In Memoriam – November and December 2025 (and more)

As is our tradition, we are taking a look back at the lives of the people we have lost in the past year, continuing with obituaries that appeared in November and December 2025. For obituaries that appeared in January, see the Dec. 21 edition. For February and March, see Dec. 23. For April and May, see Dec. 30. For June, see Jan. 3. For July, see Jan. 7. For August, see Jan. 9. For September and October, see Jan. 14. But first, we must begin with four obituaries that were accidentally missed in the process and did not appear in the editions that they should have. We sincerely regret that occurred.

Sharon M. Iblings

Sharon was a devoted wife and mother and a friend to many. She spent her entire life in Anaconda, working in and out of the home. Sharon was born to Oscar and Gerry Hansen on January 2, 1943. She grew up without siblngs but had lots of family times with her Verlanic aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was an active member of Grace Baptist Church where she served several roles. She was deeply committed to her family.  After raising her children, she spent many years taking care of her parents and then her husband whose health was failing. She had a quiet strength that brought her through the difficult times and she held on for as long as she could, until Alzheimer’s became a challenge she could no longer battle.  She spent her final 7 years being safely and well cared for at Emerald Crest Memory Care.

Latina Shameca Marie Earley

Shameca was born in Missoula, MT to Shawna Marie Mickel and William “Bo” Earl Earley, Jr. on April 2nd, 1993. She graduated from Beaverhead County High School in the Class of 2011, with an art scholarship. She was also Prom Queen her senior year. She met the love of her life, Kane, in 2012. They have been together since 2013, living in Anaconda, MT for many years. Shameca was known for being a bright spot in one’s day and had a smile that could warm a heart. She loved video games, hooping, country karaoke, hanging out with friends, and spending time with Kane.

Darrell Dale Zacher

At the age of 18, he enrolled at Hansen’s Mechanical Track School at Fargo, North Dakota. In 1956 he took employment at the Anaconda Company Smelter. In 1958 he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served two years in Germany. Upon returning to McLaughlin, he worked for Schweigert Chevrolet until 1961 when he moved to Mobridge, South Dakota and worked for Glader Bros. In 1965 he returned to Anaconda and worked for Dee Motors. In 1966 he took employment at the Butte Berkley Pit as a truck mechanic and dispatcher until the Pit shut down. Darrell worked his remaining years at Warm Springs State Hospital until he retired in 1997. On July 7, 1957 Darrell married Delores Schultz of McLaughlin, South Dakota, at First Lutheran Church in Anaconda. In retirement, Darrell and Delores spent the winters as snowbirds in Apache Junction, Arizona until covid brought them back to Montana. Darrell was a self-taught clock repairman, specializing in Grandfathers and Cuckoo Clocks. He was a collector of miniature classic cars and an avid garage saler.

Ann Palakovich

A devout Catholic, Ann always put Family and God first. A gifted vocalist, she raised her voice in melodic prayer at countless funerals and weddings over the decades for the Anaconda Catholic Community. Now she is free to sing with the Angels. Starting in 1981, and continuing for over 30 years, Ann volunteered her services to Anaconda Hospice. She served first as a caregiver, and later she worked in the Hospice office, processing memorials, filing and preparing folders for nurses and patients. This trinity of Family, Church, and Hospice gifted her with a full, rewarding and rich life. A strong believer in the power of prayer, she blessed and guided her family and friends through difficult times with her commitment and strong Faith. She will be missed.

November 2025

Marlene Martzolf

She was born on February 18, 1934, in McClusky, North Dakota. Where she grew up surrounded by family and lifelong friends. It was in her hometown that she met her childhood friend and future husband, Al Martzolf. The two were married on September 10, 1952, and while Al served in the US Air Force, they began their family, welcoming three children: Lynn Dale, Lynnette Marie, and Mark Allen. Marlene was known for her warm smile and welcoming spirit. Her faith was an important part of her life, and she was an active member of her church community. She was also an avid gardener - so devoted, in fact, that she would “put her flowers to bed” at night by covering them and uncovering them to wake them up. She found joy in nurturing beauty, both in her garden and in the lives of those she loved. Marlene also enjoyed cooking and baking, filling her home with the wonderful smells of family meals and homemade treats.  A talented crafter, she loved crocheting and often set up booths at craft shows. She loved playing pinochle, laughing, and sharing stories over a good game with family and friends.

Shirley “Nana” Ann Baenen Nichols

In Spokane, Shirley met the love of her life, Clyde Luther Nichols, whom she married on August 28, 1954. Together they relocated to Alabama, where they grew their family. In 1964, the Nichols family put down roots in Anaconda, reuniting Shirley with her beloved sister and lifelong partner-in-crime, Dorothy. A faithful member of Anaconda’s Catholic community, Shirley sang in the church choir alongside Dot, revitalizing the many times they sang on stages together back in Libby. While others in Alabama were southern belles, Shirley held onto her everlasting case of southern spice, aligning with her jokester heart that ensured there was never a dull moment. True to her open heart, Shirley’s door was always open. Her home was filled with love, laughter, and plenty of pies and biscuits. She loved playing dominoes, crocheting and gardening. But she was always up for a drive anytime/anywhere. During every drive she would say, “You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day!”

