Services for Aged Victor Man Tuesday Afternoon
Victor, January 27 - Funeral services for John East were held at the Community Church Tuesday afternoon, Rev. John Hall of Stevensville officiating. Mr. East was born May 10, 1852 at Mission Point, Illinois. He was married to Rose Linda Hathaway at Sheldon, Illinois on June 8, 1875. They came to Montana in 1887 from Bismarck, North Dakota, by mule team, locating in Helena. In September 1900, they came to Victor, locating on a small farm a mile north of town, where Mrs. East passed away a few years ago. Mr. East died Friday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Abe Keirns, at Stevensville. He is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Keirns, Mrs. Edna Knopp of Sacramento, California, Mrs. D. C. Dwyer of Colville, Washington, and Mrs. Theodore Jacobson of Seattle; also by a son. The Odd Fellows Lodge, of which Mr. East was a member, conducted memorial services at the grave.
Ravalli Republican, January 28, 1937

MRS. J. EAST DEAD
Resident of Montana for Forty-Five Years.
Estimable Victor Woman Laid to Rest with Tributes of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs
Victor, March 29 - Funeral services for Mrs. John East were held at the Community Church here Friday afternoon. Rosalina Hathaway was born in western Ohio February 19, 1853, and died at Stevensville March 21, 1933, aged 80 years, one month and two days. She was married to John E. East June 8, 1875. To this union were born eight children, five of whom survive. The family came to Montana in 1887, settling first at Helena, where they remained for 13 years. They moved to Victor in 1900, where they have remained ever since.
    Mrs. East was visiting in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Myrtle Kearns, in Stevensville when she passed away. She was a charter member of the Three Link Rebekah lodge of Victor and a member of the Victor Community Church. She is survived by her husband, one son and four daughters, Byrd East of Warm Springs, Mrs. Kearns, Mrs. Edna Knopp of Sacramento, California, Mrs. Edris Jacobson of Seattle, and Mrs. Ivy Dwyer of Colville, Washington.
    Rev. George MacDougal of Stevensville officiated at the services Friday afternoon. A quartet composed of Mrs. Harry Mittower, Mrs. W.P. Robb, C.S. Hinman, and W.E. Hull sang several hymns. The pallbearers were J.A. Conner, John Greenfield, Arthur Fifield, John Smith, Albert Sestak, and James Meason. Several members of the Stevensville Rebekah lodge assisted the Victor Rebekahs in their final tribute to a departed sister.
Ravalli Republican, March 30, 1933

Mrs. John East Buried Friday
    Mrs. John East was buried Friday afternoon in the Victor Cemetery after a service conducted by the Rev. George McDougal of Stevensville Baptist church.. She went to Stevensville last week for a visit at the home of her daughter, Mrs. A.A. Keirns, and was about the house enjoying herself when on Tuesday she sat down to read a letter. Mrs. Keirns noticed about two minutes later that her mother had fallen forward and ceased breathing.
    Mr. and Mrs. John East, both past 80 years of age, came to the state from Ohio and lived in Helena. Over 30 years ago, they moved to Victor, where their our daughters grew to womanhood. A son, Byrd East, lives near Deer Lodge.
The Western News, March 30, 1933

    Bessie Jane Edens, 94, died early Wednesday afternoon at Valley View Estates in Hamilton. She was born in Starfield, Missouri on December 12, 1886, and was raised in Missouri, moving to Bozeman as a young lady with her parents, the late Frank and Hannah Gordon. She married J.P. Edens in Bozeman in 1914.
    Survivors include three daughters, Marie Neyman of Hamilton, Irene Kelly of Darby, and Ann Zimmerman of Cloverdale; eight grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one son, one daughter, five sisters, and four brothers. Graveside services will be conducted Saturday at 11 am at the Riverview Cemetery with the Rev. R.E. Keissling officiating. The family suggests memorials to the Heart Fund or the Missoula Cancer Fund.
    Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dowling Funeral Home.
Abstract from: Ravalli Republic, December 26, 1980

