Jeraldine (“Onie”) Bakken
Funeral services for Jeraldine (“Onie”) Bakken will be held at 10:00 AM Monday, March 19. Johnette Grefe will officiate
at the service at the First Lutheran Church in Homestead; interment will be in Big Lake Cemetery, east of Homestead.
Onie died of heart disease Tuesday afternoon, March 13 at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington.
Jeraldine Ione Portra was born at Medicine Lake, Montana March 23, 1924, the daughter of Norbert and Amy
(LaCounte) Portra. She grew up on the family farm in the Froid community, and went to high school in Flandreau,
South Dakota, then attended the University of Montana in Missoula where she earned a teaching certificate. She
worked in Spokane, Washington at the Davenport Hotel, and later as a mail censor in Seattle during World War II. She
taught at the Hammond school northeast of Froid for two years before she married Mervin Bakken at Sidney, Montana
September 19, 1946. They lived east of Froid until 1962 when they bought the Bakken family homestead; Onie’s
home has been there since. She was an active participant in the family’s custom harvesting business, making the trip
with the combine crew until 1985. Onie’s life was that of an educator – not only a teacher in school, but educating her
family and those she loved about life and the world we live in. She loved to take on a challenge, and persevered until
she mastered it. . . Always doing it “my way!” She loved sewing, and especially enjoyed the “hard” jobs – making
coats and jackets. An avid gardener, she loved her flowers and vegetable plot and was an active member of the First
Lutheran Church in Homestead, and the ladies aid. She was also a lifetime member of the Moose Lodge in Williston
and of the Elks Lodge in Sidney. Mervin died January 21, 1983. For years, she loved to care for her grandchildren; and
since she became ill, in October, 2006 and went to Seattle to be near her daughter. Her granddaughters were able to
return her loving care and grew especially close to her in these months.
Onie is survived by her long-time companion, Ed Roller, by two children, Pam Green and her husband Robert, of
Seattle; and Jim Bakken and his wife Janis, of Medicine Lake. She is also survived by four grandchildren: John
Simpson, Angela Simpson and her husband Andrew Litzinger, and Doug and Jill Bakken; and by two step-
granddaughters, Gayle Green and her husband David Crumrine (and their son, Onie’s great-grandson, Ethan
Crumrine) and Megan Green. She is also survived by a brother, Larry (“Tuts”) Portra, of Culbertson; and her sister,
Ruth Barkley, whose home is in Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, and by a brother,
Norbert (“Junior”) Portra, whose wife, Roma, lives in Froid. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of
arrangements.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Melvin Jorgensen
Funeral services for Melvin Jorgensen will be held at 10:30 AM Wednesday, March 14. Pastor Barbara Westhoff will
officiate at the service at St. John’s Lutheran Church in the Westby community. Interment in St. John’s Cemetery will
follow the service. Everyone is invited to join the family at a fellowship dinner at the Plentywood Lutheran Church
Parish Hall, expected to begin about noon. Melvin died Friday evening, March 9 at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in
Plentywood. After a long, extended fight with cancer.
Melvin was born February 14, 1920 (a valentine’s baby), northeast of Dagmar on the Soren Larsen homestead. He
was the eldest son of Danish immigrants Janus and Dorthea (Panum) Jorgensen. He was baptized and confirmed in
Dagmar, and attended the Roosevelt and Lowell schools as well as “Dane School” held at the Nathanael church
during the summer months.
When he was 11, his parents moved to the Johannes Olson homestead north of Dagmar, where Melvin began
farming at age 18. He later bought this farm and farmed it until he retired in 1982.
On November 21, 1948, Melvin and Beatrice Simonson were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church. They made their
home north of Dagmar for the next 47 years until they moved to Plentywood in 1995. Melvin loved the life of being a
farmer; to him, farming was a joy. During their years on the farm, they raised cattle, pigs, chickens, and 3 children; Sue
Ann, Rodney, and Tom. Melvin enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family and neighbors. In his earlier years, Melvin
could always be found at Pete and Stina’s, drinking coffee and visiting; and in later years the daily coffee company
moved to Melvin and Bea’s house.
Melvin had a special knack for recalling names and faces from decades past. He read and re-read the Sheridan’s
Daybreak, to the point that it had to be rebound!
