The community of Victor is hosting a Rural Resource Team visit on Monday and Tuesday, April 4 and 5. The community sponsors of this event are the Victor Community Development Group in cooperation with Victor area community groups, Victor Schools and Farmers State Bank.

All residents of the Victor School District are invited to attend any or all of a series of topical community listening sessions on April 4 and 5. Assisting with these sessions will be a panel of knowledgeable experts actively involved in rural community development. The panel is sponsored by the Montana Department of Commerce in cooperation with the Montana Economic Developers Association.

The purpose of inviting the Resource Team to Victor is to aid the community by 1) developing an objective community assessment based on community input; 2) holding listening sessions for the community at large; 3) facilitating a town meeting; 4) delivering the Resource Teamšs report complete with resources and recommendations; and 5) providing support and follow-up.

The listening sessions will revolve around community input to three basic questions:
1) What are the major strengths and assets of your community?
2) What challenges are facing your community?
3) What is the preferred future that you envision for your community in the next 2, 5, 10, 20 years?

On Monday, April 4, there is a Community Potluck/Listening Session in the Victor School multipurpose room from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The focus will be on civic groups, churches, and the volunteer fire department. Utensils will be provided and participants should bring a dish to share.

On Tuesday, April 5, there will be a series of listening sessions focusing on different aspects of the Victor community. Residents are invited to attend any or all sessions, which will be held in the school multipurpose room unless otherwise noted.

7:15-8:15 a.m. - Breakfast/Listening Session, Victor area businesses, $2 suggested donation
8:30-9:15 a.m. - Youth Listening Session, grades 7-12
10:30-11:30 a.m. - Infrastructure/Sewer District/Law Enforcement/Health Services
Noon-1 p.m. - Senior Citizens/Retirees, at Victor Senior Center
3:30-4:15 p.m. - Education (educators, parents, school board).

On Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. there will be a presentation to the community on the Highway 93 expansion plans/design through Victor and the improvement plans to downtown Victor. Following this presentation at 7:30 p.m. will be the Resource Team's review to the community on the listening sessions. These presentations will be in the Victor School multipurpose room.

Previous community assessments were completed in Stevensville and Darby in 2004. For more information contact Angie Dobberstein at 642-6227 or Deb Essen at 642-6424.

April Amnesty at North Valley Library

"Cans are Cash" at the North Valley Public Library in Stevensville from April 1 through April 30. Pay your overdue fines with two or more cans of food or other non-perishable food items. No matter how old or new the fines are, here's your chance to wipe your library slate clean and refill the shelves at Pantry Partners Food Bank. Now is also the time to search in backpacks, in cars, under the couch or wherever a library book might be hiding. Return them and trade cans of food for fines. As of May 1, the overdue fine will be increased to 10˘ per day. Books can now be renewed by phone, one time only.

Bible study group is Spirit of Stevensville

The "Wednesday Bible Study Group" has been chosen for the April Spirit of Stevensville award. This is an exceptional group of women who have taken Bible study to a new level. The 12 women who are currently active in the Bible study are: Jean Clary, Sheila Foy, Pat Hastings, Beverly Helrich, Ruth Lotan, Dorothy Kinsley, Ginny Mellgren, Julie Nelson, Jeanne O'Neill, Lydia Plachy, Riga Winthrop and Carol Word. The group started in the early 1980s as an ecumenical Bible study group but has evolved into far more. Included in this group are some of the famous Discovery Writers: Jean Clary, Riga Winthrop, Jeanne O'Neill and Pat Hastings. These women have co-authored six books, with the latest, "First Roots: The Story of Stevensville, Montana's Oldest Community" coming out soon. Author and quilter Pat Hastings has also published four quilting books.

Several of the members of the Bible study group are cancer survivors, and this study group has served as a support system to help each other through the difficult times. Over the years they have come to the aid of various individuals and families that were in crisis or need. They help out with Pantry Partners, North Valley Public Library, visits to the Bitterroot Valley Living Center, hospice, and in the past have tutored students at the elementary school. They also try to make it a point to welcome newcomers to the community. Beverly Helrich, a relative newcomer to the group, said, "This is a unique, wonderful Christian group, with a sense of humor, and each person is wonderful in her own right."

This dynamic, charitable, supportive, strong circle of friends is truly an asset to Stevensville. Carol Word's comments say it all: "This is an incredibly supportive and non judgmental group of women, they are spiritual, loving of nature, Montana and Stevensville."

