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	JULY 2007 OBITUARIES Obituaries we have received are listed below. We are only able to post obituaries if and when the funeral homes send them to us. If an obituary you are interested in is missing, it's because we were not provided with the information from the funeral homes. Thank You for your patience. VISIT THE OBITUARY ARCHIVE HERE

Edward Raymond Bell, age 88, of Sheridan, WY died Thursday, July 19, 2007, in the V.A. Medical Center, Sheridan.
                   
Ed was born on July 30, 1918, in Pine County, MN to Frood & Clarissa (Collette) Bell.

Ed grew up and attended Pine City Public Schools.  He enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard in November of 1939 and entered into active duty in February of 1941.  He served during WWII in the Army with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions as a paratrooper and was honorably discharged on July 30, 1945.  Ed married Rebecca C. Johnson on Minneota, Minnesota.  He then attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis and after graduation accepted employment in Denver, Colorado.  In 1957, he accepted a position as district manager of Libby Foods for S. Dakota, Montana and Wyoming and moved his family to Sheridan.  He continued working in the food business until Panettta Brothers sold their wholesale food business.  The family wished to remain in Sheridan so Ed secured employment with PKS and then Decker Coal Co. until his retirement in 1983.  Ed was a faithful member of Trinity Lutheran Church.  He also was a member of the American Legion, life member of Sheridan Elks Lodge #520 and Disabled American Veterans.  He enjoyed traveling with Bot Sots, Good Sams and dancing with Jeans and Queens Square Dancing Club.  Ed also enjoyed volunteering at the Senior Citizens Center delivering Meals on Wheels and at the VA Hospital by driving the DAV van and working as an escort.  Ed always enjoyed working in his yard and garden, refinishing furniture, playing cards, hunting, fishing, and camping with family and friends.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, two sisters and one grandson Brent Edward Matthews.

Ed is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Rebecca Bell of Sheridan; daughter Susan Matthews of Provo, UT; sons Duane Bell of Butte, MT, Mark Bell of Sheridan and Richard Bell of Clearmont, WY; six grandchildren; five great grandchildren and one sister Ethel Bergendahl of St. Paul, MN.

Funeral service will be 2:00pm on Monday (July 23rd) from Trinity Lutheran Church with the Rev. Philip Wold officiating.  Interment will be in the Sheridan Elks Cemetery with military rites by the American Legion and the National Guard.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Memorials may benefit Trinity Lutheran Church, 135 Crescent Drive, Sheridan,
                                      Senior Citizen’s Center, 211 Smith St., Sheridan or
                                      Elks Lodge #520, P.O. Box 624, Sheridan, WY  82801

