May 05th, 2021

Dawn Marie Meagher
June 30, 1972 - April 21, 2021
Dawn Marie Meagher, 48, was born June 30, 1972, at St. Pats in Missoula. She died April 21.
Please visit www.buttefuneralhome.com to offer a condolence or share a memory of Dawn. Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Dawn and her family.

​William Arthur Rush
William Arthur Rush, 90, of Deer Lodge, died Friday, April 30, in Helena, Montana. 
Come join the family and friends at a graveside service scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, at Hillcrest Cemetery in Deer Lodge. 
A reception will be held at the Elk’s Lodge in Deer Lodge immediately following the graveside service. Please visit www.buttefuneralhome.com to offer a condolence or share a memory of William.

Donna Finn Rainville
June 12, 1931 - April 14, 2021
Donna Finn Rainville died of natural causes April 14 at Olympics West Retirement Inn in Tumwater, Wash. She leaves behind a legacy of loving kindness for all who were fortunate to know her. 
Donna was a person of immense integrity in her personal and professional life. She also exhibited great perseverance in overcoming any adversity encountered in her life’s path. 
Our Mom was born the youngest child of John and Mary (Lowney) Finn in Deer Lodge on June 12, 1931. She was educated at St. Mary’s Academy and graduated from Powell County High School in 1949. 
Donna was known for her meticulous attention to detail whether it was in managing our home or at her work. She applied her vast administrative professional skills in various occupations throughout her life. 
She particularly enjoyed what she consistently referred to as “the best job ever” while working as Deputy Clerk of Court for Mary Ann McKee of Helmville (past Clerk of Court for Powell County). For a brief period of time thereafter, Donna was a Court Clerk for Clark County, Las Vegas, Nev. 
After relocating to Texas in 1985, she was fortunate to secure an executive-level administrative support position through the City of Plano, Texas, at Schimelfenig Library, retiring in 1998. 
At the time of her death, Donna lived in Tumwater, Wash., but she always referred to Montana as “home,” and she maintained contact with several of her dear friends and former classmates in the Deer Lodge Valley. 
In her retirement, Donna enjoyed taking several “Senior” trips and she never passed up an opportunity to fly around the country to visit her children and her revered grandchildren. 
She particularly enjoyed playing cards (she was especially fond of Bridge, Cribbage and Gin-rummy), triumphing board games played with her family and diving into a good mystery book. 
She was a charter member of Prime Timers (a senior ministry at her church, St. Michael’s parish, in Olympia, Wash.) and she enjoyed her Dine-In Dinner Club group; she especially enjoyed co-hosting their St. Patrick’s Day dinner party. 
She was also their “Sunshine Lady,” responsible for sending many get-well and sympathy cards, and she called upon the membership when it was St. Michael’s turn to provide lunch for the Habitat for Humanity volunteers. 
Donna was also a devoted member of the Capital City Newcomers Club and served two years on their Board of Directors. She was deeply proud to be a member of the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers in consideration of her paternal grandfather, Luke Finn (a native of County Sligo, Ireland, who homesteaded and settled in Montana in 1864). The little community (now a ghost town) of Finn, in Powell County, bears his name. 
Donna’s greatest joy in life were her children and grandchildren who survive: daughter, Paula Meyer, and her husband, Steve; son, Don Rainville, and his wife, Betsy; and son, John Rainville, and his wife, Deborrah; and her grandchildren: Maggie and Pat Meyer, Katie and EJ Rainville and Jackson Rainville. Also surviving are Donna’s sister-in-law, Barbara Finn, as well as several cherished nieces and nephews and many dear friends in Montana, Texas and Washington. 
Donna’s Funeral Mass will be held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Olympia, Wash., at noon, on Wednesday, May 26. 
A graveside blessing of Donna’s cremains will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 28, at Hillcrest Cemetery, Deer Lodge.

