The last time I spoke with Gene Crosby, we talked therapeutic tractor repair and Project Whitecoat, but today we are chatting about his most recent money saving purchase, a corn-fired boiler made in Lancaster, Minnesota.

Anyone who pays attention to crop prices, or grows corn, or feeds scratch to their chickens is bound to be thinking as they read this, "Yes, but corn prices continue rising dramatically." This is true; the rise in costs across the board, as well as the increased production of ethanol, have conspired to drive corn way up in price. (Finally, corn producers have something to rejoice about.) Yet, compared to the price of electricity or the price of propane, corn remains cost effective as a heat source if the corn burner is highly efficient. Before burning corn, Gene used diesel fuel to power his system.

"It was costing us nine hundred dollars to fill up our tank," Gene’s effervescent wife Rhonda relates in disbelief. Now, Gene says, "We burn about a bushel a day. And, we paid 6.00 per bushel, which works out to about 180.00 per month. But, I can burn wood pellets too."

"The neighbor called to see if we were building a bomb," Rhonda recalls, laughing. The neighbor was referring to the 120-bushel hopper bin that Gene plans to have installed next to his shop in order to feed the corn boiler. Gene gets his corn from a local grower, Darryl Sperry, thus promoting the local economy.

We are standing in Gene’s nearly 700 square foot shop (formerly a two-car garage) watching this ingenious utilitarian item do its thing. The corn boiler heats both his 2,500 square-foot home and his shop, and it "could heat another 2,500 square-foot place" Gene tells me. "Every 48 seconds the auger drops in 20-25 kernals," explains Gene as we stare through the glass window on the front of the firebox. Twenty to twenty five kernals amounts to a small handful of corn. The firebox is 4" by 7" and 6" deep. Like a few golden drops of very dry rain, the kernals hit the fire and the tiny blaze flares up a bit. Rick Clow calls this a "dancing flame." Dancing is the desired flame effect, according to the stove’s maker.

This story is as much about the inventor of the corn-fired boiler as it is about Gene or the item itself. The inventor/welder, Rick Clow, has spent a lifetime studying pragmatic tools and improving on them. He’s your dream neighbor if you need something built. Rick lives in Lancaster, Minnesota, on a farm that has been owned by his family for over one hundred years. "It’s a Century Farm," he tells me in one of our multiple telephone conversations.

Rick began welding when he was in the eighth grade; his father bought a welding machine, but didn’t much care for the practice himself. After attending a trade school, Rick opened up his own body shop in 1965 on the farm. In 1969, he got married and moved to Minneapolis to work in body shops in the city where the economy, and therefore the clientele, was more dependable. It was here that he learned how to do what he calls "exotic welding," using stainless steel and titanium. But after returning to the family farm, he has found that what people need most are practical items that work better than their predecessors. This is how he began designing boilers and retro-fitting existing stoves to burn more efficiently.

Rick is committed to using items that already exist, the ones that still have life in them. He is one of those gifted scrap hounds who sees a discarded object in someone’s yard and can imagine another useful purpose for that object. As a result, he says he has a lot of stuff lying around.

"My shop’s a mess… I always say, I throw things away, but not very far away."

It is this amalgam of metal objects that allows him to be the creative genius he is. He reads about somebody else’s good idea, rethinks it according to what he has learned and what he knows will work, and then looks through the scrap until he finds the ultimate part.

Gene’s stove is a recycled one hundred and twenty gallon propane tank with another recycled one hundred pound tank (14 inches across) mounted inside. The inside tank is divided into two chambers with a two-inch space at the top. The first chamber is attached to the firebox, the second is attached to a chimney pipe at the bottom of the chamber.

"What makes this design so efficient is that the fire burns below the first chamber, making the heat travel up and over the first chamber and up and down into the second chamber before it goes out the chimney."

So both chambers work to heat the water before the expended remains exit the system through a four inch pipe.

When we stand outside Gene’s shop and look up at the chimney, it appears as if nothing is leaving the chimney, not even heat, while the boiler is running full steam. Well, not full steam.

I can hear Rick smiling into the phone with pride as he says, "Too often they burn so efficiently that people can’t get ‘um to go low enough," meaning that the temperature the unit can sustain and the space it can heat exceeds the demand of its users. This is why the damper system on these units is more finite than the dampers on old school burners; it’s not just up and down or side to side like in a wood stove, rather "it is a threaded rod with multiple adjustments."