Bonnie Muller Barker 1926 – 2007

Bonnie Barker passed away quietly the morning of July 11, 2007 at Sheridan Manor.  Both her daughters were at her bedside.
Born Bonnie Mae Muller on September 16, 1926 at the old Sheridan Hospital on Saberton Street to Etta Mae (Bush) and Jacob Muller, she lived most of her life in Sheridan County, and was a well – known businesswoman in Sheridan. 
Jacob Muller homesteaded along Little Badger Creek, and later operated the ranch homesteaded by his mother Anna Blum Muller along Tongue River.  Bonnie grew up on the Little Badger Creek place, where the Mullers raised cattle, sheep and other products for market.  As a four and five year old, Bonnie watered watermelon plants by carrying water far from the creek, and tended the turkeys her father sold to Sheridan Commercial.  Her brother Jimmy, who still lives in Dayton, was her only sibling.
During World War II, still in her teens, Bonnie worked at Kaiser Shipyards in San Francisco, as a sort of “Rosie the Riveter.”  Her job was installing refrigeration equipment in ship hulls, where her small stature allowed her to work in shafts and crawl spaces where others could not.
She returned to Sheridan to work at Montgomery Ward’s, and married Phil Barker on February 11, 1946 in Billings.  She and Phil and their two daughters spent weekends and holidays at the Barker Ranch in Parkman, with Ernestine and George Barker, Phil’s five brothers, and everyone’s children and eventually grandchildren.
Bonnie worked for a time at Sheridan Stationary, and then, with a partner, bought and operated Strehlow Office Supply downtown.
She became an agent at Brittain World Travel, and then with long-time partner Susan Davis, founded and ran a Travel Management Agency branch in Sheridan, and founded Travel Center on Brundage.  Travel Center was a very successful business during the heyday of travel agencies.  It operated the Trailways bus and freight business, and organized many unique tours for senior citizens groups, the Sheridan Wayfarers and others.  For a time Travel Center also had a branch in Buffalo.
Bonnie took full advantage of the perks of travel agents, and traveled most of the world as part of her job.  She visited all of Europe, Egypt, Israel, China, Russia, Argentina, Peru, Japan, Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, and practically every other corner of the globe, and reveled in all she learned on her frequent trips. 
In addition to travel, Bonnie’s other passions included riding, fishing and hunting.  A favorite family photo shows the diminutive Bonnie struggling to hold aloft a 40-pound Lake Trout beside a seaplane at Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories.  Known as a crack shot her whole life, she target – practiced with her favorite 30-06, and hunted deer well into her seventies.
Bonnie was preceded in death by Jacob and Etta Mae Muller, and by Phil Barker.  She is survived by her brother Jimmy, her daughters Patricia Lawrence of Basin and Carol LeResche of Sheridan; grandchildren Bonnie (Lawrence) Smith of Marina del Rey, California, Raymond Lawrence of Powell, Samantha Carroll of Anchorage, Alaska, and Cameron Carroll of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Great grandchildren are Christian and Gabrielle Silco of Denver, Michael and Vanessa Lawrence of Covina, California, and Cameron, Reba and Alex Lawrence and Shane Tanner, all of Powell.
Services will be held at Champion’s Funeral Home, 10 AM Saturday, July 21.  Interment will follow at the Elks Cemetery in Sheridan.
Donations may be made to a favorite charity.

Alex Bateman, age 37, of Sheridan, WY died Sunday, July 1, 2007, in her Sheridan home.

Viewing will be 10:00am on Friday (July 6th) in the LDS Church with funeral service at 11:00am from the LDS Church.  Interment will be in Sheridan Municipal Cemetery.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Ila Christenson, age 84, a longtime Sheridan, WY resident died Friday, July 13, 2007, in Memorial Hospital of Sheridan County.

Ila was born on August 26, 1922, in Ault, Colorado to Jess Burt & Anna Pearl (Laney) Rickman the second of five children.  She married Oscar J. Christenson on November 18, 1939, in Sheridan at the Wyoming Girls School.  They had two children Don Allen and Billy Zane.  She worked many years for the Girl’s School and then for the Wallop Ranch.  Her last work was caring for the elderly and sick in their homes.  She enjoyed sewing and reading.

Ila was preceded in death by her husband; brother Lane David Rickman; sister Amy Charlene and a brother who was stillborn.

Ila is survived by one sister Georgia E. Ogden of Wichita Falls, TX; son Don Allen Christenson; two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Graveside committal of her cremains will be 10:00am on Thursday (July 19th) in Mount Hope Cemetery, Big Horn, WY with Pastor R.H. Robinson officiating.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Memorials may benefit the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library, 335 W. Alger St., Sheridan, WY  82801

Donald L. King, 83, of Sheridan, passed away on July 28, 2007, at Memorial Hospital of Sheridan County.

Don was born August 26, 1923 in Douglas, WY to William and Blanche King. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1943 and served until his honorable discharge in 1946. Don married Dorothy Clapp in Tucson, AZ on February 10, 1944 and they raised four sons together. He enjoyed doing leather work and making leather working tools. He was a member of the Sheridan Elks Lodge, The American Legion, and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; and two sons, Robert King and John King. He is survived by his wife Dorothy King of Sheridan; his two sons, William King and his wife Jean, Bruce King and his wife Mary, all of Sheridan; and his nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held at the Big Horn Equestrian Center on Friday, August 3, 2007 at 10:00 am with Reverend David Duprey Officiating. Kane Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Don’s name to the Sheridan College Rodeo Team, 3059 Coffeen Avenue, Sheridan, WY 82801, or to the Sheridan High School Rodeo Team, 1056 Long Drive, Sheridan, WY 82801.

