Leslie Howard Ferguson, 57, of Poplar died Sept. 10, 2026, in Billings. He was born during a blackout on Feb. 27, 1969, in Poplar to George Ferguson and Lois Ann Ricker. He was the youngest of 11. From the beginning, he had a love for cars and mechanics. He was a life long mechanic. He knew every type of car just by the shape of the lights, including which year car had which features. He always talked very lovingly about his Barracuda, blue Chevy and a Ninja motorcycle. Most recently, the loves he held close to his heart was his big white Chevy and his blue Chevy tow truck he used for his business M & M Towing, a job that brought him happiness and enjoyment. That was his second greatest love next to his family. He began his fatherhood journey when Channing was born, followed by Tawyna, Brittney, Tyler, Lane, Kristien, Morgan and Melanie. In 1998, he found the love to his last days, Faye. With her alongside him, he achieved many more notable life moments. He was a truck driver owning Ferguson’s Kustoms, owner of a home renovation company, basketball coach with Ferguson’s Finest and the Regulators, a bus driver, and a mechanic extraordinaire.

Timothy James Kurokawa, 78, passed away on Sept. 16, 2026, in Wolf Point, Mont., after a long illness surrounded by his loving family. He was born on May 23, 1948, in Chicago, Ill., and was the oldest child of Jim and Vonie Kurokawa. Soon after, the family moved to Wolf Point, Mont., where he grew up with his six siblings, helping at the Wolf Point Cafe. After graduating from Wolf Point High School in 1966, Tim enrolled at Rocky Mountain College and played football for one season. He then enlisted in the Navy and served in the Vietnam War as an aviation electrician. After Vietnam, he married Jude Stensland in Wolf Point and they moved to Bozeman to study nursing at Montana State University. There, along with daughter Tara, the three made their home in married student housing. They later welcomed daughter Kari Yvonne and moved to Butte to complete their nursing clinicals. While in Butte, they welcomed son Andrew John. Tim attended a master's program in biofeedback at the University of Washington, Seattle. The family returned to Wolf Point, where Tim worked as an RN at Trinity Hospital. He worked closely as a surgical assistant for his mentor, Dr. Listerud. Tim received additional training and administered kidney dialysis at Indian Health Service in Poplar. In 1992, he completed the Family Nurse Practitioner program at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. He was proud of his 30 years as a Family Nurse Practitioner at IHS until his retirement in 2012. He loved his work taking care of people. Tim and Jude separated in 2000. After a long friendship as co-workers at the IHS Clinic in Wolf Point, Tim and Mikel Sansaver started dating at an IHS Christmas party in 2006 and quickly became inseparable. They married in 2013. Tim enjoyed bird hunting with family, golfing, Gunsite Academy marksmanship and gun handling, riding his Harley, attending sporting events of his children and grandchildren and keeping up with Jeopardy and other favorite shows. Tim is survived by his children, Tara Mastel

Ivan Michael Hoff, 77, of Billings, formerly of the Volmer community, died Sept. 5, 2026. Born on June 26, 1949, in Williston, N.D., to Mikkel and Alma Caroline (Sorenson) Hoff, he was the youngest of four children raised on the family farm southeast of Dagmar with siblings Edward, Haral and Karen. He attended View Hill country school through the seventh grade and graduated from Medicine Lake High School in 1967. He served as class president and president of the FFA chapter, earning district greenhand and state farmer honors and the first state DeKalb award recipient. He attended Montana State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science with an emphasis in pre-veterinary studies and a master of science in range management. His commitment to learning continued throughout his life, including continuing education courses in veterinary medicine at Colorado State University. A dedicated student, he was a member of the Alpha Zeta honorary, served as president of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and was a member of the MSU Les Bouffons. It was during college, that he met and was pinned to Avice Brooks of St. Ignatius. They were married on Oct. 19, 1973. Together, they embarked on a life of farming and ranching in the Volmer community. Their 53-year marriage was filled with love and service. He served on the Medicine Lake Community

Elizabeth Fowler, 92, of Wolf Point died Sept. 21, 2026, at Trinity Hospital. The funeral service will be announced at a later date pending the completion of the arrangements with Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point.

Clyde “Papa” Bauer, 83, died Sept. 7, 2026, at the Billings Clinic Hospital. He was born on Aug. 11, 1943, to Otto and Ella Bauer in Beulah, N.D. He was the 10th of 13 children. His paternal grandparents came to the United States from South Russia around 1902. They eventually had a family of 15 children. His father, Otto, was the fifth child of the 15 and was the first child to be born In the United States. At the young age of 14, Clyde’s mother sent him to Poplar to help care for his sister, Manon, and her small children. It was there he met Anita Red Thunder. They were married on May 29, 1965, and soon after welcomed three children, Val, Michelle and Robert. He worked various jobs in the oilfield starting in 1959. He later moved to construction in 1970, beginning as a carpenter for C & M Construction; eventually working his way to a finish carpenter. After years in the construction field, he began his job as the inspector for Fort Peck Housing Authority in 1982. Earning his state certification was a highlight of his career. After 31 years at Fort Peck Housing, he retired in July 2013. He enjoyed his retirement fixing things, tinkering in the garage and watching his grandchildren play sports. Family was important to him. He was affectionately referred to as Papa by all of his seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He stayed up to date and involved in all the family activities from sports, to concerts and just everyday

Leslie Ferguson, 57, of Poplar died Sept. 10, 2026, in Billings. Services are pending at Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point.

Ivan Michael Hoff, 77, of Billings, formerly of the Volmer community, died Sept. 5, 2026. A celebration of life will be held next summer, June 26, 2027, at the Volmer Lutheran Church in Dagmar.

Shirley A. Witt was born to Peter and Ethel (Holmgren) Witt in Minot, N.D., on May 25, 1935. Shirley was the eldest of three sisters, with Joyce born in 1936 and Patricia born in 1938. Shirley died in Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 6, 2026, after living at Solista Independent Living, where she continued to make good friends for the last part of her life. Shirley attended the University of Chicago at age 16. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in history and a minor in French and, later, from San Francisco State University with her M.A. in English literature. Shirley taught for many years, including in the San Francisco Unified School District and in Montana at the Fort Peck Community College in Poplar and Rocky Mountain College in Billings. Shirley loved to travel, and she lived in many interesting places, including Minot, San Francisco, Poplar, Billings and Spokane. Outside of the U.S., she lived in Mexico and Germany. Shirley is survived by three nephews and a niece and by their respective families: (by age) Andrew Hendrickson, Temecula, Calif.; Beth Torgerson, Spokane, Wash. (Bob