Shirley Hillman Martin, a cherished mother, grandmother, and friend, peacefully passed away on March 20th, 2024, in Helena, Montana, after a brave battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Shirley was born on September 8th, 1947, to R.E. “Bud” and Carrol Hillman in Glasgow, Montana. She grew up in Hinsdale, where her adventurous spirit led her to explore the countryside on horseback, fostering a lifelong love for horses. Her brother, David, remembers his sister as being full of “vim and vigor,” always with a smile upon her face.
In August of 1965, Shirley married Doug Martin, her hometown sweetheart, in Hinsdale. They initially resided in Vandalia, Montana, until Doug’s military service led them to South Carolina for his training before deployment to Vietnam. Shirley later returned to Montana.
In 1968, they welcomed their first son, Wade, followed by Jess in 1970. During the boys’ early years, the family lived and worked on a ranch south of Malta. They then briefly managed the Stockman Bar in Malta before settling at the X Diamond Bar Ranch in Hall, Montana. Their youngest son, Clay, was born in 1977.
Shirley, with her adventurous spirit, introduced her boys to skiing. Wade fondly recalls her diligent efforts in burning weeds around their home—though, humorously, this once led to an accidental fire that consumed a nearby log cabin! The Martins resided on the Hall ranch until 1991 when they relocated to Winifred. They remained there until Clay graduated high school in 1995, before eventually returning to the Hi-Line.
Throughout their years on various ranches, Shirley’s culinary prowess was renowned. She cooked for many hired hands and ensured that branding day was never short on help with her delicious short ribs and homemade BBQ sauce. Her butterscotch and lemon meringue pies became the stuff of legend.
Shirley was a pillar of her community, managing Hinsdale’s only gas station, Raiders Quick Stop, for over 20 years. Her kindness and thoughtfulness touched everyone she encountered.
Throughout her life, Shirley’s love extended beyond her family to her cherished dog, Jake, and all her granddogs, nurturing a special bond with animals.
During her later years, Shirley faced Alzheimer’s with grace and courage, supported by the compassionate staff at Edgewood Memory Care in Helena. The love and care she received from her family, friends, and caregivers provided comfort during her battle with this challenging illness.
Shirley leaves behind a legacy of warmth, kindness, and unwavering positivity. She will be remembered for her infectious spirit, her love of family, and her enduring impact on all who had the privilege of knowing her. She is survived by her sons Wade (Lisa) of Hinsdale, MT; Jess of Drummond, MT; Clay (Ali) of Helena, MT; her grandchildren, Scott Martin, Harper Martin, Bridger Martin, and Tanner Theriault; her brothers David and Gary Hillman of Hinsdale, MT and numerous nieces and nephews. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Judy Allison, and her husband, Doug Martin.
Shirley’s memory will live on through the stories shared by those she touched. May she rest in peace, knowing that her light will forever shine in our hearts.

Jay Allen Aaberge, age 66, of St. Marie, Montana, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2024.
Jay, or “Pa” as he was known to many, was born on July 31, 1957 in Conrad, MT to Kenneth and Ethel Aaberge. While he grew up on the highline of Montana, he transferred to Libby his senior year of high school, where he earned the nickname “Coyote” after the Shelby High School mascot.

While working construction in Ulm, MT, Jay met and married Sharon (Young) Carlson in 1979. He not only became a husband but also a dad to her two-year-old daughter, Brandie. They would go on to have two more children, Jeremy and Byron, and Jay loved all three of his kids so much. While the couple divorced in 1997, they were still family.

Once the kids started school, Jay hung up his hard hat for a job delivering propane back in his old stomping grounds in Shelby. He would continue working as a propane driver in Kalispell, followed by a promotion and transfer to Eureka. Although he was a Montanan much of his life, Jay did spend several years in Alaska in the early 2000s, where he was a summer “bear camp” guide. He loved telling his family back in Montana about the different bears who resided in that area and had a tendency to forget that just because it was still light outside in Alaska didn’t mean that it wasn’t often after midnight when he would call! Jay’s return to Montana led him to St. Marie to be close to his sons, where he worked as a foreman at the stockyards doing a little bit of everything. He was the one everyone called on when something was broken.

