Harry Passes Away

Harry Math Becker, age 91 of Gaylord, Michigan, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2023, with his family at his side.

Harry was a loving and beloved husband, father, and grandfather, who lived a full and adventurous life.

Born April 27, 1931, in Glendive, Montana, to Henry Bernard and Amelia Josephine (Strohmayer) Becker, he spent his early childhood years on their family dairy farm. At age five, his family moved to Whitefish, Montana, where he spent most of his childhood hunting with his favorite uncles, teaching tricks to his horse, and joking and playing tricks on his younger sister, Henrietta.

At 14, Harry worked for his Uncle Roman for two summers as the youngest member of his combining crew harvesting crops from North Dakota to New Mexico. This crew was a 500-person team the US government chose to serve as the Harvest Brigade to provide food for the Allied troops and civilians during WWII. Harry finished his last two years of high school in Glendive, MT, where he found life-long friends. He excelled at playing basketball, track, baseball, and football, and helped Dawson High School win back-to-back state titles in football. He continued playing football at North Dakota State College of Science. In 1991, Harry was inducted into NDSCS's Hall of Fame for his outstanding athletic abilities and achievements during his time playing football for them.

Harry received his associate degree from NDSCS and promptly got a job working for Shell back in his hometown of Glendive. Due to his strong will, perseverance, and the disciplined principle of working hard, Harry quickly rose through the ranks at Shell. In 1962, Harry was reassigned to take over one of the offshore oil rigs off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA, making him the youngest offshore drilling foreman at the time. Harry helped to develop/employ underwater diving and drilling techniques/devices. In 1974 Harry was transferred to Gaylord to supervise Shell’s operations in the growing Niagaran trend. He retired from Shell in 1987, then promptly went to work with Ward Lake Energy to develop the shallow Antrim formation. He has been honored for lifetime achievements in oil and gas through the American Petroleum Institute and the Michigan Desk & Derrick Club.

In 1958, Harry fell in love and married Shirley Jean LaPage, and they have shared the following 64 years together. Throughout life's joys and sorrows, pains and pleasures, they have loved and supported each other, and through their actions have created a beautiful, warm, and tight-knit family.

Harry loved his children and grandchildren and has been there for all their sporting events, joys and heartbreaks, graduations, birthdays, weddings, and other major life events. He's the loudest cheerleader any of his kids or grandkids could ask for, and he loved telling stories of his life and giving memorable life lessons. He was community-minded, participating on many boards.

Harry is survived by his wife, Shirley; two sons, Ronald (Roberta) and David (Joan); five grandchildren, Travis (Alix), Clay (Sheldan), CiCi, Ronni (Tanner), and Rena; one great-grandson, Benji Harry Becker; half-brother, Michael “Mel” Norgaard; and brother-in-law Richard Dietz.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Henrietta Becker Dietz; and his sister-in-law, Maxine Norgaard.

A visitation will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Nelson Funeral Home in Gaylord.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at St. Mary Cathedral in Gaylord starting at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held prior to Mass at the cathedral beginning at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials donations may be made to either St. Mary Athletic Association at 321 N. Otsego Ave., Gaylord, MI 49735 or Gaylord High Athletic Association at 90 Livingston Blvd., Gaylord, MI 49735-9387

Arrangements were entrusted to Nelson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, P.O. Box 1548, Gaylord, MI 49734.

Posted online on March 01, 2023

Harry was my high school and college boyfriend.  We almost married but parted ways and I went to California to teach school and did not see him till the 2000 Dawson County High School Reunion.

See 50th Reunion in Glendive on the right side of my blog for pictures.

Dick Carney Obituary

 Dick Carney from high school days died this week.  He was the water boy in Jr Hi and then in High School he served with the Dawson football team.

He is in the back row, first one on the left.  This was the 1950 State Champions and the year he graduated. #89 was Harry, my boyfriend, and Dick was a special friend of his.

He was called "Pockets" or "Money Pockets" because he had such a flair for making and keeping money.

At the Class Reunion in 2000 Dick came up to me and asked if I had talked to Harry yet.  And I said , "No."