Gene’s stove is fine-tuned in other ways too, down to the second, by a timer that does all of the work after he fills the hopper. This unit is powered by electricity. The energy efficiency is not limited to how the stove utilizes heat though. The entire electrical system only draws four amps and can be easily adapted to run on a twelve-volt system, says Rick.

Gene’s new boiler has been retro-fitted to work with his 1970’s system already in place. In case something requires maintenance in the new system, with the flip of a switch in the basement, Gene can revert to his old system as a "fail safe." The beauty of this set-up is that for as little as $2,000 ($1500 for the stove and $500 for installation), Gene and Rhonda have been able to completely alter the way they heat their home with a relatively small investment and big energy savings to come.

"I like to build things that are useful," Rick states. His "things" have been so useful that the patterns and ideas have been published in the national publication "Farm Show". One of his amazing and useful inventions, unrelated to corn boilers, is a rotary ditcher which "throws dirt one hundred feet and can be used next to a standing crop." People asked him when he was practicing with this tool, "Where’s the dirt?" The dirt that would usually make a furrow next to the ditch was so finely dispersed that there was no noticeable furrow. "This was the most expensive machine I ever built…$100,000, but it has been used for eight years (to date) without any problem."

Unlike many other folks, Rick Clow is not in the practical invention business to make a profit. He came all the way from Minnesota to install Gene’s boiler; plus, it took him two solid weeks of manufacturing, and sand blasting, and painting to create this unit. At age sixty-four, Rick is looking forward to a bit of a slow down. He likes to work alone, so the idea of manufacturing anything on a larger scale does not appeal to him. But after making sixteen stoves like Gene’s and another ten remodeled stoves ("mostly for neighbors"), on top of the "five or six other projects" he has going at all times, retirement seems remote for this philanthropist inventor.

I call him a philanthropist inventor because, unlike so many before him, he wants to share all the secrets of his designs in order for people to copy them and learn to both recycle and create more energy efficient lifestyles on their own.

Earlier in this piece, I stated that Gene’s stove can run on both corn or wood pellets. Since corn prices continue to rise, Gene has switched over to wood pellets. He claims they are burning just fine with his system (though "not quite as hot") and that he is saving roughly 3.00/bushel by converting to wood pellets. This means he can heat his home for approximately 90.00/month with wood pellets. There is a drawback with wood pellets that should be noted, in regard to moisture. Gene now has his hopper bin up; however, he cannot fill it with wood pellets since they are more prone to absorbing moisture; therefore he continues to feed the smaller hopper attached to the back of his new boiler.

Prayer breakfast speaker calls for people to reach out in love - by Greg Lemon

HELENA–Praying is a good thing, but God wants his people to not get “stuck” in their praying, but also act in faith, said the keynote speaker at the annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast.

“I want to say for my own person, I know that all of us at times in our lives, we get stuck,” Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner told a crowd of about 400 people at Carroll College Saturday. The breakfast has been an annual affair for nearly 50 years.

“We can’t live without somehow being stuck between your dreams and your despair, between your hopes and your hurts, between your promises and your possibilities and the problems that you have,” Williams-Skinner said referring to a verse in Deuteronomy where Moses is imploring his people to act.

“I believe that the word of God is really telling us that it’s not just people that get stuck, it’s governments that get stuck, it’s nations, it’s institutions, it’s churches and organizations that get stuck.”

Williams-Skinner hails from Maryland. She and her late husband, the Rev. Thomas Skinner, founded the Skinner Leadership Institute. The institute offers leadership development and reconciliation training for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Williams-Skinner told a story about being a young black woman and stuck with a hatred for white people. Her feelings were based on the injustices blacks have been subjected to for generations.

She recalled being the first college student in her family and neighborhood. She went to college and became successful and thought she was moving ahead to becoming the woman God wanted her to be.

“Moving ahead meant doing it without any white people around,” Williams-Skinner said.

But she knew in her heart that God wanted more from her.

“I had a deep-seated hatred in my heart that only I understood,” she said.

She realized that though she loved God, she wasn’t following the command Jesus gave: Love your neighbor as yourself.

“Love your neighbor as you love yourself, that’s not a suggestion,” Williams-Skinner said.

Jesus’ commandment is essentially: “I command you to love God and with the same love you love God, you love your neighbor as you love yourself,” she said. “The neighbor shouldn’t be around you if they don’t want love because they’re going to get it.”