Art call

The Montana Watercolor Society's 23rd annual national juried exhibition, "Watermedia 2005," will be held October 4-29 at the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center in Bigfork.

Watermedia art includes watercolor, gouache, acrylic, inks and collage on watercolor paper or board. Juror of selection and awards is Frank Francese. Over $5,000 in cash and merchandise awards will be given. For a prospectus send a #10 self-addressed, stamped envelope to Vickie Lynn Johnson, Watermedia Chair, PO Box 2605, Missoula MT 59806. Deadline for slide entries is May 1, 2005.

Telecommunications Access Program available

Do you struggle to hear on the phone? Does it seem like most callers are mumbling and slurring? There's help. What's more, that help is often free.

The Montana Telecommunications Access Program (MTAP) is a special effort by the state of Montana to provide equipment to Montanans who need a little extra help to use the telephone. It offers many, many different kinds of telephones to help people overcome challenges.

The most frequently used special phone is one that makes incoming calls louder and easier to hear. Many people are amazed how much difference it makes to have a phone where they can raise the volume. Also, hearing loss often affects a specific frequency range. High sounds, like a woman's voice, may be harder to hear than low sounds, like a man's voice. Sometimes, it's the reverse. In either case, MTAP can supply equipment that will lower or raise the tone of incoming conversations, bringing them into a frequency range that's easier to hear.

There's also equipment to make the phone ring louder, or to flash lights when the phone rings. There are special "hands free" phones for those who are mobility-challenged, and some phones can even display "closed captioning" just like a television program. For the profoundly deaf, MTAP also provides TTY text telephones.

MTAP serves Montanans of all ages, with many different types of disabilities. The program also oversees the Montana Relay, which helps deaf Montanans make phone calls to hearing people who use an ordinary phone.

To apply for the program, call 800-833-8503 (toll-free), email info@montanarelay.org, visit the web site at www.montanarelay.org, or write to Montana Telecommunications Access Program, P.O. Box 4210, Helena MT 59604.

Remember: the telephone is for everybody. If you're having trouble hearing on your phone, contact MTAP, because there are many ways to receive help.

Open burning information

The Ravalli County Board of Health would like to remind everyone in the county that if they must conduct open burning, please conduct it responsibly to prevent adverse health effects. Any open burning can have severe health effects, especially for children and the elderly. This is the reason there are air quality regulations that prohibit the burning of any man-made product. Open burning is allowed for only wood waste from trees and shrubs, and field waste from plants.

Burning any type of garbage including paper, cardboard, plastic, treated lumber and timbers, shingles, rubber materials, food wastes, animal parts or wastes, standing or demolished structures, trade wastes or essentially any man-made products are prohibited by state law. Do not burn these items or you could be subject to substantial penalties under the Clean Air Act of Montana.

For some individuals, smoke is a dangerous pollutant triggering serious respiratory problems. If you must burn fields or other areas to eliminate excess wood or field waste, burn responsibly to avoid making yourself and your neighbors ill. Best management practices would include only burning on good ventilation days. In other words, if the smoke lies close to the ground and does not rise into the air and dissipate quickly, put out the fire and burn on another day. Do not burn within 500 feet of a dwelling or within one mile of a school, daycare, hospital, first care, nursing home, or other location with children, the elderly, or ill persons. Do not let your fire smolder or create excessive smoke.

The Department of Environmental Quality regulates smoke emissions from open burning to prevent and reduce air quality impacts. Many counties in Montana, especially those west of the Continental Divide that are subject to air inversions, have adopted local regulations for open burning due to the human health concerns, air quality impacts and continued violations of the air quality regulations.

Ravalli County may have to adopt local regulations to maintain clean air and prevent irresponsible open burning if people do not voluntarily cooperate. Do your part to protect the health of your neighbors and look for alternatives to burning. Some alternatives to burning include chipping, composting, or landfilling your wood wastes, and mowing, plowing or grazing of field waste. All garbage is currently required to be disposed of properly at a licensed landfill and not burned. Another alternative for cardboard, paper, aluminum cans, and other metals would be to recycle these items.

Mission looking for volunteers

Historic St. Mary's Mission is looking for a few good men and women.

The popularity of Historic St. Mary's Mission as a tour attraction as well as something of a pilgrimage for many has swelled the ranks of visitors year after year. Last year, over 6,000 tourists, schoolchildren and group excursionists visited the mission and museum, and were escorted on tours of the grounds and buildings, including the original mission chapel with attached living quarters, Father Ravalli's house and pharmacy and Chief Victor's cabin. The task of staffing the operation with tour guides, gift shop attendants and general docents has exhausted the traditional source of volunteers.