Maurice Eldridge, 90, dies in Libby
    Funeral services for Maurice M. Eldridge, 90, longtime Hamilton resident, were held Saturday at the Libby Christian Church, with burial in the Libby city cemetery. Mr. Eldridge died March 11 at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby.
    Born September 28, 1885 in Newell, IA, Mr. Eldridge married Ethel Jones in 1907 and moved to South Dakota where he farmed for many years. The couple later moved to Rothiemay, Montana to homestead. In 1922, they moved to the Bitter Root valley, where their children attended Corvallis High school, and in 1948 the couple sold their farm and moved to Hamilton.
    They lived in Hamilton until 1970 when they moved to Libby to live with their daughter and son-in-law, the Hilmar Hansens Mr. Eldridge had lived at the Libby Convalescent Center for the past five years. He ws a member of the Federated Church board in hamilton, past grand of the Ridgley Odd Fellows lodge at Forestburg, SD, and a member of the Rocky Mountain Grange in Hamilton. In Libby, he was a member of the Libby Christian Church.
    Mrs. Eldridge preceded her husband in death in 1971, as did their son Harold in 1954. Survivors include the Hilmar Hansens in Libby, a brother Leon of Sebastaprl, Calif., and three grandsons, Barry Eldridge of Missoula, Edward Hansen of Sumner, Washington, and Daniel Hansen of Fresno Calif., as well as five great grandchildren
Ravalli Republican, March 13, 1976


DIED, ELLIOTT - At Skalkaho, Bitter Root valley, March 2, 1880, David C. Elliott, aged 73 years, 5 months and 9 days.
    Mr. Elliott was born in Washington county, N.Y., September 27, 1806.  At an early age he united with the Baptist church.  After a long and diligent study of the Scriptures, he with Dr. Miller professed the Advent faith, Mr. Elliott being at the time a deacon in the Baptist church.  After this, in 1836, Mr. Elliott moved to Indiana, then to the frontier.  In 1864 he, after several changes westward, came to the Bitter Root valley where he has since resided.  His influence for good has been great.  He was fearless in attacking all things not in accordance with divine truth.  He lived the life that he advised others to live.  There was no uncertainty in his life, or word, or belief.  He lived in the constant expectation of his Savior’s second coming.  It was a long struggle for him to go down into the grave.  At the last, grace was given to him to accept the will of his Savior.  His last words to his children were, ‘Goodnight!  Meet me on the morning of the resurrection!’
The Weekly Missoulian, Friday., 19 Mar. 1880, p. 3, c. 4:
Contributed by Laurance B. VanMeter

Biographical note, Lynde C. Elliott, James U. Sanders, 1 Register of Society of Montana Pioneers (priv. publ., Society of Montana Pioneers,1899) 219:  “Leander [sic] C. Elliott, son of D. C. Elliott.  Place of departure for Montana, Iowa; route traveled, across the plains via Fort Bridger; arrived at Virginia City, July 10th, 1864.  Volunteer, killed in the Battle of the Big Hole, between Gen. John Gibbon and Nez Perces Indians, August 9th, 1877.”

Grave marker, Riverside Cemetery, Hamilton, Montana provides dates of birth and death and following:
Contributed by: Laurance B. VanMeter

Memorial Tribute to the Bitter Root Dead
    The pall of sadness is thrown over our valley, and grief and bitter anguish rend our hearts, in view of the untimely death of our brave citizens who fell in the late battle with the hostile Nez Perces. Gratitude and pride prompt us to eulogize, while we remember the upright characters and sterling qualities of those noble few who, during their brief lives, labored with unremitting ardor and toiled at the plow of progress, pushing forward the world’s great work and making rapid and permanent improvements in our new and isolated portion of the Territory.  Bravely they labored, and daily were they moulded more and more into the true type of Nature’s noblemen.
    Our valley and the adjacent country sustains a loss that years cannot repair; for where can men be found to fill the places of our missing ones?  One only of the five was a member of any sect or denomination,but as far as our knowledge extends, they were all praying men; for useful works are glorious anthems and toil is prayer, the most sublime, while their manly deeds their noble souls disclosed.  They have gone from our midst; their mission is ended; their earthly task done; and we trust their happy spirits rest in the bosom of the loving Lord.
    As a husband and father, our much lamented friend Lynde Elliot had few compeers. His departure from earth has created a void in the heart of the disconsolate widow, and left behind a sense of loneliness which nothing can ever fill. Time may ---catrize the bleeding wounds of that sad heart, but alas! possess no all-healing balm. Our sympathy is extended to this stricken family, to the gray haired sire and bereaved friends, and to all others who have desolated homes. O, may the peace of God descend into their hearts, and may they feel that no burden is too heavy for the hand of God that is under them, and with the fullest confidence in the guidance of that unseen hand, may they at all times be able to say, ‘Not my will, but thine, O God, bedone!’

