![]() Karen Louise Stevenson Our beloved sister, mother, grandmother and friend, Karen Louise Stevenson, went on to her heavenly home with Jesus on the morning of February 1, 2018. She fought the good fight…and she won! Karen was born April 30, 1938 in North Bend, Ore., to Ross and Bessie (Cornell) Wells. She grew up in Western North Dakota, McKenzie County. Growing up Karen loved to cook, ride horses and do just about anything else that was asked of her. Ever the spitfire even then, she was always ready to take on a dare and was never afraid of trying something new! Her adventurous spirit often found her in trouble as a child. Karen married James (Steve) Stevenson on March 31, 1951 in Miles City. It was a hard life, but Karen and Jim always made the best of things. During this time, the family traveled from Big Timber, to the Missouri Breaks, as well as The Mandan Indian Reservation at Fort Berthold. Karen gave birth to four children and raised three to adulthood. She worked on the ranch, raised her kids as well as taking care of other family members and children in the community. Karen’s family was her whole life, everything centered on her children, and her and Jim’s sisters and brothers. Following the death of their youngest son Wade, Karen and Jim moved to Deer Lodge in April of 1960. In June of 1967 the family moved to Wisdom where they went to work for the McDowell Family Ranch. Karen loved the Big Hole. She worked hard for her family and for the community. In her later years, Karen traveled to Hawaii and also spent some time working in Battle Mountain, Nev. She made lifetime friends where ever she traveled. Karen was most loved for her sassy sense of humor as well as the mischievous twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes. She told it like it was, whether you liked it or not, but always threw in how much she loved you and hoped you had a good day whatever you were doing. She never knew a stranger; she loved wholeheartedly, looked for the good in everyone and usually found it! She was a true jack of all trades, she cooked and cleaned houses, worked for the Forest Service planting trees, she worked as a waitress, as well as a Reflexology in her spare time. Karen was a devout believer in Jesus Christ; he was her anchor and her stronghold. Putting it simply, she loved the Lord, and was not afraid to tell you. Her motto in life was, “if Jesus is holding my hand, I can get through anything in this life.” She told the doctors this very thing when informed about her cancer. Karen was preceded in death by her mother and father Ross and Bessie (Cornell) Wells, her brother Larry Wells, her two sons, Wade Lee Stevenson and Leslie James Stevenson, and her beloved grandson Jason (Jake) Neil Stevenson. She is survived by the father of her children James (Steve) Harold Stevenson of Wisdom, her daughter Donna (Mike) Campbell of Battle Mountain, Nev., her son Danny Ross Stevenson (Serena Towery) of Wisdom, daughter, Paula (Buzz) Kirkpatrick of Jackson, her sisters, Sandra (Brad) Ford of Deer Lodge, Linda (Pat) Clark of Dillon, and brother James Roger Wells of Deer Lodge. Also, her grandchildren Dusty (Aaron) Gilbert of Battle Mountain, Nev., Chancy (Sheila) Campbell of Wisdom, Tharon Campbell (Stacey Scott) of Jackpot, Nev., Lacey Stevenson of Billings, James “Jimmer” (Lori) Stevenson of Wisdom, Lani (Eric) Leonard of Winslow, Ariz., Jennifer (Rusty) Kallem of Billings, Sarah (Dan) Reinhold of Pocatello, Idaho, Megan (Robert) Blake of Dillon, and Holly (Spencer) Sorensen of Belgrade, 29 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Deer Lodge Celebration of Life for Karen will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018, at the Deer Lodge Assembly Church, 601 Fifth Street, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, at 1 p.m. (406-846-1056). A light luncheon will follow. Wisdom Celebration of Life for Karen will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Community Center in Wisdom, Montana, at 1 p.m. A potluck lunch will follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (Stjude.org) or another charity of your choice. ![]() Patricia Marie Herrick Patricia Marie Herrick passed away on January 30, 2018 in Deer Lodge. She was born in Deer Lodge on January 8, 1927. Her parents were Ted Beck and Ethel Wachtier Beck. She had two sisters, Billie Jean, and Theo Rose (Teddy). And baby brother Theodore Lewis who was stillborn. They lived in Deer Lodge until her father died from an infection after being kicked by a horse at a rodeo