Betty A. Johnstone, 75, who owned and operated bars in Grass Range and Roy, died the morning of April 27, 2013, of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She was born Nov. 21, 1937, in Crow Wing County just outside of Brainerd, Minn., the fourth of five children of Clarence and Florence Malloy. At the age of 6, she moved with her family to Klein.

On Dec. 31, 1954, she married Jack Stigen in Roundup and moved to the family ranch in the Snowy Mountains north of Ryegate. They had three children.

In 1972 she married Kelly Wrzesinski, and they worked for ranches in the area.

In 1978 she bought the Ranger Bar in Grass Range from her brother, Jim Malloy, which she owned and operated for several years.

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Millie L. (Bernhard) Giovetti, 82, who sang on the radio in her younger years, died in her home on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

The daughter of Ira and Tory Bernhard, she was born March 20, 1931, in Helena.

She was an accomplished vocalist, gardener, seamstress and cook.

She was preceded in death by Peter Giovetti, her husband of 56 years.

Survivors include children, Betty Ann Morgan, Luellen Nelson, Jim Mattson, Vickie Schweitzer and Barb Giovetti Smith; 14 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; a brother, Sonny Bernhard; and sisters, Lori Balcerzarc and Leslie Hildenstab of Helena. 

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Josephine I. Sherman, 88, of Billings, died May 4, 2013, at Tendernest in Billings.

She was born Jan. 19, 1925, in Washoe, the daughter of Mike and Mara Pekovich. On May 15, 1948, she married Frank J. Sherman at St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral.

Survivors include her husband; children, Susan and Roger Hastings of Raleigh, N.C., Skip Sherman of Centennial, Colo., and Kristi and Ron Hartman of Billings; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a friend, Lois Leone.

Vigil services will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at Dahl Funeral Chapel. Services will be at 10 a.m. May 10 at Holy Rosary Church with private burial later.

Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army.

Grace Lorraine (Romee) Allen, 84, who raised 10 children on Billings’ South Side, died Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at St. Vincent Hospital from complications due to melanoma.

She was born July 24, 1928, to Carl and Eva (Streitmater) Romee at the Blue Creek homestead. The youngest of four children, she was delivered by an aunt, Lena Schneider. She spent her early years with a sister, Betty.

At age 16 she moved to Billings to attend Lincoln (Senior) High School. She worked at Kresse’s and lived in an apartment while graduating from high school.

She married Patrick M. Allen on Nov. 7, 1947, at The Church of the Little Flower. He died on Easter Sunday 2007. In addition to caring, cooking and baking for their children, she raised a large garden and had apple trees.

She was a die-hard Democrat and a devout Catholic at Little Flower Catholic Church and School. She helped form Sacred Heart Guild, and together with the women of Little Flower, served bazaar turkey dinners and funeral meals for many years.

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Dorothy McLaughlin, 76, who was instrumental in founding Senior Helping Hands Inc., the Senior Community Service Employment Program, the Montana Association for Female Executives and the Museum of Women’s History, died in the early morning hours of April 29, 2013.

She was born May 6, 1926, in Kansas City, Mo., the oldest of five children of Earl Henry Klopfenstine and Hazel Loucille Allen. Due to the early death of her father and her mother’s illnesses, at the age of 7 she assumed responsibility for the housework and care of her younger siblings. She graduated at age 16 from East High School in Kansas City.

When she was 20, her first marriage produced two children, Margi (Margaret) Carol Gant and Michael Lynn Gant. The family moved to California, and she became chief bookkeeper for Ehrhart & Associates Inc. Engineers & Constructors. She then served as office manager for Relief Printing Corp. of California.

Three years after divorcing her first husband, she married Patrick Michael McLaughlin. In 1976, at age 50, she received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from California State University, Los Angeles. In 1987, at age 61, she received a master’s degree in business from Columbia Pacific University in San Rafael, Calif.

Following Mr. McLaughlin’s retirement, the moved in 1976 to Billings. She volunteered as a Pink Lady at St. Vincent Healthcare and served as volunteer director at the Southside Senior Citizens Center. She and Agnes Crow co-founded Senior Helping Hands Inc., an organization that helps senior citizens remain in their homes.