The surging sea of human life, forever onward rolls,
And bears to the eternal shores, its daily freight of souls.
Though bravely sails our bark to-day, pale death sits at the prow,
And few shall know we ever lived, a hundred years from now.
O blessed company in the spirit realm!  How large, and still swelling through the ages!  Into that great ocean the rifts from our yearning hearts flow.  There are our husbands, our wives, our children, our parents, brothers and sisters, who have crossed the river, and with beckoning hands and inarticulate sounds seem to syllable to us the ineffable glory that transcends all thought, all knowledge.  To that final home we are all hourly tending.  May our lives be so pure and so holy that finally when our work is done, we may hear the spirit and the bride, from off the heavenly battlements, say to our weary souls, come on hither and forever rest beneath the shadow of the King Eternal.
Mrs. Sarah Dent
The Weekly Missoulian, Missoula, MT, Friday, August 24, 1877, p 3, c. 3
Contributed by: Laurance B. VanMeter


Barbara Florence Ellis, 76, died Friday, January 3,1997, at her Stevensville residence. She was born April 15. 1920 in Jacksonville, VT, to Homer and Bertha Faulkner Dary. Surviving are her husband Vern Ellis of Stevensville; a son Doanld Ellis of Stoughton, Wisconsin; a daughter Jane Ellis of Stevensville; a sister Fran Kittridge of Sun City, Arizona; and a grandson Richard Ellis. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. today at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville.
Abstract from the Ravalli Republic, January 6, 1997

STEVENSVILLE - Vern Ellis, 85, of Stevensville, died at his home on Friday, Oct. 4, 2002.
He was born on Sept. 19, 1917, in Keene, N.H., and was the son of Leon and Florence (Greenleaf) Ellis.
    He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara in 1997. Survivors include a daughter, Jane Ellis of Stevensville; a son, Donald Ellis of Stoughton, Wis., and two sisters, Myrtle Phelps and Laura Dix, both in Vermont.
    Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville. Inurnment will be at the Riverside Cemetery in Stevensville, with military honors by VFW No. 1507.
Abstract from the Missoulian, Saturday, October 12, 2002
Ravalli Republic, October 14, 2002

KILLED IN ACCIDENT. JOHN EMHOFF HAD HIS NECK BROKEN BY A FALL.
Stevensville, September 3 - His neck broken after he had been caught in a hoisting chain and dropped to the earth, John Emhoff, 68 years of age and a well known pioneer resident of Stevensville, was instantly killed about 9 o'clock yesterday morning.
    The accident occurred on the ranch of J.H. Millikan, one-half mile south of Stevensville while he was assisting Mr. Millikan storing hay into the barn. Mr. Emhoff was hauling hay from a nearby field to the barn and, with Mr. Millikan, was putting it into the loft of the two-story building. The hay was being raised by means of a hoist chain at one end of which was hitched a horse. Mr. Millikan was driving the horse on the other side of the barn and no one witnessed the tragedy.
    It is thought that Emhoff's hand was caught in the chain and the man was dragged to the top of the barn and then dropped to the ground with sufficient force to break his neck. When Millikan called to his helper and received no response, he came to the side of the building and found the body of Emhoff.
    Mr. Emhoff is survived by his wife, three daughters, Lois Emhoff of Hamilton, Mrs. Raymond Golder of Missoula, and Mrs. L.W. Saltz of Spokane. Also by a sister, Mrs. Henry Delgrade of West Virginia, and a brother, Edward Emhoff of West Virginia.
    Mr. Emhoff celebrated his 68th birthday on August 25. He was born in Wheeling, W.Va, and came to Stevensville 40 years ago. With the exception of two years that were spent in Hamilton and at Fort Owen, he has continually lived here. He formerly conducted a transfer business in Stevensville. In 1895 he was married to Adella Smith of this place.
    The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock at the family residence in Stevensville.
Ravalli Republican, September 4, 1930