Harold L. Field, 89, of Riverton, WY, died Wednesday, July 11, 2007 in the Sheridan V. A. Medical Center.

Mr. Field was born October 23, 1917 in Coalmont, Indiana to Henry and Velora (Cushman) Field.  He grew up and attended schools in Coalmont and graduated from Coalmont High School.

Mr. Field served in the U. S. Army from 1942 to 1946, when he was honorably discharged.  After the service, Harold returned to Indiana and attended and graduated from Purdue University.  He then went to work for the Bureau of Reclamation as an Agricultural Engineer in 1958, retiring in 1984.  He married Vivian Kisinger in Cody, WY in May of 1959.

Harold was a member of the V. F. W., the P. B. O. E., F. O. E., & the American Legion.  He enjoyed fishing, gardening, playing cards, camping, and especially loved spending time in the outdoors.

Mr. Field was preceded in death by his wife, Vivian, in 1985; his parents; one brother; and four sisters.

He is survived by two sons, Ed Field, of Sheridan, WY, and Hal Field, of Oakes, ND; three daughters, Betty Field, and Marci Borzenski, both of Sheridan, WY, and Judy Donahue, of Riverton, WY; three brothers, John Field, and Roy Field, both of Jasonville, Indiana, and Jim Field, of Connorsville, Indiana; one sister, Mary Chamberlain, of Clay City, Indiana; 7 grandchildren; and 20 great grandchildren.

Please join the family for a Celebration of Harold’s Life at 2:00 P. M. July 28, 2007 at the V. F. W. #3628 Club Room, 1409 W. Main St., Riverton, WY.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Memorials in memory of Mr. Field may be made to the Charity of the donor’s choice. 

M.A. “Babe” Laughrey, age 89, of Sheridan, WY died Friday, July 13, 2007, in Memorial Hospital of Sheridan County.

Babe was born February 21, 1918, in Sheridan to Charles & Lucille (Gordon) Miller.

She grew up and graduated from high school in Sheridan.  Babe married James “Pete” Laughrey on October 21, 1936, in Hardin, MT.  They lived in Sheridan where she worked for Montgomery Wards, Sheridan Commercial Vickery Lumber and Mills Printing.  Mr. Laughrey died in 1978.  She retired in 1982.  After retirement, she volunteered at the V.A. Medical Center.  Babe was an avid bowler and also enjoyed hunting, fishing, crocheting and needlework.

Babe was also preceded in death by her brother Virgil and sister Maxine Long.

Babe is survived by her son James Laughrey of Sheridan, three grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Funeral service will be 10:00am on Wednesday (July 18th) from Champion Ferries Funeral Home with Father Ronald Stolcis officiating.  Interment will be in Sheridan Municipal Cemetery.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Memorials may benefit the Sheridan Senior Citizen’s Center, 211 Smith St., Sheridan.

Marcus Lamar Ross III, 59, of Big Horn, died on Wednesday, July 25, 2007. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 28,2007 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church with Reverend Kevin Jones officiating. Mr. Ross will then be taken to Texas for burial to be held at Forest Park East Cemetery Chapel on Friday, August 3, 2007 at 1:00 pm.

Mr. Ross was born on February 3rd, 1948 in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the son of Dr. And Mrs. Marcus Lamar Ross. He grew up in Galveston, Texas and graduated from Ball High School in 1966. He then attended Baylor University and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He went on to attend Union Theological Seminary in New York City where he received a Master of Divinity Degree. He married Laura Shannon Keahey on January 22nd, 2004 in Waco, Texas. The couple moved to the Sheridan area just following the wedding to be close to relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bledsoe and family. Mr. Ross loved this area, its beauty, its climate and its people. Marc enjoyed art, intellectual discussions and lifelong study of the Bible and Theology. He saw this life as a time to grow closer to God and prepare for eternal life.