in Jens. Patricia and Billie went to live at the orphans home in Twin Bridges until their mother could afford to get them back with the help of a senator. Then she attended Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula. They moved to Chester, Calif. where she met and married Charles Andrew Herrick (Jim). They had six children. Mike, Julie Hoyt, Denny, Jamie, Carole Defoe and Andrea Albery. Grandchildren, Tiana Albery, Drue Loreque, Sage Defoe, Sarah English, Emily Ascher, Sean Herrick, Rachel Kasabian, Kristine Alba, Melissa Herrick, Benito Herrick, Little Mike Herrick, Michelle Armstrong, Chris Cosby, Myles Villahermosa. And many great-grandchildren, including two sets of twins. She enjoyed traveling and had many hobbies, including ceramics, horseback riding, raising tropical fish, shoe making, jewelry making, doll making, worm farming, sewing, and quilt making, and was a talented painter. She always had a good garden and they loved growing vegetables. She had home based businesses until her children got older. Then she worked in a health food store in Costa Mesa, Calif., and ran a family business for many years. She liked attending health and nutrition seminars and taking college courses. And when she and Jim retired from property management they moved back to Montana. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister Teddy, brother Theodore, son Denny and grandson Benito and Little Mike. Her home was always open to friends and she was always helping the less fortunate and giving to charities. A service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Deer Lodge, followed by a luncheon reception at the Broken Arrow. ![]() Julius “Jules” R. Waber Julius “Jules” R. Waber, 80, of Deer Lodge, passed away Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at his home. Born October 29, 1937 in Great Falls, his family soon moved to St. Paul, Minn. where he graduated from Cretin High School. Returning to Montana, Jules received his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Montana College and a Master’s degree from Washington State University. His marriage to Louise Crabtree resulted in five children. His teaching career spanned 24 years and took him to schools in Montana, Arizona, Australia, and in the remote highlands of Papua-New Guinea. If you recall, it was in Papua-New Guinea that Nelson Rockefeller’s son, Michael, disappeared but they didn’t mess with dad. His legendary beard was considered the source of his great magic. Following his return to the United States, Jules realized a lifelong dream to follow his grandfather in ranching, raising cattle and sheep in the south Deer Lodge Valley. Many a valley youth benefited from his generosity by having a calf or lamb to raise and show at the Tri-County Fair. In 1994 Jules was appointed to the position of Powell County Superintendent of Schools. He was subsequently re-elected and held this position until his death. A welcome sight at the rural schools, Jules was always involved with ‘his kids.’ From the annual spelling bee to the inter-school track meet, he was interested in keeping certain rural traditions alive. Always an advocate of education, Jules served on the National Rural Education Association, for many years as an executive committee member. His efforts were recently recognized by his induction in the NREA Hall of Fame. In his spare time Jules enjoyed trapping, hunting, and in more recent years serving on numerous state-level advisory boards. ‘Jolly’ Jules as he was known to many, will be remembered for his love of fireworks and his unique style. Never conventional, there are many stories that have taken on mythical proportions, from eating a frog sandwich, transporting a sheep across state lines in a 1970 Toronado, to dressing up as a 19th century school marm to celebrate Powell County’s centennial, his wry sense of humor will be missed. He is survived by his by sons Julius “Monk,” Duane (Maria), Ken (Karissa) and Pat (Terri) Waber; seven grandchildren, Taylor, Zachary, Parker, Derrick, Madison, Weston, and Halen; brothers Glen and Phil (Claudia) and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his daughter Charmagne and parents Julius M. and Pearl (Nantelle) Waber. At Jules’ request no formal services will be held but a Celebration of Life pig roast will be held in his honor at a later time. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Powell County High School Foundation- Julius Waber Scholarship. Comments are closed.
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