    William P. Enderlein, 44, a native of Missoula, died November 21 at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, following a 12-year battle with cancer.
    He was a professor of business and finance at Golden Gate University, a private business and law school based in San Francisco. During his 13 years with the university, he also served as Dean of the School of Management from 1980 to 1987; and, most recently, as Interim Dean of the School of Management. In addition, he was instrumental in the development of the university’s programs in Southeast Asia.
    For his many contributions of Golden Gate University, Dr. Enderlein in 1988 received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award. University President Otto Butz wrote, “Bill Enderleins’s contributions to the University, to the definition of its mission to the development of its operating principles, and to its educational standards, will endure as long as the institution itself. And, all of us who have had the privilege of knowing and working with him will cherish his memory as long as we live.”
    A graduate of the University of Washington, Dr. Enderlein also earned M.B.A. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in business administration from Golden Gate University. He was a reserve officer with the U.S. Navy for 20 years and served aboard a nuclear submarine for two years.
    Dr. Enderlein is survived by his parents, Phillip and Esther Enderlein who reside in Hamilton. More than 100 friends and colleagues attended a memorial service on December 7 at the Presidio of San Francisco.
Ravalli Republic, December 20, 1989

    Sverre Harold Enebo, 83, died Wednesday evening at his residence in Hamilton. He was born January 5, 1905 in Esjeskogen, Norway, the son of Ole and Ingred Bakken Enebo. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, four brothers and five sisters in 1910. The family settled on a farm near Canton, South Dakota. On June 1, 1930, he married Cecelia Rome in Canton.
    Survivors include his wife, Cecelia of the family home; three sons, Harold of Missoula, Dale of Glasgow, Gene of Denver, Colorado; two daughters, Lucille Witt of Deer Lodge, Janice Lowe of Fairbanks, Alaska; one sister, Inga Johnson of Irene, South Dakota; one brother, Oscar Johnson of Mesa, Arizona; 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and four sisters.
    Services were held Saturday, January 7 at the Faith Lutheran Church with pastor gregory Karlsgodt officiating. Interment was at the Riverview cemetery. Honorary pallbearers were Roy Addison, Milton Coons, Larry Jacobson, Ralph Holmlund, Marvin Carlson,  Glenn Mitchell, and Ole Nesja.
Abstract from: Ravalli Republic, January 9, 1989


CHARLES ENGEBRETSON DIES IN CALIFORNIA.
    Charles Engebretson, 52, well-known former Bitter Rooter, died at Richmond, California of coronary thrombosis December 2, according to word received here. The body was cremated and services held at Richmond.
    The deceased was a former employee of the Forest Service in the Bitter Root and was much interested in county interscholastic athletics while a resident of the valley. He is survived by his widow, the former Elsie Tillman, and a son, Lester, who is a pilot for the Northwest Airlines, residing in Spokane, Washington.
The Western News, December 7, 1944

    Lena Erhart, 89, of Hamilton, died of natural causes Sunday afternoon at Valley View Estates. She was born October 4, 1897 in Odessa, Russia, to Jacob and Marian Kuntz. she immigrated to the United states at the age of 13 and settled in Almont, ND, where she helped her family farm on their homestead.
    On October 21, 1919, she married John Erhart at Glen Ullin, ND. The couple farmed there until 1934 when they moved to the Bitterroot Valley. They settled south of Hamilton at Grantsdale and continued farming. Mrs. Erhart was a member of St. Francis Catholic Church in Hamilton.
    She was preceded in death by her husband on May 15, 1967; two sons, Adam in 1972 and vincent in 1984; a brother and five sisters. Survivors include three daughters, Rose Item, Hamilton, Celestine Murphy, Missoula; and Maryann Huff, Juneau, Alaska; four sos, Alois and Alex Erhart, both of Missoula; Ted Erhart, Stevensville; and Florian Erhart, Spokane; 37 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.
    Rosary will be recited at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Francis Catholic Church with the Rev. Raymond Gillmore at celebrant. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Hamilton. Pallbearers will be Len Erhart, George Kuntz, Red Meuchel, Adam Senn, Leo Senn, and Nick Waliser. Honorary pallbearers will be Pete Hoerner, Alex Meuchel and Tony Meuchel.
    The family suggests memorials to St. Francis Catholic Church, 411 S Fifth St, Hamilton 59840
Ravalli Republic, November 12, 1986