Thomas “Tom” Francis Earhart

After graduation and a brief stint as a meatcutter, Tom enlisted in the Air Force with his brother and partner in crime, Bob. When it became clear that two Earharts in the same unit were a bit too much, they were separated, and Tom was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Before moving north, he married his high school sweetheart, Mariann Swanson. Though Tom and Mariann later divorced, they were blessed with three beautiful children, Brad, Shannon, and Brandi. Following his discharge, Tom returned to Anaconda to work at Buttrey’s Supermarket. Not long afterward, he and Mariann packed up Brad and Shannon and moved to Reno, Nevada, where he continued working as a meatcutter. While they enjoyed their time in Reno, they soon realized that Anaconda was home, returning to Montana in June of 1973. Once back, Tom and Mariann bought Don’s Market, a small neighborhood grocery where Tom quickly became the familiar face behind the counter. During this time, he also worked at the Galen Sewage Plant. Their family grew again in the spring of 1974 with the arrival of their daughter Brandi.

Patricia Marie Crisler Davis

Patricia was the mother of three children: George, Jodi and Douglas Fiddler. She also was blessed with seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She grew up out at Lost Creek. She worked for the Montana Laborers Union.

December 2025

Mary “Francie” (Francisco) Reiss

She was born on January 21, 1952, in Anaconda, Montana. Mary worked for the Air Force Exchange for 34 years, all over the world. She spent 7 years in England and Germany. She was of the Catholic faith. She enjoyed spending her time shopping and traveling the world.

Diana Gail West

Diana spent her childhood among animals and nature. She grew up watching and then assisting her dad in breaking horses. She worked alongside her dad doing round-ups of cattle. She had 2 favorite horses that she often talked about, ‘Nutmeg’ and ‘Ginger’. Her mother taught her sewing and cooking and how to crochet. She learned to play piano and enjoyed playing the flute with high school marching band. After graduating from Anaconda High school, Diana attended college At Rick’s College (now BYU Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho before leaving to serve a religious mission. Diana was asked to serve in Pennsylvania, and she was the very first sister missionary from the Anaconda, Montana ward to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Lucille Rodgers Coley

Lucille grew up in Challis, ID with her sister Margie where they both worked on the family farm, tending to the animals. In 1949, her family moved to Hamilton where she graduated high school in 1952. Lucille married the love of her life, Al Coley, in 1955. They made their home in Anaconda shortly after and had two daughters, Lucy and Rita. She spent her time raising her kids and acting as Rita’s Girl Scout Leader at Camp Silvercloud outside of Anaconda. Lucille had many jobs throughout life and enjoyed volunteering. She spent time working at The Anaconda Leader, working as a seamstress for MacIntyre’s clothing store, volunteering for Art in Washoe Park, and working as a psyche tech out at Galen. After retiring in 1999 she dedicated most of her time to raising her grandson, Nathan.  

Bonnie Ann (Trerise) Smith

Bonnie attended local schools, graduating from Anaconda Senior High in 1958. While at Montana Western College she met Walter Frank Smith. After dinner on their first date at the Moose Tavern, Frank asked her to come back to his dorm room and do some ironing for him.  She gladly agreed and this was the beginning of a 54-year romance. Bonnie enjoyed her time with family and friends, hosting numerous dinners and parties. She also enjoyed playing games, watching the Bobcats and traveling.  She played Canasta with friends regularly for over 50 years, traveled to Jackpot to play the machines, and shared a cup of coffee regularly with friends at her home. Being a lifelong resident of Anaconda, Bonnie touched the lives of many people.  She was a Job’s Daughter Honored Queen, sold shoes at Coldwater’s, was a bookkeeper at Saltenberger Plumbing, and was an active member of the Jayceen’s and the Elks Club.  In 1981 she and Frank bought A-1 Building Materials, turning into a family business until retiring in 2005.

Charles “Dutch” Meyer

Dutch met his wife Mary Roehl at the roller-skating rink in Missoula, and they shared 66 years of marriage. He worked in many fields; logging, building homes, farming, radio and TV, and broadcasting. In 1970, Dutch joined the Montana Highway Patrol, eventually becoming Bureau Chief of Communications, where he modernized the state’s radio systems. After retiring from the MHP, he continued his work with the City of Missoula’s Communication Dept. Dutch was known for his sense of humor, storytelling, and the love of travel. He traveled to The Netherlands multiple times and had friends there he considered family. At home, he had a shop used for repairing TVs, which later turned to woodworking, where he enjoyed building wood clocks and showing them at many craft shows.