The mission board of directors emphasizes that it is a secular organization completely separate from St. Mary's Parish and the Diocese of Helena. "We are a stand-alone non profit corporation which is dedicated to preserving the first white settlement in Montana," according to Colleen Meyer, director of the museum. "We tell of those moments in history 'Where Montana Began.' It should be clearly understood that we have no religious function and act as a secular operation with historic presentation and preservation as our sole objective."

The current tourist season will begin April 15 and will end in October. "We are seriously hampered by a shortage of volunteers and need a few good people", said Meyer. "We have a precious piece of history of the American West. Please consider volunteering to help share the Native American story and that of Montana's earliest pioneers."

Anyone interested in helping to share the story of this rich history is asked to contact Meyer at the Museum, 777-5734.

Old, ugly, junky tractors wanted - prize awarded

The Montana State University Block & Bridle Club is holding a contest to find the oldest, ugliest, rustiest, and most beat up tractor this side of the Mississippi! Entries will be judged based on photographs of the tractor, make, model, year, original color, and a story of how the tractor was transformed into a piece of junk. The owner of the winning clunker will receive an embroidered MSU vest.

Tractors entered must run and be owned by the person submitting the entry. The entry fee is $5 per tractor, and multiple entries may be submitted. Entries must be postmarked by April 18, 2005.

The MSU Block & Bridle Club is raising funds to attend the National Convention next January. Block and Bridle supports and participates in many activities during the year, including Fun on the Farm, Alpha Gamma Rho's Testicle Festival, Boots and Bowties Ball, Student Beef Project, and MSU Ag Days.

The Block and Bridle organization's objectives are to promote a higher scholastic standard and more complete understanding of animal science among members; promote animal science through the development of a program of activities, especially, all phases of student animal science work in colleges and universities; and to bring about a closer relationship among all students pursuing some phase of the animal sciences as a profession.

For a contest entry form or for more information, call Heidi Arlian at (406)539-0079, Lacey Hunter at (406)544 0043, or Will Scott at (406)491-1848 or write to: MSU Block & Bridle, Montana State University, Room 235 Linfield Hall, Bozeman MT 59717.

Governor's Cup to support uninsured Montanans

The 32nd annual Caring Foundation of Montana Governor's Cup, scheduled for Saturday, June 4 in Helena, is a major fundraiser to support Montanans in need of access to health care services. According to Tom Burgess, Executive Director of the Caring Foundation, last year's Governor's Cup generated $50,000 in support of the Caring Program for Children and Care Screenings for uninsured Montana children and adults. "We hope to increase participation in the race events as well as awareness of our projects," Burgess said. "Many people return to Helena year after year to participate. and over the past few years, we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of people, especially families, who walk the course. You don't need to run a marathon to do the Governor's Cup, even walking the 5K is exhilarating," he said.

The Governor's Cup includes the ever-popular 5K and 1OK events, which begin in downtown Helena, loop around the Capitol and the east side of the city, and finish downtown near the Lewis and Clark Library. Also featured are a half-marathon, marathon, and marathon relay events. Buses transport race participants to the long distance events, with the marathon and relay beginning in Marysville, and the half-marathon beginning on Birdseye Road. All races conclude at a common finish line. One of the favorites for spectators as well as participants is the Special Olympics/Physically Handicapped event.

Throughout the weekend, numerous activities complement the Governor's Cup, including an arts and crafts fair on the downtown walking mall, a health and fitness fair, a carbo-load spaghetti feed, and an awards ceremony with live entertainment.

To register for the Governor's Cup or for more information, visit the Caring Foundation website at www.caring4kidsmt.com. Race Headquarters will open Monday, May 2 at 9 a.m. at 340 N. Last Chance Gulch, across from the Montana Book Company.

Soroptimist presents annual awards

Soroptimist International of Hamilton held its annual awards luncheon on March 17 to present monetary awards to five local women.

Victoria Williams of Hamilton was presented the Women's Opportunity Award for her efforts to overcome adversity, obtain education and to work toward a better future for herself and her family. She was given a cash award of $1,500 which will assist her with her education at the University of Montana where she is working toward a degree in psychology. The Women's Opportunity Award is the signature award of Soroptimist International of the Americas and is provided to a single woman head of household who wishes to better her life through education.