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Greg Chirrick, 43, of Billings, an outdoorsman who was active in his church, died April 24, 2013.

He was born on July 26, 1969. He graduated from Senior High School in 1987 and married Darcy Anderson on April 18, 1998.

He enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting and skiing, and he coached his boys in various sports. He counseled married couples, hung out with high schoolers and was active in his Accountability Group.

Survivors include his wife; sons, Connor and Dylan; daughter, Ryen; mother, Margaret Chirrick; and brother, Rick Chirrick.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, at Harvest Church, 1235 Wicks Lane W. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Arrangements are in the care of Dahl Funeral Chapel

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John Franklin Pinnow, 79, of Billings, a welder and machinist who also had a farm near Shepherd, died Monday, April 29, 2013.

He was born July 21, 1933, in Miles City and was raised on a farm with seven siblings. The farm was homesteaded by his father, Carl Pinnow, and mother, Dora (Hoffman) Pinnow. He graduated from eighth grade at Kinsey grade school near Miles City.

He enlisted in the Marines and spent boot camp at Camp Pendleton in California. He served for a year and a half in Korea during the Korean War.

After military service, he married Theresa Studer, and they moved to Billings in 1957. He was a welder and machinist for Beall Pipe and Tank, Glacier Bit Service and Billings Machine.

He also bought an 80-acre farm outside of Shepherd and continued to commute to Billings for his day job.

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Wayne Kincaid, 81, a drywell contractor for many years who also worked on a ranch near Melville, died April 26, 2013.

He was born Jan. 19, 1932, and grew up around Sandpoint, Idaho. After working as a drywall contractor, he spent his later years working on the Fairview Ranch out of Melville, running the heavy equipment.

He was married to M.J. Kincaid for nearly 30 years, and they raised a family in Billings. He retired to Loon Lake, Wash.

He had received care from the Cancer Center in Spokane, Wash., the Loon Lake Clinic and Valley Nursing Home.

Survivors include three children, Kraig Kincaid, Kim Schutz and Kobi Andersen; three brothers, Glenn, Dean and Neal Kincaid; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

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Elaine Fisher Eckley, 90, of Billings, who had raised four children and worked for MetLife, died Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

She was born in Rice Lake, Minn., on Aug. 23, 1922, to Frank and Edith Fisher. When she was 15, she moved to California with her mother, brother and sister. As a teenager she worked many jobs to help support the family.

She married Kermit “Koke” Eckley of Montana, whom she met at a USO dance in Sacramento during World War II. They settled in Sidney, and she was busy sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, quilt making and cooking.

In 1963, after the sudden death of her husband, she moved her family to Billings and went to work for MetLife. She spent her final years at St. John’s Lutheran Ministries.

Survivors include three daughters, Kay Olness, Jami Livengood and Susan Root; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; a great-great-granddaughter; a brother, Bob Fisher; and a sister, Betty Kline.

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Donald “Don” James Ryan, 82, a retired KOA Inc. who founded two nonprofit corporations, died of cancer on April 25, 2013.

He was born on a farm near Missouri Valley, Iowa, on June 21, 1930, to Leo Ryan and Ruth Cecelia Welbourn Ryan. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison for both his bachelor of business administration and master of business administration degrees. He was an Iowa state champion and a three-time Big Ten wrestling champion.

He was an executive for KOA Inc. After his retirement, he formed two nonprofit corporations whose missions were to organize teenagers to undertake public service projects that would benefit low-income families.

Paint Up Montana Inc. painted 115 houses in 14 Montana cities at no cost to the homeowners. Called to Serve Inc. was involved in helping low-income people, providing thousands of hooded bath towels for babies, backpacks with gifts for students, and new winter coats.

Mr. Ryan was also a strong Pro-Life advocate and spurred the building of 15 pro-life highway signs across Montana, raised funds to buy 1,000 pro-life bumper stickers, organized the distribution of 5,000 hoodies for babies for Montana crisis pregnancy centers and helped to organize the Culture of Life convention in Billings recently.

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