Obituaries

Marilyn Kathryn Mockel entered into rest Sept. 9, 2021 with her three children by her side after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Marilyn was a Valentine’s Day baby, born Feb. 14, 1934 to Jesse and Clifford Mockel in Bozeman, Montana. A third generation Montanan, Marilyn grew up on a ranch in the Crow Creek Valley near Toston, Montana. The family later moved to Townsend, followed by Bozeman and Dillon.

Verna Louise Cleverley peacefully passed from this earth on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Verna was born in Hamilton, Montana, on April 25, 1945 to Barton and Louise Smith. She enjoyed her childhood alongside her older brother, Tom, living at Medicine Hot Springs near Sula, Montana, where she spent many summers as a lifeguard. After graduating from Darby High School, she continued her education at Western Montana College in Dillon, Montana, earning a Bachelor’s in Education.

Donald “Don” F. Kennedy (also known as Dad, Pa, Daddyo, Grandpa, Papa Don, Gramps, Big Bad Don, and Downhill Don) of Dillon, Montana, passed away on Sept. 2, 2021, at his home. He was 84. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 26, 1935, one of three children, born to Virginia Margaret and Walter Donald Kennedy. He was a 1953 graduate of Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri. He attended college at Missouri School of Mines in Rolla, Missouri and graduated with an engineering degree in mining in 1958. He served in the United States Army Reserve. He married Ann C. Kidwell on April 19, 1958. They were married 59 years, just missing their 60th wedding anniversary by four months, after Ann passed away in 2017.