Allison Mullin, a sophomore at Stevensville High School, received the Violet Richardson Award for her volunteer efforts to establish a fund to assist needy students with expenses for school related extra curricular activities. Allison developed the idea herself and wrote a grant to obtain initial funding for "Fund For All." Students in Stevensville and Lone Rock are benefiting from Allison's ingenuity and determination to see that all students have an opportunity to participate in activities, regardless of cost. The Violet Richardson Award is named for the first President of Soroptimist and is given to girls between the ages of 14 and 17 who dedicate themselves to volunteer work within their community. Allison was awarded $500 and an additional $500 was donated to her "Fund For All" in recognition of her efforts.

The second place Violet Richardson Award was presented to Quincy Gibbs of Darby who is an enthusiastic volunteer with the Therapeutic Riding program and youth rodeo. She has also performed a number of community service projects in the Darby area and is currently serving as the Ravalli County Rodeo Queen. She received a check for $300.

Brandee Della Silva of Corvallis High School was honored with the Professional-Technical Award of $750 which she will use to attend cosmetology school in Rexburg, Idaho. Soroptimist recognized that all women wish to attend a university and designed this award for those who want to obtain vocational training or professional certification.

The final award of the day went to Donna Huseby of Hamilton who currently teaches reading and math to all first graders in the Hamilton schools. Donna received the Fellowship Award of $750 to assist in her pursuit of a Masters degree in Literacy Studies through Leslie College. Donna intends to use her degree to continue helping our children with the essential language, reading and writing skills.

Each of these award winners is eligible for additional awards at the regional and national levels where they will compete with other winners from clubs throughout the United States, Canada, South America and the Far East. Soroptimist International is a volunteer service organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world.

Looking for Mrs. Stevensville

The Mrs. Montana-America Pageant is looking for Mrs. Stevensville-America 2005 to represent her community in this yearšs pageant.

The woman chosen will represent Stevensville in this year's pageant to be held in July at the Grand Montana Convention Center in Billings. Contact the State Director, Sheree Channel at 1-877-631-4447 or via the website, www.mrsmontanaamerica.com. to request an application. The winner of the Mrs. Montana America Pageant receives an prize package including an all-expense-paid trip to the Mrs. America Pageant. The Mrs. America pageant is the only nationally televised competition to recognize the one person who contributes so much to modern family life America's married woman.

'Celebrate Conservation' with annual poster contest

The Montana Association of Conservation Districts is helping celebrate National Agriculture Week by encouraging the state's young people to participate in the 15th Annual National Conservation Poster Contest.

The annual contest, sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts, provides kindergarten through twelfth grade students with an opportunity to share their thoughts about soil, water and related natural resource issues. It also highlights the educational outreach efforts of conservation districts.

"Montana had a national winner in last year's contest, and we're hoping to follow up on that with more winners in 2005," said MACD executive director Sarah Carlson. "But really, everyone wins in this contest -- it gets young people thinking about conservation, and it's a lot of fun."

Melanie Mothershead of Circle High School took first place in the Digital Art Category last year.

The theme for this year's contest is "Celebrate Conservation."

"This year's theme is especially appropriate here in Montana," Carlson said. "Our natural resources are what makes the state unique, and proper management will ensure that those resources are around for future generations to enjoy."

Carlson said the MACD encourages youths, schools and youth groups to participate in the poster contest, which can easily be worked into educational curriculum.

Artwork entered into the national competition must have been evaluated in a local conservation district-sponsored poster contest and a state conservation association-sponsored contest. The state conservation association or auxiliary then selects a poster for each of the grade divisions (K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) and submits the entries to NACD.

Although younger students will likely receive help in planning from parents or teachers, NACD encourages students to do as much of their own work as possible. The following assets make a good poster: a brief, catchy message; a theme that can be read in 10 seconds; a slogan telling the viewers to do something and making them want to do it; colors to get and hold attention; letters large enough to be easily read; principles of good design; and white space that adds emphasis and attract attention.

The poster contest deadline is December 1, 2005. All state winners will be featured at the 2006 NACD annual meeting.

Additional information on the poster contest can be found at the National Association of Conservation Districts web site at http://www.nacdnet.org/outreach/awards/poster.htm, with contest application forms available at http://www.nacdnet.org/outreach/awards/posterapp.html. Information can also be obtained by calling your local conservation district, or by contacting the Montana Association of Conservation Districts at 443-5711.

