Former Congressman Ron Marlenee, 84, died Sunday, April 26, 2020, in Bozeman. He was born Aug. 8, 1935, in Scobey to Charles and Margaret (Darchuk) Marlenee. He was later joined by brothers, Bob and Lanny. The family homesteaded in a tar paper shack north of Scobey while Charles with his wife, Margaret, started and operated a farm through both a depression and a world war. The oldest of three, responsibility set in early and hard work became the mainstay of his life. He graduated from Scobey Schools and attended Montana State University and the University of Montana before being called back to work on the family farm. He attended and graduated from the Reisch School of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa, and used his skills throughout his life auctioneering livestock throughout Montana and later on the campaign trail, donating his time for good causes. He was also proud to be a Freemason and a Shriner. He married Carmen Willard and together they had five children, David, Mike, Sheila, Casey and Allison. In 1978, he married Cindy Tiemann who became his wife, political partner and best hunting and fishing buddy. In 1976, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in what was a rare Republican win in a disastrous election for the GOP on the heels of Watergate. Democrats dominated Montana politics, particularly at the federal level. He was one of only two Republican candidates elected that year in the state. While in Congress, he served on the Agriculture and Natural Resources committees and was known as a fierce fighter for the common man against a bureaucracy. He enjoyed working with President Ronald Reagan and referred to him as “the greatest politician and leader” he had ever met. They remained friends for many years. He was elected to Congress seven more times and, in 1992, due to the census, Montana lost one of its two seats in Washington, D.C. This pitted the two Montana congressmen against each other in an epic political battle that garnered national attention. He lost to Pat Williams in an extremely close and well-fought race. After leaving Congress, he went on to represent Safari Club International, a hunting conservation group in D.C., until retiring to his home in Bridger Canyon north of Bozeman. Throughout their lives, he and Cindy traveled extensively and were blessed to have made many lifelong friends. While he was best known for his political life, he is most fondly remembered as a father and grandfather. He created many adventures and memories for his children and grandchildren in the Bridger Mountains at the family cabin. There was always a new adventure or mystery to solve in their beloved Sherwood Forest. Hidden among the castles and the forts were buried treasures to be found, frog hunting from the pirate ‘paddle' boat and rope swings from massive trees down to the slide into the icy water at the pond. He always had a luge built when the grandchildren arrived in the winter with plenty of sleds and, of course, skiing at Bridger Bowl and his famous hot cocoa. In staying with his childhood tradition, he organized family fishing trips to Canada. He was happiest working on the hill whether it was in D.C. or at Bridger Bowl where he was building a legacy of love for his grandchildren. He was especially affected by his grandson Jake's death two years ago. His heart was weakened from that moment on. He is survived by his wife, Cindy of Bozeman; children, Sheila Wolff of Billings, Casey of Bozeman and Boise, Idaho and Allison Helland of Glasgow; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by brothers, Bob and Lanny; sons, David and Mike; and grandson, Jacob. Due to the pandemic, memorial services are planned for Aug. 8 at the Springhill Presbyterian Church in Bozeman.

Phyllis Geraldine (Dassonville) Berge, 96, of Bainville, died April 19, 2020, at her home in Bainville. She was born at home in Frazer, on Oct. 23, 1923, to Paul J. Dassonville and Hazel May (Redfield) Dassonville. She joined oldest brother, Lloyd, and older sister, Margarite (Peggy). She was followed by brothers, Henri “Hank” and Curtis; and sister, Janice. She attended Frazer Elementary School where she met Dick Berge. He was in the sixth grade and she was in the fifth grade. She attended Frazer High School, graduating in 1941. While in high school, she played basketball with a half-court rule. She was quite proud of being “high point man” in the games. She stated many times, “I’ll always be a Frazer Bearcub.” After graduating, she attended Havre Normal School, where she obtained an associate degree that enabled her to teach first grade at the Southside School in Wolf Point during World War II. She married Dick Berge in 1947 and had two daughters, Rochelle “Rocky”and Paulette “Pauly.” In 1953, she and Dick built The Rancho Motel in Frazer. In 1957, they moved the motel to Wolf Point, where they operated the motel and campground until 1981. In 2012, they relocated to Bainville. She enjoyed growing up with so many siblings. She talked about how she and Hank could really cut a rug with jitterbugging in the living room. She was a very good dancer and proved it when she taught her great-grandson to dance before his first prom. She could play the guitar and piano by ear and could yodel with the best of them. She loved to sing, especially at church. She always enjoyed and made every holiday memorable by making special food and hosting dinners. She and Dick loved to share their recipes with their granddaughter by teaching her how to make dressing, among other things. She was an avid crafter. She crocheted dolls, doilies and afghans. She made plastic canvas projects and enjoyed trying new crafts and recording craft shows from the TV. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dick; brothers, Lloyd and Hank; and sister, Peggy. She is survived by daughters, Rochelle Romo of Bainville and Pauly of Plano, Texas; brother, Curtis of Bozeman; sister, Janice Long of Wolf Point; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Private graveside services were held and a public memorial service will be held at a later date. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.

