Arlene Marie Ramsbacher Trang
Arlene Marie Ramsbacher Trang, 89, of Nashua, Montana, died Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow, Montana. Our beloved mother, grandmother, and great -grandmother will be missed, but she is no longer in pain - no longer under the curse of sin and for that we are grateful.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at Bell Mortuary in Glasgow. A reception follows at the Nashua Senior Center. A family graveside service will take place at a later date.
Arlene was born in Martinsville, Montana on Feb. 21, 1937, to Mildred (Bondy) Ramsbacher Squires and Ambrose Martin Ramsbacher who had recently died in an accidental plane crash. During her childhood, she lived in Portland, Richland, Fort Peck, and Nashua. As a new high school grad, her mother remarried to George Squires, and she was blessed with a little sister named MaryAnn.
After graduating from Nashua High School in 1954, she attended Concordia College for one year and Northern Montana College in Havre for her second year to become a teacher. After taking a teaching job at the Cottonwood School, a one room schoolhouse 20 miles south of Richland, Montana, she met her husband, Lalon Trang, who lived just across the road and they were married in June of 1958.
Being born right before World War II, being quarantined for illnesses some of us can only imagine having, and witnessing the advent of the REA bringing electricity to homes in Northeast Montana, Arlene was not a stranger to the hard work and grit it took to be a resourceful housewife and mother of five. She lovingly milked cows, took hot meals to the field, planted trees, mowed the lawn, canned and froze food from the garden that she tended, and still had time to enjoy the flowers that she planted in her yard. Some of the best life advice we ever received from my mother was, “Don’t plant Carganas if you want evergreen trees.” As the years went on, she became known for her wonderful morning coffee time hospitality, her famous donuts, fresh baked buns, caramel rolls, and “bull sale” potatoes.
Arlene liked sewing, quilting, gardening, and singing. She valued her ALCW church family and volunteered at church, by being a song leader, teaching Sunday school and Bible school. But what she enjoyed most was playing her piano. She played piano for herself and her family at home almost every day and at church throughout the years. She loved playing and singing bible school songs, hymns, and Statler Brothers tunes, and wrote the chord letters above the notes in any song book she used. She also really liked to compose songs for events and celebrations of people or their anniversaries - both silly and serious. Some of the ones she held most dear were Psalms that she put to music she composed. If you stayed to listen long enough you might hear tunes like “You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag”, “The Class of 57” or “Joy To The World”.
Arlene was extremely passionate about our country’s constitution and creation evangelism. If you visited her house you would likely see a poster of the 10 commandments or the preamble to the constitution hanging from her cupboards. Her faith was very important to her and knowing that her sins were forgiven by grace through faith in Christ alone was a daily comfort to her. She sincerely wanted everyone to know that the theory of evolution is a lie, that God created the earth in six days and Adam’s sin brought death into the world. She would remind others that “If sin is not responsible for death, we do not need a savior.”
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lalon Trang; two sisters, Virginia Ramsbacher and MaryAnn Squires, and her son, Kelly Trang.
Arlene is survived by two of her sons, Roger (Terry), and Thomas (Dina)Trang; daughters, Barb (Mike) Castleman, and Vicki (Justin) Heupel; daughter-in-law Pamela Trang; thirteen grandchildren: Taylor (Chaz) Hopstad, Matt (Melissa) Sonsteng, Jessica Sonsteng, Morgan Trang, Jacob Trang, Caleb Trang, Elia Castleman, Logan Castleman, Nathan (Nikki) Trang, Mikaela Trang, Abby (Ben) Smith, Luke Heupel, and Evan Heupel; six great-grandchildren: Reese Sonsteng, Kellan Sonsteng, Silas Hopstad, Cruz Hopstad, Cali Hopstad, and Dean Hopstad.
With thankful hearts we remember Arlene.