So Williams-Skinner prayed that God would give her a white woman to be friends with. It seemed like a simple prayer, but when a conservative, Republican white woman sought her friendship, Williams-Skinner balked.

Her new friend was named Rosemary and Williams-Skinner described her as the “junior miss type,” and that she “cried a lot.”

“I said ‘Oh God, what’s your second choice. I need your second choice’,” she said to rounds of laughter.

She describes herself as a liberal Democrat. The white woman she met was just the opposite. But over the years the two have become best friends.

“Rosemary is not a category anymore,” she said. “When she has a birthday or an anniversary, it matters to me. Her children are my children. My children are her children.”

The two pray together every Thursday for one hour. The laugh at each other, tell stories on each other and share a friendship that has revolutionized both their lives.

But it wasn’t easy and it took more than just praying to break down the barriers, Williams-Skinner said. But the lesson is God wants people to pray, but he also calls them to act.

“God is saying we need to get up from the way we’ve been operating. God is telling us to get up from the way we’ve related to one another,” Williams-Skinner said.

Loving people means realizing that God made everyone equal, she said. We need to stop using language that separates us by gender or race and starting looking at one another as brothers and sisters.

It is time for people in this country to get used to the idea of breaking down the barriers that have kept us at odds, she said.

As proof, she pointed to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the two Democratic presidential candidates.

“You realize that whatever you think about this election, Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama have already made history,” Williams-Skinner said.

People are getting involved in this election in a new and exciting way, which will expand the way the country thinks about race and gender and she’s looking forward to what God has in store for the country.

“The truth of the matter is we need to now get our hearts ready for a change in reality,” Williams-Skinner said. “You have to get ready for some new brothers and sisters.”

After she sat down to a standing ovation, Gov. Brian Schweitzer spoke on her theme of action as well as the theme of prayer.

Schweitzer thanked his Lieutenant Gov. John Bohlinger, a Republican, for running with him four years ago.

“They told us this will never work – this shouldn’t work,” Schweitzer said.

It simply wasn’t the way things were done in Montana. Republicans and Democrats had to be separate. But both he and Bohlinger saw a chance to change things for the better of Montana and, like Williams-Skinner suggested, they acted on their dreams.

“Thank you, John Bohlinger, for believing,” he said.

Schweitzer asked those in attendance to thank and pray for the first Montanans, the Native Americans, who have lived on the land for 300 generations.

“We can learn a few things from the first Montanans about treating the land in a sustainable way, about living in tune with the earth,” Schweitzer said. “And we can learn a lot from the first Montanans on how we treat our elders. God bless the first Montanans.”

Schweitzer also asked people to pray for the last and the least, particularly those who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction and the poor in the state. He asked them to pray for the soldiers fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He also asked people to pray for the younger generation that will be facing the greatest challenges of any prior generation.

“This world is not sustainable that will live on today,” Schweitzer said.

We are consuming energy in an unstable way and we import oil at an addictive rate, he said.

“We do not have a food production and consumption system that is sustainable,” he said.

The young leaders of tomorrow will be faced with solving these problems and he’s confident they can do it.

“We are handing them the greatest challenge in the history of the world and I tell you, I believe in them,” Schweitzer said.

He referred to this generation as the “Y” generation.

“You will be the greatest generation and we will pray for you every step along the way,” he said.

Business & Professional Women Scholarships available

Montana Federation of Business & Professional Women announces the availability of scholarships through the National Federation of Business & Professional Women. Established by the Business & Professional Women’s Foundation, these Career Advancement Scholarships were first made available in 1969. Developed to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged women seeking to further their education, today these scholarships are provided to women who wish to advance in their career, or are soon to enter or re-enter the workforce.

The average recipient is a 37 year-old single mother of 2 children;

25% of recipients received public assistance at one time or another;

40% of recipients are the first in their immediate family to earn a college degree.

Funds for the BPW Foundation come from BPW/USA members, foundations, corporations and others who are interested in assisting women and who share a common belief in equity for workingwomen. The scholarship program is just one of many of the available programs available to improve women’s’ lives.