Damon Nelson Heck, 42, of Great Falls died April 13, 2020. He was born Jan. 5, 1978, at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls to Julie and Rick Heck. He was the oldest of three boys, though he had several extra “brothers” who joined the Heck family throughout the years. The “brotherly love” the three experienced growing up is something that will never be forgotten. While he wasn’t an avid church attendee, he knew his Lord and Savior. He graduated from C.M. Russell High School in 1996, he then attended Montana State University - Northern and Montana State University - Bozeman. After returning to Great Falls, he began his work as a draftsman for the family business, Blue Mountain Enterprises. He eventually went to work at TC Glass as an accomplished glazier and automatics coordinator. He was a jack-of-all-trades — or as he would say, “It’s what I do.” There wasn’t much he couldn’t do and, if he didn’t know how to do something, he would figure it out — a skill he learned during his time as a Boy Scout. After Rick’s passing in 2006, he stepped up to help Julie with managing the family home. He met Amber in the summer of 2002 and was open about the fact that he knew, from first sight, he would marry her one day. By December of the same year, he knew he had won her heart, telling her bright and early one morning shortly after Christmas, “We should go look at rings today.” They were married Sept. 6, 2003, in Great Falls. Four years later, their first child, Kylor Gene, was born. Two years later, Kason John joined the family. The boys have added to, and will continue, Damon’s hockey legacy. Kylor honors him by wearing Damon’s #51 jersey. Khloe Anne was born in 2012. He was adamant that his daughter would never play hockey, but it didn’t take long for him to realize he would give her anything she wanted. Recently, Khloe also decided to take to the ice, giving Damon the pleasure of becoming a figure skating dad. Daughter Koroa Rhee was born in 2019. Throughout his life, he was always active in sports and tried out a few before falling in love with hockey. He started his hockey career as a junior novice and continued playing throughout high school. He moved on to the men’s league. He devoted countless hours to the sport — becoming a coach, mentor and official. Even as an adult, he was always active in sports, participating in multiple softball and golf leagues. One of his longest-running hobbies was hunting. He spent winters as a child hunting with his father and brothers. Later, he spent many weekends walking through the woods with his father-inlaw and brothers-in-law. He is survived by his wife, Amber Rivera Heck; sons, Kylor and Kason; daughters, Khloe and Koroa; mother, Julie Nelson Heck; brothers, Nick Heck and Tanner Heck; and grandparents, Delores Nelson of Wolf Point and Clif and Helen Heck. A memorial will be planned at a later date.

Rita Nichols. 96, died April 16, 2020, in Bozeman. She was born April 21, 1923 in Slinger, Wis., to Francis (Frank) and Frances Kachelmeier. She was the second youngest of 10 siblings. Music was her life. At a young age, she traveled by train from her home in Slinger, where her family operated a bakery shop, to Milwaukee to take voice and music lessons. She graduated with of bachelor of arts in music from Milwaukee State Teachers College. She ventured out West in the early 1950s to teach music at the St. Labre Indian School in Ashland. While teaching in eastern Montana, she met Louis Robert Nichols. They wed in 1952 in Billings, where they eventually settled. She continued her passion for music in Billings, directing choir, singing and playing organ and piano for more than 50 years at the Little Flower Catholic Church. Her talents were not lost on her children, who all learned to play some musical instrument and sing. She belonged to the Billings bowling leagues, golfed into her 90s and took daily walks along the Yellowstone River near her home. She loved playing cards, reading, watercolor painting and carrying on her family tradition of fantastic baking. She sang with a Billings hospice group, sharing her beautiful soprano voice. Her backyard Fourth of July celebrations were a tradition the extended family looked forward to every year. She remained in her home in Billings until 2019, when she moved to an assisted living facility in Bozeman. She is survived by six children, James Nichols of Santa Clarita, Calif., Clare Marley of Sandpoint, Idaho, Theresa Schuster of Bozeman, Robert Nichols of Billings, Ray Nichols of Phoenix, Ariz., and John Nichols of Escondido, Calif.; and nine grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis; daughter, Louise; siblings, Julia, Marie, Joey, Sister Anne; Sister Limana, Sister Jo Marie, Vera, Al and Laddie. Burial will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Billings. A celebration of life is planned for later.