He is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Laura; sister, Jan Purdy and husband Tom of Waco, Texas; son, Dr. Scott Leune and wife, Cassandra of San Antonio, Texas; and granddaughter, Sophia Leune of San Antonio. TX.

Memorials may be made in Marc’s name to The Gideon’s International, PO Box 6183, Sheridan, WY 82801.

Kane Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Craig Thomas Shivers, 51, passed away from a heart attack in Silver City, NM, on July 17, 2007. He had recently moved there after living several years in Sheridan, WY. He was born on November 6, 1955, in Concordia, KS to Marvin F. Shivers and Margaret Matthew Shivers.  After graduating from Concordia High School in 1973, he went to work at Gerald’s Body Shop and continued his career as a talented auto body specialist in Emporia, KS, Cody, WY, and Sheridan, WY.  He was married to Jenifer Hanson in 1981 in Wyoming and had two sons from this marriage, Cole Thomas and Lane Matthew.  He met the love of his life, Tamara McKennan, after moving to Sheridan in 1999 .Craig was active in the Methodist Church of Sheridan and a sponsor in AA groups.  He was an inspiration to many people he came in contact with. Craig developed his talent as a sought-after craftsman in making jewelry and sporting knives.  As an avid outdoorsman, he recently became interested in black powder hunting. 

Survivors include his fiancée Tamara McKennan, Sheridan, WY; son Lane Shivers, Cody, WY; sister Debra (Michael) Redburn of Bozeman, MT; niece Lauren Redburn and nephew Nicholas Redburn of Bozeman, MT; aunt Janyce Matthew of Concordia, KS; uncle Dr. William (Tina) Matthew of Olathe, KS.  He was preceded in death by his father Marvin Shivers, mother Margaret Shivers, and son Cole Shivers.  Memorials can be made to the First United Methodist Church in Sheridan.  The funeral will be held at the Methodist Church on Monday, July 23 at 10:00 a.m. in Sheridan, WY, with the Rev. Don Derryberry officiating.   Interment will be in the Sheridan Municipal Cemetery.   Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Elizabeth (Betty) Fay Stutsman, age 100, died Sunday, July 8, 2007, in Westview Health Care Center.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held on a future date.  Arrangements are with Champion Ferries Funeral Home.

Mrs. Stutsman had been a permanent resident of Sheridan since her retirement in 1977. 

She was born in Brown County, Aberdeen, S. Dakota, on April 15, 1907.  She was the second of four children born to Katherine and Frank Bisbee.  Mrs. Stutsman worked her entire adult life as a nurse in various hospitals in Montana, Illinois and Washington.  She retired after having worked for fifteen and a half years at the Sacred Heart Hospital Home for Retired Nuns in Spokane, Washington. Betty was married and divorced from William Surface of Sheridan and met her second husband Howard Stutsman while working in Bremerton, Washington, during the Second World War.  Mr. Stutsman preceded her in death in 1966 and she was also preceded in death by her daughter, Linda Stutsman, in 1970.

Hobbies included writing poetry with many poems being published in magazines, playing her piano and entertaining dinner guests.

Mrs. Stutsman loved her Lord and had been a member of the First Baptist Church of Sheridan since 1934.

She is survived by nephews Bruce Bisbee and Dr. Rodney Bisbee of Sheridan; nephews Gary Bisbee and Richard Bisbee; nieces Casey Moore, Beth Bisbee and Carol Bisbee and a number of grand nieces and nephews.

Inurnment will take place in the Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane, Washington.

Memorials may benefit First Baptist Church of Sheridan or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Georgia M. Wolfer, 90, of Sheridan, passed away on July 29, 2007, at Sheridan Manor.

Georgia was born November 11, 1916 in Murchison, TX to Naomi Fender. She married Charlie "Chuck" Wolfer on May 30, 1955.

Georgia was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Charlie of Sheridan; her daughter, Bonnie Heinrich of Spokane, WA.

Cremation has taken place. Kane Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

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