Interested? Just log on to HYPERLINK "http://www.bpwusa.org" www.bpwusa.org, go to the Foundation information and you will find the instructions and application. Or you may email the National Foundation Representatives for Montana, Jennifer Koch at HYPERLINK "mailto:rjkoch24@earthlink.net" rjkoch24@earthlink.net or Melanie Marotta at HYPERLINK "mailto:melani20@bresnan.net" melani20@bresnan.net or call 406-227-7225 and they will be happy to provide you the information. If you are already attending a college or school of higher education, check with the financial aid department, they may have the information there. You do not need to be a member of BPW to apply. The local Business and Professional Women’s Organization in your community will be happy to assist you as well. Check HYPERLINK "http://www.montanabpw.org" www.montanabpw.org to find the Local Organization in your community or closest to you.

To be eligible to apply for the scholarship, you must:

• Be a female

• Be at least 25 years of age by May 2, 2007

• Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national

• Demonstrate critical financial need

• Have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $2500 or less

• Be officially accepted into an accredited degree or certificate program at an accredited U.S. college or university, including those in American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

• Plan to graduate or receive certification between December 1, 2007, and August 31, 2009

• Demonstrate clear career plans

• Not be earning a doctoral-level or terminal degree, such as a PhD, MD, DDS, DVM, JD, etc.

Last year fifty-nine scholarships were awarded throughout the United States. This year it could be you.

Reconstruction planned for Eastside Highway south of Corvallis

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is proposing to reconstruct a section of Eastside Highway (Secondary 269) about two miles south of Corvallis in Ravalli County.

Proposed work includes widening the road to provide left turn bays for Bass Lane and for Black Lane. The "crest" vertical curve just north of the intersection will also be flattened to increase sight distance. The work will include grading, drainage, new asphalt surfacing, upgraded pavement markings and delineations and updated signs. The purpose of the project is to enhance the safety of the highway.

The project is tentatively scheduled for construction in 2012, depending on completion of the design features and availability of funding. New right of way and relocation of utilities will be required. MDT staff already contacted all affected landowners prior to doing survey work on their land. Staff will again contact landowners about one year prior to construction regarding property acquisition.

Community participation is a very important part of the process, and the public is encouraged to comment. Opinions, comments and concerns may be submitted in by mail to Shane Stack, MDT Missoula District Engineering Services Supervisor, PO Box 7039, Missoula MT 59807-7039, or online at www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml. Indicate that comments are for project UPN 6081000 and submit comments by April 7, 2008.

For further information call Paul Grant at (406) 444-9415 or TTY (800) 335-7592, or by calling Montana Relay at 711.

"Operation Cloverleaf," assembles care packages for U.S. military

Hannah Burlingham, 14, of Hamilton, an eighth-grader at Hamilton Middle School and a member of the Ravalli County 4-H, created "Operation Cloverleaf," an ongoing effort to collect donations and assemble care packages for members of the U.S. military serving overseas. "Our servicemen and women are doing great things all over the world," Hannah said. "I really do feel that these men and women are heroes."

To let U.S. troops know they're appreciated back home, Hannah decided to send them "Montana Freedom Boxes." She began by soliciting donations from veterans groups; civic organizations; businesses; and people at garage sales, parades, and craft shows. With these funds, she purchased snacks, stationery, stamps, socks, toiletries, magazines, and other products and packed them into boxes with the assistance of volunteers from her 4-H group and a local retirement home. Hannah also included a personal letter in each box. She then filled out customs forms and mailed the packages to servicemen and servicewomen whose names she collected from members of her community. So far, Hannah has shipped more than 150 Montana Freedom Boxes. "I became involved in this project so our troops will know that I love them and that I'm thankful to be an American," said Hannah.

Lolo Pass summer marathon planned

Runners and walkers are invited to discover the beauty and history of Lolo Pass this summer during the first annual Mountain-to-Meadow Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run.

The run, organized by the Northwest Interpretive Association, will begin at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center (elev. 5225) on Highway 12, at the Idaho-Montana border. The half-marathon winds for 14 miles through forests of Engelmann Spruce and White Pine, with dramatic views of the Bitterroot Mountains in the distance. Both the 5K run (out and back) and the 14-mile loop will pass Packer Meadows, a historically significant site along the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark trails. Runners and walkers are welcome. The entire course is either dirt or gravel back roads.

The June 28th date is scheduled two weeks before the Missoula Marathon to give marathon participants a practice run in a mountain setting.

Participation is limited to the first 225 runners/walkers who register.