Melvin has been a member of the St. John’s Church since 1948. He was a trustee and a member of the building
committee when the present-day church was built. He was one of the oldest living members of the Dagmar Danish
Brotherhood Lodge # 283.
Melvin was a very honest and fair man. Always concerned about getting his taxes paid, he would rather pay too much
than too little. After retiring, he always looked to find an excuse for a drive in the country .... “we need to take milkshakes
to Tom & Jandy during harvest time” or a drive to Medicine Lake for dinner on Sunday, and the many trips to Lutefisk
suppers. Family was the center of Melvin’s life: Birthdays and Christmas celebrations were the highlight of the year,
and always included Norman and Trudy Jensen, Martin and Karen Sorensen, and the Simonson family. Other special
times were any event where people would gather, especially extended family steak frys at Brush Lake.
Melvin was preceded in death by his parents, Janus and Dorthea, and his sister, Karen. He is survived by Bea, his
wife of 58 years, of Plentywood; his daughter Sue Pulliam and her companion Ray Norris, of Gillette, Wyoming; sons
Rod, and his wife Vickie, of Reno, Nevada; and Tom and his wife Jandy, of Dagmar. Also surviving are grandchildren
Tate, Bret and Troy Jorgensen; Robbin and Shane Pulliam; and Tanner Jorgensen; and one great-granddaughter,
Kennedy. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of arrangements.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Greg Thuesen
Greg Thuesen, 53, of Dagmar, Montana, died March 1, surrounded by his family, after a short but courageous battle
with cancer. Greg was born on November 5, 1953, to Donald and Laura (Detienne) Thuesen. He was raised on a
farm ½ mile north of Dagmar. Growing up, he attended Hiawatha country school, Medicine Lake High School, and
Dawson Community College. On December 21, 1973, he married the love of his life, Paula Meschke, and they have
made their home in Dagmar since February of 1974.
From a young age, Greg was a steward of the earth and farming has always been his life. He and his father worked a
farm together and raised both sheep and cattle over the years. Greg was very meticulous about his job, and loved
nothing more than to take a drive and look at the land and his work.
Greg always was community minded, and his presence was strongly felt in the small Danish community of Dagmar.
Even before his daughters started attending Hiawatha, he became the school bus driver and continued to be until the
school closed in 1996. He was instrumental in helping to bring the Medicine Lake Rural Fire Department to Dagmar,
and served as their fire chief until January of this year, when he resigned due to failing health. He was the Chairman
of the board of the Dagmar Co-op Assn. for many years and also served on the Nathanael church council. Greg also
spent many hours helping friends and neighbors in any way he could.
His pride and joy was always his three daughters. They spent many hours with him on the farm, and he loved going
to watch them in their many school and community sports and events. In recent years he enjoyed taking trips to visit
his daughters and his two grandsons.
Greg enjoyed hunting season when he could spend time with his brother and friends. He was always generous in
allowing others to hunt on his land and made many lifelong friends as a result.
Greg is survived by his wife, Paula; his three daughters: Amy Thuesen, of Austin, MN; Kimberly Rudningen and her
husband Aaron, of Center, ND, and their two sons, Spencer and Elliot; and Kelly Pris and her husband Jeremy, of
Kalispell MT; his parents, Donald and Laura Thuesen of Dagmar, MT; and his twin brother, Gary Thuesen, and his
wife Lynne, of Columbia Falls, MT. He is preceded in death by his sister, Paulette Thuesen; maternal grandparents
Alvin and Esther DeTienne; and paternal grandparents Peter and Ida Thuesen.
Funeral services for Greg were held at Nathanael Church in Dagmar at 10:30 am on Tuesday, March 6. Interment
followed at the Nathanael Cemetery. Casketbearers were Gene Andersen, Bruce Nyby, Jerry Strand, and David,
Russell and Steven Thuesen. Honorary Bearers were Conrad Conradsen, John Meschke, Jerry Thuesen, and the
member os Medicine Lake High School Class of 1971; ushers were Kerby Andersen, Jonathan Keil, Roger Nelson,
and Cory Sampsen. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood is assisting with arrangements.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Funeral services for Jeraldine (“Onie”) Bakken will be held at 10:00 AM Monday, March 19. Johnette Grefe will officiate
at the service at the First Lutheran Church in Homestead; interment will be in Big Lake Cemetery, east of Homestead.
