August 16th, 2017

​Gloria M. (Chapman) Funk
Gloria M. (Chapman) Funk, a long-time resident of Deer Lodge, passed away in the comfort of her home on Monday, August 7, 2017.  Interment will be in the American Legion Veteran’s section at Hillcrest Cemetery, Deer Lodge.  A family memorial will take place at a later date. 
Gloria was born in Basin, Wyo. on April 13, 1924. Gloria loved her childhood in the Big Horn Basin.  Her fondest memories were of summers spent in the Big Horn Mountains.  The family traveled by wagon into the backcountry where the men worked and the children were free to be children.  Gloria attended school in Basin, Wyo., where she graduated in 1942 as Valedictorian of her class.  She was an active member of the Pep Club and school chorus, and was president of her senior class as well as an energetic cheerleader.  She aspired to attend Stanford and become a journalist, but that changed when she fell in love with a handsome farm boy.   Gloria married her sweetheart, Elmer Funk on January 28, 1944, in Billings.  Five days later, she began to “keep the home fires burning” as Elmer left to serve as a Combat Infantryman in the European Theatre of WWII from 1944-1946.  The “Greatest Generation” was not just made up of those who served but those who waited as well, and Gloria was proud to do her part by supporting Elmer.  There were many letters of that support and love passed between them.
Gloria devoted her life to her family and home, happiest when puttering in her yard and running a clean & well-organized home.  She took great pride in her husband, children, grandchildren, and her life in the Deer Lodge Valley.  As her nest emptied, Gloria worked as a motel housekeeper, first for Roy and Betty Stead, then for Ron Scharf when the business changed ownership.  
Gloria is survived by her son Terrance Funk and his wife Jean of Billings, daughter Gloria Jean Erickson and husband Scott of Soda Springs, Idaho, granddaughters Kristie, Jennifer, and Shannon, and six precious great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, her parents, George & Evalena Chapman, and three brothers and five sisters.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Frontier Home Health and Hospice, the Powell County Council on Aging, the Deer Lodge Medical Center, and the staff at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula for their dedicated care, compassion and assistance to Gloria.  Her family would also like to thank Joe and Kim Lombardi, Jim and Roni Wangerin, Dodie Rennfield, Pam Bromley, and all her wonderful neighbors and friends for their loving kindness and support throughout the years. 
Memorials, if desired, may be sent to Friends of Hospice, 1940 Dewey Blvd, Butte, MT 59701 or American Legion Post #10, 744 Conestoga Lane, Deer Lodge, MT 59722.

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​Mary Burdick Gilman
Mary Burdick Gilman of Deer Lodge died on August 1, 2017, at age 100. Mary was born on September 22, 1916, in Melrose, to Rena Flanigan and James Earl Burdick. By the time she lost her mother three years later, Mary was already showing she was strong, brave, and resilient, with a sense of adventure, wonder, and mischievousness.
When she was five, she took her three-year-old sister Velva over the mountain from Dewey to Wise River – five miles by foot – because she was mad at her grandmother and wanted to visit her aunt (they made it). By six, she and Velva were being raised in an orphanage in Helena. At 18, Mary hitchhiked alone from Montana to Arizona and back.
She married Francis Gilman on August 4, 1941, and they soon moved to Garrison. Mary started working at the 4B’s restaurant in Deer Lodge, where she was a favorite waitress for over 40 years. All five feet of her would break up fights with a broom, and more than a few teenagers were driven home over the years after nights out - with their parents none the wiser.
Mary always had time for her grandchildren – she attended sporting events and spelling bees, got into snowball fights (she gave as good as she got), and always had a roaring fire to warm up next to. Mary traveled with her sister Velva, and friends Gert and Melba to Hawaii, Florida, and Samoa; chaperoned high school seniors to Washington, DC at 85; delivered Meals on Wheels in Deer Lodge into her 90s; and stacked her own wood until she was 94.
Mary’s strength, resiliency, bravery, and sense of adventure and wonder survive in her daughter Joan Schymtzik, who cared for her the last several years, and granddaughter Paula and great-grandson Diego Schymtzik of Nampa, Idaho; granddaughter Misty Schymtzik of Portland, Ore.; daughter Gail and Marvin Renner, of Park City; son James and Bonnie Gilman, of Kalama, Wash.; nine grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; three nieces; and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters Velva and Alice, husband Francis, daughter Paulyne, and son-in-law Bill.
The family would like to thank Maria Makinster and Treasure Valley Hospice for their support. Donations to Meals on Wheels are requested in lieu of flowers.

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