Proceeds of this event will be used to help visitors discover and appreciate the rich history and striking beauty of the area around Lolo Pass Visitor Center.

Registration forms for this event can be found at Runner's Edge and Bob Ward's in Missoula, Bob Ward's in Hamilton, and Lolo Pass, or on-line at http://www.runlolopass.org. For more information call Colleen Mathisen at 240-0287.

MacLaren attends forum

Representative Gary MacLaren (R-Victor) attended the Council of State Governments conference entitled: “Cross-Border Travel and Trade: A U.S. /Canada Forum on the Western Hemisphere Transportation Initiative” held in Detroit February 28-March 1.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is one of the most significant federal mandates currently affecting trade and tourism relationships between the U.S. and Canada. Full implementation of WHTI affecting both land and sea border crossings could have serious economic impacts on both sides of the border. Keynote speakers included Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas and representatives of Department of State and the Canadian federal government.

The agenda included workshops on alternatives to passport requirements and security technology including implementation of RFID and privacy concerns.

MacLaren was selected because he was a member of the House Transportation Committee during the 2005 and 2007 Legislative sessions. He is also a graduate of the Council of State Governments Western Legislative Academy.

Library seeks regular volunteers, handyman

The North Valley Public Library in Stevensville is seeking responsible volunteers to help with labeling and covering books and shelving library materials on a weekly basis. Flexible schedule, work as much or as little as you'd like. Great work environment. Regular volunteers must have good eyesight, manual dexterity and mobility.

The library is also seeking an individual with carpentry and/or electrical wiring skills to assist with building maintenance on a volunteer basis. If you like to fix things, and are able to lift, climb, and move things, this is the place for you!

Call the library at 777-5061 for more information or stop by at 208 Main St. in Stevensville to fill out a volunteer application.

Stevensville youths awarded Montana Medals of Valor

In a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda today Governor Brian Schweitzer awarded eight Montanans with the 2006 Montana Medal of Valor, including Jade Hosko and Keith Mullan of Stevensville. They were honored for their display of extraordinary courage in a situation threatening the lives others.

“Giving these awards on behalf of Montanans is an honor,” said Governor Schweitzer. “These stories are inspirational and true to the Montana spirit of helping a neighbor in need – often saving a life. I join all Montanans in saying thank you, to our award winners; your selfless acts will always be remembered. I am humbled in the presence of heroes.”

On December 30, 2005, close friends Jade Hosko and Boone Chambers of Stevensville, both 15 at the time, set out for a morning of duck hunting along with Boone’s black lab, Griz. Boone had borrowed his dad’s shotgun and was anxious to try it out. As they stood on the west bank of a section of the Bitterroot River, Boone shot a duck that went down on the opposite side of the river. The pair crossed the river at their usual place in order to retrieve the duck. Both boys fell in the river and let the water carry them downstream, laughing at first, then becoming concerned as their waders filled with water, the current moved faster, and the frigid temperature of the water hit them. After almost one thousand feet of travel, they were swept into a pool of swirling water nearly 30 feet deep. Both Jade and Boone, unable to compete with the current, were pulled under the water and came up several times. Jade was finally able to grab a rock that jutted out into the river and pull himself out. Boone, still grasping the shotgun, was not able to get out. Jade jumped back in the water immediately, bringing Boone up several times for air. He climbed out of the river again, shed his waders and most of his clothes, and jumped back into the icy Bitterroot River to help his friend.

Another friend of theirs, 16 year old Keith Mullan (known to them as “Beef”), was heading to the river as well. He came upon the scene of Jade, wearing very little and jumping into the river. At about this time, Boone, near the bottom of the pool of water, finally let go of the shotgun, was able to come to the surface, and pull himself out of the river with the encouragement of Jade, Beef and Griz. Beef was on the opposite side of the river, but found a safe place to cross. It took some doing to get Boone back in the water, but Beef met Jade and Boone halfway across, packed them, their gear and Griz in his vehicle, turning the heat up full blast and took them to safety.

Stevi man wins big

The Wild West Winterfest was held February 16-18 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds in Bozeman. In the Working Horse & Driver division, Dick Renfro of Stevensville won Reserve Champion in the Top Teamster Open Class and 1st Place in the Single Horse Obstacle Contest – Open.

Stevensville Science Fair results

The Stevensville Science Fair was held on February 26. There were 95 Junior High and High School projects presented for judging. The following Junior High students received Blue Ribbons and qualified for the Montana State Science Fair at the University of Montana, April 7, 2008.