"He is the only one of us that owns a Rolex watch he said.  He has really done well in the oil business. " "Well, good for him", I said.  "I am very happy for him."

Later I did get to talk to Harry and he said his wife gave him 10 minutes to talk to me.  This is 50 years after high school...  We have talked on the phone a couple of times.  He lived his nice Catholic life and I lived my nice Latter-day Saint life.

Harry 

Obituary for Richard "Dick" Patrick Carney

Richard P. “Dick” Carney, age 90 of Glendive, Montana, passed away on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 in Glendive. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Monday, January 9, 2023 at the Silha Funeral Home in Glendive. Funeral services will be held privately. Interment will be in the Dawson County Cemetery in Glendive. Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Dick was born on November 23, 1932 in Hettinger, North Dakota, the son of Robert P. and Elsie A. (Funk) Carney. Dick moved with his family to Bismarck, North Dakota, and Glasgow, Montana, before arriving in Glendive in the fall of 1946. Dick received his education at Dawson County High School in Glendive, graduating with the class of 1950. He attended Dawson Community College in Glendive graduating in 1952. In 1953, Dick attended the Hartford Insurance Training Center in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated with honors. Thereafter, he joined his father in business which at that time was known at the Montana Loan and Title Company. Subsequently, he became a Registered Abstractor for the State of Montana. Montana Loan and Title Company owned a small insurance agency and Dick decided to devote himself full time to the insurance business. During the next five years they purchased several other agencies and eventually became one of the largest insurance agencies in Eastern Montana, with offices in Glendive, Circle, Montana, Terry, Montana, Sidney, Montana, and Wibaux, Montana.
On May 13, 1961, Dick married Jean Dalsasso and to this union, three children were born, Robert, Terri and Pat.
In 1966, Dick served as the Secretary of the board of the newly formed Glendive Community Hospital. The hospital board embarked on a $500,000.00 fund raising drive to purchase the Northern Pacific-Burlington Northern Hospital and build a new hospital and nursing home. It was the first major fund-raising effort in Glendive and although it took several months, the community responded and they were able to obtain a Hill-Burton grant to aid in the construction of the new facility.
In 1970, Dick joined Curt Meeds and Tom Hagan and they purchased the Jordan Hotel. After extensive remodeling of the hotel, they undertook to build a forty-unit motel which they operated as a Best Western Motel for over 20 years.
In 1979, Dick and a group of businessmen formed a new bank named First Fidelity Bank of Glendive (now known as Bravera Bank) which they sold in 1985.
One of Dick’s favorite endeavors was working with Home on The Range in Beach, North Dakota, to open a branch facility in Glendive for six to eight troubled youth. This was accomplished, but unfortunately, several years later the State of Montana changed the manner of treatment and the home was forced to close.
Dick was active in many business and community endeavors. He served as President of the Association of Independent Insurance Agents of Montana, and also as President of the Insurance Education Foundation and Public Risk Management. He was a member of Glendive Elks Lodge #1324 and had served as Exalted Ruler. He was a member of the Advisory Board for the Montana State University Business School and served on the Presidents Council for Carroll College. Dick also served on the Montana Chamber of Commerce board for a period of two years.
Dick and Curt Meeds were founders of the Glendive Forward Organization which was instrumental in helping Glendive be selected as the site for the Eastern Montana Veterans Home and the following year the site for the Montana State Regional Prison.
Dick was preceded in death by his wife Jean Carney in 2019, his parents, and his sister Delores (Carney) Coleman in 1958.
Dick is survived by his children, Bob and his children, Esther, Sylvia, Monica, Natalia, Christopher, Michael, and Joey, Terri (Mark) and their children, Leilani, Stephanie, Katrielle, Ethan, Tiana, and Ryan, and Pat (Heidi) Carney, all of Glendive.
In an effort to help with getting the ongoing project of fully lighting the Bell Street Bridge, memorials are suggested to the Justice Foundation, 200 S Merrill, Glendive. Remembrances and condolences can be shared with the family at: www.silhafuneralhomes.com.