Tuberculosis still a threat, health officials say

While many people think of tuberculosis as a thing of the past, itšs still a threat that should not be taken lightly, a state health official said recently.

"Fifteen Montanans were diagnosed with TB last year, including one who died," said Denise Ingman, manager of the tuberculosis program of the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. "We're especially concerned that one of those cases involved a child, which means the disease was transmitted very recently. It wasn't a latent infection that only now flared up."

To combat TB, Montana public health officials have joined forces with colleagues in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah to develop regional strategies to address the contagious and potentially deadly disease. The four states are collaborating to increase education and training efforts, enhance laboratory services, provide expert consultation for clinicians, and develop policy manuals for local health departments and a regional TB elimination plan.

Ingman noted that Montana has a TB infection rate well below the national average. About 1.6 of every 100,000 Montanans gets TB, she said, compared to 4.9 people nationwide.

"We've made a lot of progress," she said, "but TB poses greater challenges today than ever before."

The increase in global travel plays a significant role in the spread of TB. More than half of recent U.S. cases were in foreign-born individuals, Ingman said.

"This reflects the global magnitude of TB, where it has reached epidemic levels, particularly in resource-poor countries that are unable to effectively combat the disease."

Tuberculosis is primarily an illness of the respiratory system and is spread by coughing and sneezing. It can usually be treated successfully with medications, but each year about two million people die from it worldwide. If people with TB do not complete a minimum of six to nine months of drug therapy, they can develop and spread strains of TB that are resistant to available drugs, Ingman said.

March 24 was designated World Tuberculosis Day by the World Health Organization (WHO). On that day in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of the TB bacteria.

In the late 19th century, TB killed one of every seven people living in the United States and Europe. Today, the United States is seeing an all-time low in the number of new cases.

Provisional 2004 data indicate there were 14,511 cases of active TB reported in the United States, a 3 percent decrease from 2003. While the 2004 TB rate was the lowest in the U.S. since national reporting began in 1953, the declines for 2003 and 2004 were the smallest since 1993.

Ingman said national funding is needed to sustain research into the development of an effective vaccine for TB and to develop a better diagnostic tool to screen for latent TB infections, which do not produce symptoms.

Trout Unlimited awards grants in Montana

The national conservation organization Trout Unlimited (TU) today announced two major grant awards for Montana watershed restoration projects.

A grant of $9,250 was awarded to the Kootenai Valley Trout Club for restoration of Callahan Creek, a tributary of the Kootenai River, where TU members are participating in a wide partnership devoted to decommissioning and improving conditions along 11 miles of highly degraded logging roads.

A grant of $2,000 was awarded to the TU Flathead Valley Chapter to aid the effort to revegetate 45 sites where harmful culverts were removed to aid fish passage within the Flathead National Forest.

"The state of Montana has benefited greatly from Trout Unlimitedšs Embrace-A-Stream program. In the last five years, volunteer-led efforts have received almost $50,000, which has helped us leverage 3 or 4 times that amount in state and federal grants to restore habitat for trout," said Steve Bryant, TU's Montana Council Chair.

Embrace-A-Stream is the flagship grant program for funding TU grassroots fishery and watershed conservation efforts. Funding for EAS is provided by TU members, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, corporate partners and foundations. An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluate all proposed projects.

In 2005, Embrace-A-Stream will provide more than $172,000 for 33 projects that address water and fish habitat quality, native fish restoration, in-stream flows, youth education and fish population research. Since 1975, Embrace-A-Stream has funded some 800 projects totaling about $3 million.

"Our grassroots members are the heart and soul of Trout Unlimited," said Chris Wood, TU Vice President for Conservation Programs. "Embrace-A-Stream grants help them to protect and conserve our precious coldwater resources."

Trout Unlimited is North America's leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with 135,000 members dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

Births

Births at Marcus Daly Hospital, Hamilton

3-15-05
Boy, 9 lbs., 4 oz., 21-3/4 inches, to David Casterline and Christian Betschart, Corvallis

3-16-05
Boy, 6 lbs., 2 oz., 18 inches, to Tyson Boehm and Rashell Bush, Victor

3-17-05
Boy, 6 lbs., 4 oz., 20 inches, to Michael and Cari Jo Siphakis, Corvallis

3-18-05
Girl, 6 lbs., 10 oz., 21 inches, to Gregory Lanoue and Teri Jo Slack, Stevensville