8th Grade

Individual Projects

Ashley Reid

Jake Horning

Cheyenne Sundberg

Brandon Tiefel

7th Grade

Individual Projects

Daniel Lockman

Lakyn Connors

Jeff Knopp

Devon Duvall-Driscoll

John Severson

Team Projects

Lexi Coston & Shelby Engebretson

Selway donated Scientific calculators to the following top 7th and

8th grade project winners.

Top 8th Grade Projects

Ashley Reid

Jake Horning

Top 7th Grade Project

Daniel Lockman

Devon Duvall-Driscoll

Athman named to Dean’s List

Jaffre Jospeh Athman of Hamilton was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2007 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Athman is a graduate of Hamilton High School and is enrolled in the university’s School of Engineering. To qualify for the Dean’s List in the School of Engineering, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 12 graded units.

Births

Births at Marcus Daly Hospital, Hamilton

2-27-08

Boy, 8 lbs., 21 inches, to Deserie Degele and Shawn Ives

Boy, 6 lbs., 20 inches, to Whitney Wright and Jake Bennett, Corvallis

2-28-08

Girl, 8 lbs., 10 oz., 21-1/2 inches, to Randi and Myron Paddock, Corvallis

3-2-08

Boy, 7 lbs, 12 oz., 20 inches, to Kayla Callahan, Darby

3-4-08

Girl, 7 lbs., 4 oz., 19 inches, to Casandra Morey, Hamilton.

Obituaries

Karen Kay Bloxham
1950-2008

Karen Kay Bloxham, 50, of Florence, died at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula on Monday, March 3, 2008.

She was born in Chinook, MT on April 20, 1950 and was the daughter of William and Louella (Stevens) Brady.

She attended grade school in Chinook, high school in Great Falls and Hamilton. In 1981 she married Kirk Bloxham. Karen enjoyed bowling, canning, sewing and gardening. She took great pride in her family and enjoyed the time spent with them very much.

Her mother Louella Stevens Brady, twin sons, and a daughter Anna Lehuta preceded her in death.

Karen is survived by her husband Kirk Bloxham, Florence; daughters Mary Ann (Jim) Robison, Florence, Janet (Ed) Bland, Somers; and son Albert (Shelia) Goss of Florence. Also surviving is a sister, Carrie (Raymond) Tow of Idaho Falls, and a brother, Mark (Ethelynn) Brady in Helena; her father William (Jane) Brady, Hamilton; and seven grandchildren: Sarah Goss, Eddy Lehuta, Zach Robison, Josh Bland, Sabrina Bland, Cierra Goss and Ashley Goss; and nieces and nephews: William Tow, Delores (Ron) Condon and Debbie (Roger) Lingchiet.

Funeral services were held at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville on Saturday, March 8 with Pastor Peter Daley officiating. Burial followed at Victor Cemetery.

Should friends desire, memorials may be made to St. Patrick Dialysis Center, 615 W Alder, Missoula MT 59802, attn. Cindy Williamson.

Donald William Schaub
1927-2008

Donald William Schaub, 81, of Stevensville, passed away on March 2, 2008 at his home which he loved on Three Mile Creek.

Don was born to Bill and Esther Schaub on February 19, 1927 in Mankato, Minnesota. He was raised by a loving and close extended family.

At age 15 he quit school to help his Dad build houses. At 17 he joined the U.S. Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served on the USS Wasp as a gunner’s mate.

In May, 1954 he married Rose Ann Kearney. Together they raised six children. Don was a pipe-fitter-welder and a member of the Plumbing and Pipefitters Union, Local 459 for 53 years. Don and Rose enjoyed traveling throughout the West, with Don’s trade making many friends along the way. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, reading, telling stories and was a great cook.

He was preceded in death by son Philip in 2003.

Don is survived by his wife Rose of Stevensville; children: Diane Schaub, Reno, NV, Lynn (Mike) Ogle, Missoula, Glenn Schaub, Missoula, Shelly (Dee) Batey, Belgrade, Nancy (Steve) Sandoval, Bozeman; 15 blessed grandchildren: Zac, Eli, Jonah Ganska, Reno, NV, Lindsey and Jeremy Schultz, Mathew and Elizabeth Ogle, all of Missoula, Peter Schaub, Missoula, Amanda, Meghan, Briane and George Batey, Belgrade and Josh, Jake, Joe and Emily Sandoval, Bozeman.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville. Burial of Don’s ashes will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Stevensville. A reception will follow at St. Mary’s Family Center.

