​Emma Greene
Emma Greene passed away November 17, 2015 in Missoula.
Emma was born July 6, 1936 to Lawrence and Marie (Lingenfelter) Hansen and grew up in Gold Creek.  She graduated from Powell County High School in 1953 and later that year married Donald Munden in Deer Lodge.  They had three children, Don, Bob and Kerry before he passed away in 1962.
Emma married Ron Greene in late 1962.  They had one child, Brad and Ron adopted Emma’s other three children.  The family lived in Great Falls and then in Danville, Ind. until Emma and Ron divorced in 1972 and she returned to Great Falls.  In 1974 she moved to Deer Lodge where she went to work at Pioneer Federal Savings and Loan.  She continued to work there until her retirement in 1998.
After her retirement Emma became a familiar face in the ticket booth at the Rialto Community Theatre where she volunteered every weekend for several years.  
When Emma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013, she moved to Rosetta Assisted Living in Missoula where she was loved and cared for as a member of their family until her death.
Emma was preceded in death by her parents, first husband, brothers Nels & Chuck Hansen, and her son Don.  She is survived by her children Bob & Judy Greene of Lebanon, Ind.; Kerry Bruner of Big Sky; Brad Greene and Alason Hill of Hillsboro, Ore.; Darryl Bruner of Deer Lodge; her grandchildren Jacob, Joshua, Megan, Brittany and Derrick; and siblings Larry and Pat Hansen of Avon and Jim Hansen of Gold Creek.
Services will be held at the First Baptist Church in Deer Lodge at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 28 with a luncheon immediately following.  Burial will take place at Hillcrest Cemetery at the conclusion of the luncheon.
Memorials may be made to the Rialto Theatre and mailed to PO Box 874, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 or to Kerry Bruner at PO Box 161118, Big Sky, MT 59716.

Ava Lee Cook
Ava Lee Cook of Missoula unexpectedly went home to be with her Heavenly Father November 8, 2015 at the age of 78.
Ava was born several weeks premature to the late Howard and Arlene Michaels in Butte, on December 29, 1936 and was said to be a miracle baby.
Ava was raised in Portland, Ore. and moved to Libby to live with her grandmother shortly after graduating from high school in 1954.  She met her first husband, Oscar Kinzle and they were married December 28, 1955 and eventually settled in Deer Lodge and raised five children together.  Ava and Oscar were eventually divorced in 1979 and she was remarried to Denny Cook, February 14th, 1986 and they resided in Lolo.  After the death of her husband Denny in February of 2011, she moved back in with Oscar as his roommate as they remained close through the years.
Ava was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  Family was everything to her and she loved us with all of her heart.  There rarely was a birthday, anniversary or holiday that went by without her acknowledgement.  But what she loved the most was family get-togethers.  Christmas Eve will not be the same without her.
Ava also had a heart for service which she carried out by volunteering her time to help others in need.  She volunteered at the Missoula Food Bank for 22 years and when God placed it on her heart that Lolo was in need of a food bank, she responded and established the food bank there 12 years ago.  In addition to her work at the food banks, she was also a senior companion with Missoula Aging Services.  She also volunteered for Youth for Christ at the “Jesus Lunch” at the Garden City Church once a week for Hellgate High School students for 12 years.
Ava received much praise for her efforts but the award that she was most proud of was the Serve Montana Award presented to her by the Governor’s office in 2010 for her thousands of hours of volunteer service.  When asked what motivated her to serve she would respond, “It’s the people.”  Ava’s examples of love and service to others were an inspiration to her family and those that knew her.
Besides Ava’s volunteer efforts, she was an avid reader, crocheted dozens of blankets and hundreds of wash cloths, and loved cats almost as much as people.  Her last cat, Dolly, will be lost without her.
Ava is survived by her first husband, Oscar Kinzle; her sons Dan Kinzle of Missoula, Jon (Dawn) Kinzle of Butte and Rob (Pam) Kinzle of Polson; her daughter Cindy (John) Moree of Missoula; her step-son Lynn Cook of Renton, Wash.; her step-daughters Dena Wooten of Meridian, Idaho, Kelly Haberman of Asotin, Wash. and Jana (J.R.) Reynolds of Boise, Idaho; her brother Keith Michaels of Portland, Ore.; her half-brother Shawn Michaels of California; her half-sister Sheila Raines of Kelseyville, Calif.; her step-sister Annette Boyd of Portland, Ore. and nine grandchildren, eight step-grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and six step-great-grandchildren.  She is preceded in death by her parents; her daughter Constance Dawn Kinzle and her husband Dennison Cook.
A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. on December 5 at Elevate Church in Missoula followed by a reception afterwards.

