sheep production. He also worked with Dr. Ray Field, in animal science, to determine consumer acceptability of various lamb carcasses. He and daughter Sandy developed a flock of Hampshire sheep and were able to certify 3 meat sires in this breed, more than any other breeder in the U.S.
In 1970, an outbreak of sugar beet root maggots occurred in the Powell area. Studies were initiated by the UW Plant Science Department on the Snider farm to determine control methods available for the insect. Weed control methods for sugar beet production were also conducted on the farm for several years.
Warren Smith of the Powell Research Center also conducted various pinto bean field trials with the varieties of the highest quality selected and seeded on the Snider farm to serve as seed for other Wyoming farmers. Seed production with beans, barley and several grass seed varieties has continued to be the focus of the farming venture.
In 1980, farm operations were rented to Mike Forman, and Snider went into partial retirement, maintaining an interest in the farming operations and organizations related to agriculture production.
He served his community as a member of the Powell School Board for 12 years, including five years as chairman. He was a member of the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission and chairman for three years between 1975 and 1982. He was also a member of the Park County Predator Board and chairman for three years from 1981 to 1987.
He also served on many statewide education and agricultural boards, including seven years as chairman of the UW President’s Council to the College of Education. He was a member of the UW College of Agriculture Advisory committee from 1982 to 1986 and on the advisory board of the UW Research Center. He was a member of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association for many years and served as a regional vice president of that organization.
In 1983 he was named Seedsman of the Year by the Wyoming Crop Improvement Association and was selected Outstanding Agriculturist by the UW Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, honorary agricultural fraternity, in 1984. In 1991, the University of Wyoming presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for his contributions to agriculture in Wyoming. In 1995, he was selected as a Wyoming Agriculture Citizen of the Year by the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.
During his agriculture career in the Powell area, he had a profound influence on many people and was always willing to lend a wise and helpful hand or give advice to young farmers and ranchers as they got involved in raising crops and livestock. Always a gentleman and a diplomat, he was able to work with a variety of situations to achieve successful results.
Starting in 1990, he spent the winters in Arizona at a small mobile home park in west Tucson. He turned his agriculture background to growing roses there, which flourished with his care. He became a fan of Arizona Wildcats basketball and enjoyed visiting with friends from around the country who would gather there as snowbirds. He was always ready to get back to the farm in late spring to be on hand to watch the crops being planted and actively helped with irrigating pastures and serving as a farm advisor.
He was preceded in death by his wife Bertha in 1990, and brothers John and Robert Snider. He is survived by his only daughter, Sandy, in Powell, and several nieces and nephews in California and Oregon.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Union Presbyterian Church in Powell under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home. The family has requested that donations be made in his name to the UW Foundation/ Agriculture Applied Research Fund. Donations should be mailed to: University of Wyoming, College of Agriculture Development Office, PO Box 3354, Laramie, WY 82071.