Dayle Clarke Franks
1913-2008

Dayle Clarke Franks, 94, died on March 1, 2008 at her daughter’s home in Troutdale, OR. She was born on March 13, 1913 in Stevensville to Price and Emma May (Warner) Higgins.

Dayle graduated from Stevensville High School. She started her employment with JC Penney in 1931, at the age of 18 and retired from JC Penney in 1978 at the age of 65.

She married Arnold Noland Franks, July 20, 1936 in Stevensville. The couple lived in Missoula, Helena and in Polson where they lived from 1944-1956. In 1956 she and her family moved to Forest Grove, OR. She had lived with her daughter since 2003.

Dayle was a member of the Forest Grove Methodist Church, Eastern Star, Pacific Progress, various bridge clubs and the Forest Grove Senior Center. Her special interests were sewing Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, gardening, cooking for family and friends and traveling the world over.

Her husband Arnold and son Clarke preceded her as well as sisters Ellen Little-Anthony and Alda Bailey.

She is survived by sons and daughter-in-laws: Nolan Price and Nelda Franks, Forest Grove, OR, Arnold Dale and Susan Franks, Tualatin, OR and daughter, Larkin G. Franks, Troutdale, OR. Also surviving are four grandchildren: Nolan Franks, Lynnea Tebo, Kimberly Regalado and Tricia Hasbrook; five great grandchildren: Krista Tebo, Hayden Regalado, Lindsey Regalado, Arnold J. Hasbrook and Nathan Hasbrook.

Graveside services will be held Thursday, March 6 at the Riverside Cemetery in Stevensville at 2 p.m. Beulah Chapter #8 Order of the Eastern Star will be providing Ritualistic Honors.

Should friends desire, memorials may be made to “Wheel to Walk Foundation.”

Richard L. Wentz
1946-2008

Richard L. Wentz, 62, of Stevensville, passed away at his home on March 4, 2008 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Richard was born on February 25, 1946 to Richard E. and Melba (Ball) Wentz in Missoula. He received his education in Missoula Public Schools.

On May 5, 1977, he married the love of his life, Barbara L. Frey in Anaconda, MT. The couple moved to Stevensville in 1979.

Shortly after moving to Stevensville, Sarah was born. Two years later Raelene made her debut. What a proud papa when introducing his daughters to anyone at anytime.

Richard loved woodworking, salmon fishing on the Alsea River in Oregon, hunting and packing mules and horses into the Scapegoat and Bob Marshall Wilderness. During his last days we reminisced and laughed about our many trips with Tim and Betty Green, Steve and Donna Copenhaver and all the wonderful people we met along the way because of these friendships.

His Mom and Dad and several aunts and uncles preceded him.

Survivors include his wife Barb at the family home; daughters, Sarah (Scott) in Colorado, Raelene of Colorado, Dawn and Michael Ann of Idaho.

At Richard’s request no formal services will be held; private memorial will be at a later date.

The Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville was in charge of cremation arrangements.

Delton Henry ‘Del’ Becker
1952-2008

Delton Henry “Del” Becker, 55, of Florence, died on Sunday, March 9, 2008. He was born on May 28, 1952 in Watkins, Minnesota to William and Frances (Eichers) Becker.

He graduated from Kimball High School, in Kimball, Minnesota in 1970. He and Dorothy Rita Decker were married on May 2, 1980 at Cold Spring, MN.

Del was chairman of Ducks Unlimited of the Bitterroot Valley, Catholic Order of Foresters and a lifetime member of National Rifle Association. He loved hunting, fishing and golfing.

His parents and two brothers Daryl and David preceded him in death.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy of Florence and two daughters, Cynthia Becker (Kevin Harms) of Omaha, Nebraska and Jennifer Becker of Bozeman; brothers Duane (Jelda) Becker and Dennis Becker and a sister-in-law, Deb Becker, all of Kimball, Minnesota, Also surviving are 31 nieces and nephews.

Rosary will be held at the Whitesitt Funeral Home on Friday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m. Visitation will follow until 11:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Friday, March 14 at 12 noon.

Cremation will take place following services, and Del’s ashes will be interred in Minnesota.

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