Vincente Gutierrez
Montana State Prison inmate Vincente Gutierrez age 62, died Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at the Deer Lodge Medical Center from an extended illness.
Mr. Gutierrez was sentenced to Montana State Prison from Yellowstone County for one count of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (Felony).  He was serving a 3 year 6 month sentence for that crime.

​Marilee Moe Morse (Mimi)
Marilee Moe Morse (Mimi), a longtime resident of Deer Lodge and Drummond, passed away suddenly at her home. She was born in Anaconda March 1, 1947. She graduated from Anaconda Central in 1965 and attended the University of Montana. She married Jim Morse in 1967 and they lived in Drummond until Jim’s passing. She then moved to Deer Lodge. She was a long time employee of Fickler Oil Company rising to the position of CFO.
Mimi was a generous, caring and talented lady.  She could play a mean piano, organ and keyboard playing for the Catholic Church and a number of local groups. She earned her pilot’s license at the tender age of 40. She was very influential in the life of her niece and nephew, Dawn Bohn and Dan Roberts. 
She is preceded in death by the love of her life, Jim, and her mother, Doris Beck. She is survived by her brother and sister, Pat Moe and Jeannie McGrath, and numerous nieces and nephews and their children.
Mass of Christian Burial was at Immaculate Conception Church in Deer Lodge at 11 a.m., Monday, November 9, 2015. Memorials were donors choice.

​Ben Francis Harrison
Ben Francis Harrison of Clinton,  age 87 passed away Sunday, October 25, 2015 in Missoula.
Ben was born on October 2, 1928 to Benjamin and Alma Harrison in Deer Lodge, and graduated from Powell County High School.  He then attended Western Montana College in Dillon, where he was a star basketball player and was named to the Western Basketball Hall of Fame.  While attending college there, Ben studied science, math, and education; and later, he received his Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Montana.
Ben met the love of his life- Bette Hagarty- while attending Western Montana College, and they were married in 1952.
During the Korean War, Ben served in the Army Artillery, and in 22 months, advanced from second lieutenant to Captain.  He was honorably discharged.  Ben also served for many years in the National Guard.
Between 1953 and 1960, Ben and Bette’s three sons- Jim, Dan, and Dave- were born in Deer Lodge.  In his home town, Ben taught science and served as Principal of two schools. During his teaching years, he spent summers driving a dump truck for Inland Asphalt of Washington.
Also, while living in Deer Lodge, Ben was a member of the ELKS, advancing to the position of Exalted Ruler.
In 1976, the couple moved to Clinton, where Ben served as Superintendent of Clinton Schools for the next 18 years.
After his retirement in 1994, Ben spent time camping with his family; and hunting with his sons and friends.  His greatest love, besides his wife and family, was hunting and in 2006 he shot a Big Horn Sheep that made the Boone and Crockett record book.
Ben was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Ruth Richey, and father and mother-in-law Pat and Fern Hagarty.
He is survived by his wife, and sons- Jim (wife Patti) and grandchildren Chris, Shawn, Jamie; Dan (wife Melody) and granddaughter Jackie; and Dave (wife Sharon) and grandsons Mike and Josh.  Also surviving are seven great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.
Funeral Service Mass was celebrated Saturday, October 31, 11 a.m., at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bonner.  A reception followed and burial took place at 3 p.m. at Hillcrest Cemetery in Deer Lodge with Military Honors provided.  Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home.  Messages of condolence may be sent to [email protected].