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Mervin Alfred Horswill
November 27, 1961 - April 22, 2021
Mervin Alfred Horswill, 59, left this thing called life and went to his heavenly home April 22, 2021.
He was born Monday, Nov. 27, 1961, in Riverside, Calif., to Merlyn “Buck” and Lourlie M. (Johnson) Horswill.
Mervin started working at the Don Beck Ranch while he was in high school. After high school he moved to Oklahoma 1980 – 1982 and worked in the oil fields. In 1982 he moved back to Deer Lodge and started his logging career working for Wozny Logging and Sun Mountain Logging before starting his own logging company. He worked at Louisiana Pacific Saw Mill from 2002 - 2003 before starting his mining career at Stillwater Mine in 2003.
Mervin married Darcy (Sargent) on Aug. 28, 1992, at the Presbyterian Church in Deer Lodge. Together they had three children: Royce Allen, December 1996; Rowan Victor, September 1998; and Raif Anthony, January 2000. Mervin and Darcy later divorced. 
He met Raylynn (Kostoff) in Deer Lodge, and they relocated to Big Timber, where they were married March 2004. Together they had one child, Cash Mason, October 2004. Mervin and Raylynn later divorced. 
Mervin moved to several towns before moving to Billings, calling it home. Mervin married Margo (Ball) in December 2012. Three step children, Kayla, Kassidy and Kaden, merged into the family. Mervin and Margo later divorced and remained close friends.
Mervin loved spending time with his boys, family and friends. He enjoyed riding his Harley motorcycles; taking his boat and camper out fishing tubing, skiing and camping; watching and cheering the boys on in their sports; watching a good movie at the drive in; shooting his guns at targets and gopher hunting; bartering and wheeling and dealing on cars, motorcycles and guns; sharing jokes, stories, laughs and memories. 
Mervin loved his family and friends with all his heart. He loved spending time with all, making memories that he cherished. We hope all of you cherish those memories and will hold onto them in your hearts in the future and beyond.
Mervin was preceded in death by his dad, Merlyn “Buck” Horswill; grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. 
He is survived by sons Royce, Rowan and Raif Horswill, Williston, N.D., and Cash Horswill, Jacksonville, Fla.; mother Lourlie Horswill, Deer Lodge; sister Lisa (Marty) Hunter, Deer Lodge; brother Mark (Kelly) Horswill, Big Timber; sister Lynn (Willie) Johnson, Deer Lodge; Aunt Blanche Gill, Apache Junction, Ariz.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A Celebration of Life funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 15, at the First Baptist Church in Deer Lodge. Graveside services will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery. A luncheon will be served at the Corner Bar. There will be a Celebration of Life gathering at Tiny’s Tavern in Billings at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 22.

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Donald Albert Hendricks
May 10, 1929 - April 14, 2021
Donald Albert Hendricks, 91, died peacefully on April 14, 2021. He was born in Omaha, Nebr., on May 10, 1929, to Albert and Elizabeth (Schulte) Hendricks. 
In 1939, the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where Don attended school, graduating from Dowling Catholic High School for boys in 1947.
The years immediately after graduation were a great adventure for Don. He hitchhiked west to work as a ranch hand in Montana; jumped freight cars to Seattle where he worked as a longshoreman; and drove up the Alaska/Canadian Highway to look for railroad work in Alaska.
Don received his draft notice for the Korean War in 1951. After completing basic training at Camp Roberts, Calif., and Intelligence School in Maryland, Don was stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, in the Counterintelligence Corps.
In 1954, Don returned to Montana where he enrolled at the Montana School of Mines in Butte. Within four years, Don had met and married his beloved wife Natalie “Tootsie” Tomich, started a family and still graduated with honors – earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering.
Don’s professional mining career began with 12+ years at Montana Phosphate Co./Comico as Chief Engineer followed by 13+ years at the Anaconda Company, where he was Chief Operations Engineer. After the closure of the Berkeley Pit in 1982, Don worked well into his 80’s as a Professional Land Surveyor. He also returned to his alma mater, Montana Tech, as a professor, where he taught Land Surveying for several years.
Don and Tootsie lived and raised their four children in Deer Lodge. Don was an avid golfer and a founding member of the Deer Lodge Golf Course. He also enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing trips with his three boys and was a proud member of the Masonic Lodge of Deer Lodge. 
Don was well traveled, well-read, with a keen intellect and a great memory that made him an excellent conversationalist and storyteller. With a glass of wine in one hand and vanilla smoke rising from his pipe, Don could tell stories for hours. He was a remnant of a bygone era and a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
Don was preceded in death by his “sweetheart” of 60 years, Natalie (Tomich) Hendricks and his parents, Albert and Elizabeth Hendricks.
He is survived by three sons, Tom (Cindy) Hendricks of Marysville, Wash., Ken (Lori) Hendricks of Casper, Wyo., Jim (Lisa) Hendricks of Allen, Texas; daughter, Jill (Keith) Dixon of Oklahoma City, Okla.; sister, Karen (Dan) of Florence, Ore.; sister-in-law, Joann (Ken) of Cut Bank; eight much-loved granddaughters; two great-grandchildren; and beloved nephews and nieces.
Services will be announced and held at a later date.
Please visit www.buttefuneralhome.com to offer a condolence or share a memory of Donald.
Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Donald and his family.

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