3-19-05
Girl, 8 lbs., 8 oz., 20 inches, to Daniel and Karen Wolsky, Corvallis

3-20-05
Girl, 5 lbs., 11 oz., 18 inches, to Robert Flood and Jennifer Goodwin, Darby

3-21-05
Girl, 6 lbs., 11 oz., 9 inches, to Alex Naylor and Cathy Jo Hayes, Hamilton

3-22-05
Girl, 8 lbs., 12 oz., 22 inches, to David and Tiffany Stone, Corvallis

Obituaries

Ellen Little

Ellen Dellinger Higgins Little of Stevensville went home to be with the Lord on Good Friday, March 25, 2005. She died of natural causes at the age of 96 at the Village Health Care Center in Missoula.

She was born on December 25, 1908, to Price Clarke and Emma Mae (Warner) Higgins at the family home south of Stevensville.

She grew up on the family ranch, attended Stevensville grade school and graduated from Stevensville High School. She attended Montana State Normal College in Dillon and taught school in Eastern Montana. She later taught at Lower Burnt Fork and Etna Schools. She also did some substitute teaching in the Stevensville area. Ellen loved the Bitterroot Valley and lived her entire life there, enjoying its beauty.

On September 7, 1934, Ellen married Joseph Allen Little in Stevensville. Ellen worked for several Stevensville businesses. She and Joe owned and operated a restaurant. She later worked at St. John's Drug Store, then clerked and kept books at the C.R. Anthony Clothing Store. When Anthony's closed, Ellen stayed on to clerk at Village Department Store. She retired in the mid-1980s.

Ellen was Past Worthy Matron of Beulah Chapter #8 and held a State Office for Order of Eastern Star. She was a member of Bitterroot Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. She was an avid genealogist and historian. She researched and wrote the "Higgins Family Genealogy" and was in the process of writing the "Warner Genealogy." She was a master seamstress, competitive bridge player, enjoyed picnics on Burnt Fork and traveling with her sisters and other family members.

Ellen married Clarence Anthony on February 20, 1993. He preceded her on August 18, 1996. Also preceding her were her parents, Price and May Higgins, husband Joe Little and sister Alta Higgins Bailey.

Survivors include a sister Dayle Higgins Franks of Troutdale, OR and a sister-in-law Margaret Faucett Little of Meridian, ID; nieces Jaime Bailey Spaulding, Missoula and Larkin Franks, Troutdale, OR; nephews Higgins Bailey of Palm Desert, CA, Price Frank of Forest Grove, OR, Arnold Franks of Tualatin, OR, Howard Little of Meridian, ID and all their respective families. She was like a "second Mom" to all of us. Our "Tondi" spoiled us and was more than generous with her love, care and concern.

Visitation will be on Thursday, March 31 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Whitesitt Funeral Home in Stevensville. Funeral services will be conducted at the funeral home on Friday, April 1 at 1 p.m. Beulah Chapter of Order of Eastern Star will present ritualistic honors. Burial will follow at the Riverside Cemetery in Stevensville. The family invites all to a reception at the United Methodist Church in Stevensville.

Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.

Margaret Milliron

Margaret F. (Brown) Milliron, 85, of Florence died at the home of her daughter on Sunday, March 20, 2005.

She was born with a twin brother on October 21, 1919, at Glendive, MT, to Asa and Dessie (Snyder) Squires. She was the last of eight including her twin brother Glenn, Paul, Ruth Waters, Ralph, Bill, Earl and Mary Moore.

Her family moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 1928, where they farmed in the Burnt Fork area. Margie, as all knew her, met and married James W. Brown in 1939. The couple farmed in the Three Mile area and then moved to the old Eastside Highway, north of Stevensville in 1946.

For years Jim and Margie worked side by side farming, raising dairy cattle, pigs and beef cattle until Jim's death in 1969. Margie sold the farm and moved to the Florence Trailer Park. She enjoyed crocheting, reading, and people and was a good friend. She was a member of Stevensville Beulah Chapter #8 Order of the Eastern Star, and the Rebekah Lodge #5 of Missoula.

She married Lynn Milliron in 1978. He preceded her in death.

Her daughter Margaret Lawrence of Florence, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren survive Margie.

Private services will be later this summer at the Sunnyside Cemetery.

Should friends desire, memorials may be sent to Alzheimer Foundation or to donoršs choice.

The Whitesitt Funeral Home and Cremation in Stevensville is in charge of arrangements.