Jay was always a Jack of all trades. He believed in fixing or building everything himself, from house repairs to replacing an engine in his truck. He never cared a lot about possessions, and would patch, repair, build, and reuse as many things as he could. He was always tinkering with something. One of his favorite things to do in his spare time was leatherwork, and he made everything from knife sheaths to the buckskin pants he wore for black powder gun competitions (which he won several times).

Jay was an avid outdoorsman who took every opportunity he could to explore our state. He dedicated countless hours fishing, hunting, bow hunting, and camping, and everyone close to him spent time doing at least one of these things with him. Jay could talk to anyone, and he was always happy to welcome friends and family into his home. He’d throw some steaks and burgers on the grill, drink some beer, and BS for hours.

Jay is preceded in death by his dad Kenneth Aaberge and mom Ethel Aaberge. He is survived by his daughter Brandie Terpe and sons Jeremy Aaberge and Byron (Lorrie) Aaberge; grandchildren, Ilah Edwards, Isolde Aaberge, and Gabriel Terpe; brother Claude Aaberge and sisters Helen Cady and Wanda Aaberge; and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, and lifelong buddies.

Following our dad’s wishes, we will not be holding a formal service and he is being cremated (well, if we followed his wishes precisely we’d just throw his body to the wolves, so we did have to make SOME concessions!). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Montana Wildlife Federation at montanawildlife.org.

“Oh, the last goodbye’s the hardest one to say, and this is where the cowboy rides away.” George Straight

Rodney A. Diseth, age 82, of Great Falls, MT, passed away March 16, 2024. Funeral service will be held April 5, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., at Bell Funeral Home with Pastor Scott Kiehn officiating. Burial will be at Highland Cemetery in Glasgow, MT.

He was born January 13, 1942, at Neihart, MT to Albert O. Diseth and Mary Ann Diseth (Peterson). After receiving his education from Glasgow High School, he joined the United States Army and served proudly for over 20 years.

Rodney met his wife, Kum Son Diseth in Korea and the couple married in May 1970. They moved to Glasgow, MT later the same year. The couple lived in many cities throughout the U.S., Germany and South Korea. After retiring from the US Army, they moved to Kansas and later moved to Great Falls, MT to place their final roots.

He enjoyed reading books, spending time with his grandchildren, and being involved with the Lutheran church. He also had a very extensive collection of hats and funny T-shirts because he enjoyed making others laugh.

Rodney is survived by his daughter Karen Hokett and grandchildren, Justice, Khristopher, Liberty, and Kaleb Hokett of Salina, KS.

Audrey L. Prescott, 84, of Glasgow, Montana passed away March 3, 2024, at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital.

Audrey was born on January 10, 1940, to Dan and Grace (Ebelsizer) Doney in Malta, Montana. She joined three other daughters: Doris, Iris, and Shirley. She attended schools in Malta Montana and graduated from Malta High School in 1958.

Shortly after graduation, she married John H. Cortez and they had a son, John Jr. Over the next year John Sr. worked on a farm outside of Malta where the couple resided for eight years until they divorced.

Audrey and her son lived in Malta for a couple of years and then moved to the Glasgow A.F.B. in the summer of 1969. Audrey trained and worked as a receptionist/secretary, working at various places on the base.

It was around 1976, that Audrey met the man she was always hoping and praying for to spend the rest of her days with, Phillip Prescott. They shared time together, getting to know one another. They built a really good relationship filled with love and laughter. Years later they married on January 1, 1983, in Holy Matrimony at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church.

In 1985 the happy couple moved to Glasgow, where Audrey was working as a receptionist at the C.D.C. at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital and later she worked at the Mental Health Center, retiring in 2000.

Audrey and Phillip enjoyed their retirement years together until Phillip passed away in 2010. In 2013, Audrey went to work as a Sacristan, at St. Raphael’s Church and worked until 2019. After she retired, she stayed home until her final days.

Audrey will always be remembered as a good lady with happy spirits and a nice smile when meeting and greeting people at the stores, on the street, or wherever she went. She will surely be missed and thought of for quite some time.

A rosary will be prayed at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, April 11, 2024, at St. Raphael’s. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, April 12, 2024, with burial following at Highland Cemetery. Online condolences may be left at bellmortuarymontana.com.