Michael Harris O’Brien

Mike grew up in Butte, graduating from Butte High School in 1963. His interests varied widely from being a voracious reader (western novels, military history, geology and many other subjects of interest) to being a firearms enthusiast, building model planes and ships. He shared a love of model trains with his dad, and they spent many hours building and finishing model train landscapes for their model trains to travel. Mike had a lifelong fascination with planes and trains, as well as a love of the outdoors, hiking the hills in his youth. Earlier in life Mike also served proudly in the Montana National Guard for several years. Mike was a music lover as well and could routinely be found listening to LPs of The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Johnny Horton and many MANY others. Mike had a very respectable vinyl record collection. In his later years, he developed a love of jigsaw puzzles as well as they appealed to his meticulous nature and seemingly bottomless well of patience.

Donna Lutey

Donna was born in Butte, Montana on March 16th, 1939 to John E. Harrington and Helen Powers Harrington. She was one of six children. Donna stayed active while attending St. Mary’s Catholic School including playing Volleyball and Softball. She was known for her fun and outgoing spirit. Donna married the love of her life, Gene Lutey, on February 6th, 1959. Together they built an amazing life and legacy while making Anaconda their home. For decades, Donna and Gene ran Lutey’s Furniture, rooting themselves deeply in the Anaconda community and forming lifelong connections with the people they served. They were blessed with early retirement, which led to traveling south for the winters where they made new friends and spent cherished time with family. Her joy in life was her family. Regardless of miles or weather, she aspired to attend the school and athletic events of her children, grandchildren, and most recently her great grandchildren. She could always be seen sitting on the sidelines or in the bleachers visiting with neighbors and friends about the latest happenings.

Marilyn Christine Anderson

Marilyn’s giving heart didn’t stop with her family. She bent over backwards to help any and all friends in need. She had a special place in her heart to care for the elderly and the sick. Even in her last years when she was living in a memory care facility in Butte, Montana, Marilyn was constantly caring for the other residents. Every day, she would take fellow residents to breakfast, lunch and dinner, helped serve them their meals and stayed behind to clean the dishes. She did all of this so staff members had more time to care for everyone else. Marilyn was always caring, always hardworking, never judgmental and made the best candy in town. For over 50 years, Marilyn was a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and served as a Director of Cancer Campaign in 1972.  As a result of her many volunteer hours supporting multiple charities throughout the years, Marilyn was awarded “Citizen of the Year” in 1987.

Jeanette Marie Keele Fresh

Throughout her life, she was fortunate to visit many LDS Temples to dedicate, pray and be baptized for many loved ones. She enjoyed playing darts and cracking her bullwhip. Also an excellent cook. Especially the homemade candy and fudge she and Elden made for everyone.

Kathy Longfellow Hart

Kathy took much pride in making her career with her father (Tiny) at their family business, Longfellow Finnegan Funeral Home. Kathy loved and enjoyed spending time with her children (and most of the neighborhood children) while taking the kids to state basketball tournaments, along with a few of their friends, all packed in the family station wagon.  Kathy also had a great love of animals and made sure that dogs, cats, horses, chickens, bum lambs, pigs, along with a milk cow and several other animals were part of the family. Camping was also a big part of the Hart family life and Kathy made sure that fun was had by all, children and grandchildren. Kathy was a great cook, she was always baking cinnamon rolls, sweetie pies, and cooked wonderful family holiday dinners.  Kathy also enjoyed quilting where she made beautiful quilts for each of the children.

William Edward “Bill” Matesich

Bill was an only child, but he found lifelong friendship in his pal Fr. Bob Sewvello and his friend Dave Venturelli along with the neighborhood kids where he grew up on Alder Street. Bill and Bob loved creating imaginary game shows together, sparking laughter and creativity that stayed with him throughout his life. After graduating from high school, Bill briefly attended DeVry University then returned to Anaconda to begin his work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), working at Warm Springs and at nursing homes in Deer Lodge, Butte, and Anaconda. His dedication to caregiving spanned more than 30 years. During this time, he also worked as a front door monitor at CHA and in 2006 received a degree in Accounting Technology from Montana Tech. Bill met the love of his life, Sandy Glynn, at a Christmas Choral Concert. Their shared love of music and laughter blossomed into a beautiful relationship, and they married on August 24, 1999. Together, they enjoyed singing in the Choral Society, singing karaoke, painting, learning guitar, and in a nutshell their relationship was like going on “a wild ride in Disneyland,” filled with adventure, joy, and love for each other. 

Michael “Mike” Alan Fode

After graduating from high school, Mike worked odd jobs. He worked for Leo Nichols on the potato farm. He worked at AFFCO for many years but had to retire early for health reasons.  He was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish. Mike loved to spend time with his nephew, Brandon Gwin, Brandon’s wife, Brittany, and their son, Bowmen, camping and exploring the mountains on his side-by-side and the 4-wheelers. He was a big fan of Buffalo Bills and the Montana Griz and loved to watch wrestling. Mike was fortunate to spend a significant amount of time over the last several months with his youngest sibling, Brent, creating close bond between them.