Onie died of heart disease Tuesday afternoon, March 13 at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington.
Jeraldine Ione Portra was born at Medicine Lake, Montana March 23, 1924, the daughter of Norbert and Amy
(LaCounte) Portra. She grew up on the family farm in the Froid community, and went to high school in Flandreau,
South Dakota, then attended the University of Montana in Missoula where she earned a teaching certificate. She
worked in Spokane, Washington at the Davenport Hotel, and later as a mail censor in Seattle during World War II. She
taught at the Hammond school northeast of Froid for two years before she married Mervin Bakken at Sidney, Montana
September 19, 1946. They lived east of Froid until 1962 when they bought the Bakken family homestead; Onie’s
home has been there since. She was an active participant in the family’s custom harvesting business, making the trip
with the combine crew until 1985. Onie’s life was that of an educator – not only a teacher in school, but educating her
family and those she loved about life and the world we live in. She loved to take on a challenge, and persevered until
she mastered it. . . Always doing it “my way!” She loved sewing, and especially enjoyed the “hard” jobs – making
coats and jackets. An avid gardener, she loved her flowers and vegetable plot and was an active member of the First
Lutheran Church in Homestead, and the ladies aid. She was also a lifetime member of the Moose Lodge in Williston
and of the Elks Lodge in Sidney. Mervin died January 21, 1983. For years, she loved to care for her grandchildren; and
since she became ill, in October, 2006 and went to Seattle to be near her daughter. Her granddaughters were able to
return her loving care and grew especially close to her in these months.
Onie is survived by her long-time companion, Ed Roller, by two children, Pam Green and her husband Robert, of
Seattle; and Jim Bakken and his wife Janis, of Medicine Lake. She is also survived by four grandchildren: John
Simpson, Angela Simpson and her husband Andrew Litzinger, and Doug and Jill Bakken; and by two step-
granddaughters, Gayle Green and her husband David Crumrine (and their son, Onie’s great-grandson, Ethan
Crumrine) and Megan Green. She is also survived by a brother, Larry (“Tuts”) Portra, of Culbertson; and her sister,
Ruth Barkley, whose home is in Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, and by a brother,
Norbert (“Junior”) Portra, whose wife, Roma, lives in Froid. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of
arrangements.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Melvin Jorgensen
Funeral services for Melvin Jorgensen will be held at 10:30 AM Wednesday, March 14. Pastor Barbara Westhoff will
officiate at the service at St. John’s Lutheran Church in the Westby community. Interment in St. John’s Cemetery will
follow the service. Everyone is invited to join the family at a fellowship dinner at the Plentywood Lutheran Church
Parish Hall, expected to begin about noon. Melvin died Friday evening, March 9 at Sheridan Memorial Hospital in
Plentywood. After a long, extended fight with cancer.
Melvin was born February 14, 1920 (a valentine’s baby), northeast of Dagmar on the Soren Larsen homestead. He
was the eldest son of Danish immigrants Janus and Dorthea (Panum) Jorgensen. He was baptized and confirmed in
Dagmar, and attended the Roosevelt and Lowell schools as well as “Dane School” held at the Nathanael church
during the summer months.
When he was 11, his parents moved to the Johannes Olson homestead north of Dagmar, where Melvin began
farming at age 18. He later bought this farm and farmed it until he retired in 1982.
On November 21, 1948, Melvin and Beatrice Simonson were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church. They made their
home north of Dagmar for the next 47 years until they moved to Plentywood in 1995. Melvin loved the life of being a
farmer; to him, farming was a joy. During their years on the farm, they raised cattle, pigs, chickens, and 3 children; Sue
Ann, Rodney, and Tom. Melvin enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family and neighbors. In his earlier years, Melvin
could always be found at Pete and Stina’s, drinking coffee and visiting; and in later years the daily coffee company
moved to Melvin and Bea’s house.
Melvin had a special knack for recalling names and faces from decades past. He read and re-read the Sheridan’s
Daybreak, to the point that it had to be rebound!