Betsy B. Jueschke, 74, died March 11, 2020. She was born to Boone and Marilee Whitmer in Glendive and grew up on the prairies of Montana from Glendive to Wolf Point and places in between. She was the oldest girl in a family of nine who, by the age of four, was churning butter and making whipped cream. Her passion for cooking began early on when her mother relied on her to care for her siblings. It didn’t take long until she earned the nickname “Oven.” These childhood cooking experiences, combined with her mother’s love and guidance, earned her the reputation as a wonderful cook. She relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., in 1965 where she met and married a cowboy from Amistad, N.M., Wayne Jueschke. There, they had their first child, Warren, and moved to Elko, Nev., in 1971 where daughter, Rhonda, was born. Coming from a large family, being a mother was a familiar role. She enjoyed staying home and cooking until Rhonda started school. Then her lengthy career in customer service began, first at Security Bank as a teller. She moved to insurance to work with Bill Wunderlich. She also worked at the phone company and finally landed as the cheerful face that greeted you at the front check-in desk of the Northern Nevada Regional Hospital. She was never afraid of a challenge and always said that the president could be reached in three phone calls. The phone was her friend, as she was quick to find a solution by letting her fingers do the walking. The hours spent cooking in the kitchen were also a source of conversation and a learning opportunity. For her, food and conversation went hand in hand and that is where some of her most inspirational times with family and friends were found. When Khoury’s Market opened, she baked pies to sell on the new counters of the store. She was a country girl at heart and was proud to have lived in the West before it was discovered for the last time. She believed in compassion, etiquette and ethics. She said good manners and friendly hospitality never go out of style. She wrote poetry and captured life through her love of photography. In 2005, she retired after surviving a dissecting aorta. In the medivac plane ride to Reno, Nev., she stated she was not ready to go because she still had her cookbook to finish. In January 2019, the cookbook was published. She is survived by her husband, Wayne Jueschke of Spring Creek, Nev.; son, Warren Jueschke of Elko, Nev.; daughter, Rhonda Morfin of Spring Creek; four grandchildren; siblings, Clint Whitmer of Glendive, Patsy Hollingbery of Yakima, Wash., Mary-Ann Parks of Grass Range, Boone Whitmer of Wolf Point, Wanda Rosseland of Circle, Rita Whitmer of Minnesota; Rex Whitmer of Dillon and Barbara Whitmer of Toronto, Canada. Services were held at Burns Funeral Home in Elko on Tuesday, March 17.

Mabel Anne (Thompson) Sherman, 80, of Medicine Lake died April 19, 2020. She was born Feb. 17, 1940, on the farm at rural Reserve one of 11 children to Nels and Mathilda (Flakne) Thompson. She attended Plentywood School, graduating in 1958. She married Clarence Sherman on Oct. 17, 1959, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Plentywood. They lived in many places following Clarence’s work in the oil fields. They raised four children — Tracy, Nancy, Kevin and Tim. She enjoyed being a homemaker and selling Avon. Her hobbies included embroidery and crossword and jigsaw puzzles. She enjoyed time spent with family and visiting with friends. After Clarence’s retirement, they settled in Medicine Lake. After Clarence’s death in 2014, she remained in Medicine Lake until moving to Williston, N.D., in September 2019 to be closer to family. She was also preceded in death by brothers, Eugene, Melvin, Eddie and Nels Thompson; and sisters, Viola Grimes, Gladys Lindell and Dorothy Clark. She is survived by daughters, Tracy Tormaschy and Nancy Balikian; sons, Kevin and Tim Sherman; five grandchildren; brothers, John Thompson and Rick Thompson; and sister, Irene Nordstrom. A memorial service will be conducted this summer.