Final Rites Held On Wednesday For Peter Erickson Who Died Here Monday
    A last tribute to the memory of Peter Erickson was paid by many friends at funeral services held yesterday at two o’ clock in the Wright Funeral Chapel over which Rev. R. H. Swindt of the American Lutheran Church officiated. Following the services the body was taken to Corvallis cemetery for burial. Pallbearers were Charles Swanson, Adolph Swanson, Ivan Gustafson, Louis Nelson, Hugh Simpson, and Vernon Jenkins.                                                                                                
    Peter Erickson, respected farmer of the Mountain View District, passed away at 1:35 p.m. Monday after an illness that gradually grew worse over a period of four years following a fall sustained by the deceased. After his fall he became a semi-invalid but was able to get about with a cane and later with the aid of crutches, driving his own car for a long time until the spring of this year when he was stricken by a form of paralysis which rendered his walking impossible. Never-the-less he maintained a brave attitude through his ordeal and fought fearlessly until the last. Last Thursday he collapsed and was brought to the Daly Hospital at Hamilton where he died.
    The deceased was born at Stockholm Sweden April 2, 1871 and came to the United States in 1887. On Nov. 28 1890 he was married at Dubuque, Iowa to Elizabeth Bracher. To this union there born two children: Paul of Darby and Ralph, who operates the home farm on Mountain View. These two sons, the widow and three grandchildren: Paula Jean, Richard and Emil Leland survive the deceased, as do many friends who recognized the sterling worth of the departed.
    For many years Mr. Erickson operated as a carpenter and contractor in and near Chicago. In 1910 he brought his family to the Bitterroot valley to make their home. Since that time the deceased operated a farm in the Mountain View District northeast of Corvallis until he retired from active work in 1937.
The Western News, December 14, 1939, Page 1

Floyd R. Ethredge, 85, of Hamilton, died Friday, August 9, 1996 at the Valley View Estates in Hamilton. He was born January 21, 1911 in Lind, Washington, the son of John and Rose Faerber Ethredge. The family moved to Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada then to Calgary where he graduated from high school and attended Garber College.
    On June 24, 1935, he married Gladys Hanberg in Shelby. He went to work for Texaco Refinery in Sunburst in 1936, transferred with Texaco to Anacortes, WA in 1958, and retired in 1973.
    Surviving are his wife Gladys of Hamilton; two daughters, Coraldine and her husband Clarence Harriman of Bellingham, Washington; and Janice Regan of Bayview, Washington; three sisters, Phyllis Thomas of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Fern Torrance of Hope, B.C., and Bernice Egan of Cleveland, Ohio; four grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
    No public service will be in Hamilton. Private family urn placement will take place in Washington at a later date. Local arrangements are under the direction of the Daly-Leach Chapel.
Abstract from the Ravalli Republic, August 13, 1996

    Robert James Evanoff, 60, of Hamilton, died Friday in Missoula at St. Pat’s Hospital. He was born on August 30, 1931 in Missoula, the son of James and Ruth Rummell Evanoff.
    He was raised and educated in Missoula and entered the U.S. Air Force on August 26, 1949, retired from the Air Force in 1966 and returned to Montana where he owned and operated the Shamrock Cafe in Victor for four years.
    Surviving  are three daughters, Deborah Folgerator of Fairfield, Calif., Margaret Evanoff of Sacramento, Calif., and Kelly Evanoff of Hamilton; four sons, Robert Evanoff Jr of Como, Miss., William and Frederick Evanoff, both of Sacramento, Calif., and Donald Evanoff of Hamilton; his mother, Ruth Baier of Spring, Texas; one sister, Helen Anderson of Spring, Texas; two brothers, Eugene Evanoff of New Orleans, LA, and Donald Evanoff of Odessa, Fla.; and 17 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father and one son, Michael.
    Services will be conducted today at 7:30 p.m. at the Daly-Leach Chapel with Rev. Raymond Gilmore officiating. Visitation for friends will be today from 1 a.m. until service time at the chapel. The family suggests memorials to the Heart Association or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Abstract from the Ravalli Republic, November 12, 1991