Melvin has been a member of the St. John’s Church since 1948. He was a trustee and a member of the building
committee when the present-day church was built. He was one of the oldest living members of the Dagmar Danish
Brotherhood Lodge # 283.
Melvin was a very honest and fair man. Always concerned about getting his taxes paid, he would rather pay too much
than too little. After retiring, he always looked to find an excuse for a drive in the country .... “we need to take milkshakes
to Tom & Jandy during harvest time” or a drive to Medicine Lake for dinner on Sunday, and the many trips to Lutefisk
suppers. Family was the center of Melvin’s life: Birthdays and Christmas celebrations were the highlight of the year,
and always included Norman and Trudy Jensen, Martin and Karen Sorensen, and the Simonson family. Other special
times were any event where people would gather, especially extended family steak frys at Brush Lake.
Melvin was preceded in death by his parents, Janus and Dorthea, and his sister, Karen. He is survived by Bea, his
wife of 58 years, of Plentywood; his daughter Sue Pulliam and her companion Ray Norris, of Gillette, Wyoming; sons
Rod, and his wife Vickie, of Reno, Nevada; and Tom and his wife Jandy, of Dagmar. Also surviving are grandchildren
Tate, Bret and Troy Jorgensen; Robbin and Shane Pulliam; and Tanner Jorgensen; and one great-granddaughter,
Kennedy. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of arrangements.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Greg Thuesen
Greg Thuesen, 53, of Dagmar, Montana, died March 1, surrounded by his family, after a short but courageous battle
with cancer. Greg was born on November 5, 1953, to Donald and Laura (Detienne) Thuesen. He was raised on a
farm ½ mile north of Dagmar. Growing up, he attended Hiawatha country school, Medicine Lake High School, and
Dawson Community College. On December 21, 1973, he married the love of his life, Paula Meschke, and they have
made their home in Dagmar since February of 1974.
From a young age, Greg was a steward of the earth and farming has always been his life. He and his father worked a
farm together and raised both sheep and cattle over the years. Greg was very meticulous about his job, and loved
nothing more than to take a drive and look at the land and his work.
Greg always was community minded, and his presence was strongly felt in the small Danish community of Dagmar.
Even before his daughters started attending Hiawatha, he became the school bus driver and continued to be until the
school closed in 1996. He was instrumental in helping to bring the Medicine Lake Rural Fire Department to Dagmar,
and served as their fire chief until January of this year, when he resigned due to failing health. He was the Chairman
of the board of the Dagmar Co-op Assn. for many years and also served on the Nathanael church council. Greg also
spent many hours helping friends and neighbors in any way he could.
His pride and joy was always his three daughters. They spent many hours with him on the farm, and he loved going
to watch them in their many school and community sports and events. In recent years he enjoyed taking trips to visit
his daughters and his two grandsons.
Greg enjoyed hunting season when he could spend time with his brother and friends. He was always generous in
allowing others to hunt on his land and made many lifelong friends as a result.
Greg is survived by his wife, Paula; his three daughters: Amy Thuesen, of Austin, MN; Kimberly Rudningen and her
husband Aaron, of Center, ND, and their two sons, Spencer and Elliot; and Kelly Pris and her husband Jeremy, of
Kalispell MT; his parents, Donald and Laura Thuesen of Dagmar, MT; and his twin brother, Gary Thuesen, and his
wife Lynne, of Columbia Falls, MT. He is preceded in death by his sister, Paulette Thuesen; maternal grandparents
Alvin and Esther DeTienne; and paternal grandparents Peter and Ida Thuesen.
Funeral services for Greg were held at Nathanael Church in Dagmar at 10:30 am on Tuesday, March 6. Interment
followed at the Nathanael Cemetery. Casketbearers were Gene Andersen, Bruce Nyby, Jerry Strand, and David,
Russell and Steven Thuesen. Honorary Bearers were Conrad Conradsen, John Meschke, Jerry Thuesen, and the
member os Medicine Lake High School Class of 1971; ushers were Kerby Andersen, Jonathan Keil, Roger Nelson,
and Cory Sampsen. Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood is assisting with arrangements.
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Obituaries
March 2007
March 2007
JeraldineBakken
Melvin Jorgensen
Greg Thuesen
Melvin Jorgensen
Greg Thuesen
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