The Mission Valley lost several people in 2025 who made outsized impacts on their communities. Among them:

Community leader and Ronan banker Don Olsson Jr., Jan. 30, who believed, “You can’t change the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”

National and local advocate for tribal housing, tribal appellate judge and restaurateur Bob Gauthier, Feb. 8 after and 18-year battle with prostate cancer. In a tribute that appeared Feb. 13, retired District Court Judge Jim Manley called him “a giant.”

Ronan seed potato and grain farmer Don Lake, Feb. 13, who believed, “If you take care of the land, it’ll take care of you.”

Polson businesswoman and local benefactor Patricia Binger, Feb. 27. Her passion for kids and her community is embodied in the bronze sculpture of “Petris, The Flathead Lake Monster” that she commissioned for Sacajawea Park.

Educator and coach Dennis LaBonty of Polson, May 3. His teaching career spanned 51 years, beginning in Ely, Nev., and including stints at Utah State University, Polson High and Salish Kootenai College.

Businessman, rancher, cosmetologist and state senator Michael Taylor of Rollins, May 27. The amateur actor was also known for his portrayal of his idol, Theodore Roosevelt, which he shared with audiences across Montana.

Ronan community pillar Elizabeth Preston, July 9. A former nurse, she and her husband of 65 years, Jay, bought Ronan Telephone Company in 1960; an “epitome of grace and kindness,” she also volunteered with local organizations and spearheaded efforts to build the Ronan Community Center and St. Luke Extended Care Facility.

And now, for the good news:

In January, an Irvine Flats ranching family won the Montana Stockgrowers Association Environmental Stewardship Award, and Polson biochemist Ed Gannon and his five partners received the Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

Greg and Lynn Gardner, their daughter, Brittany and her husband, Wacey Cathey, and their G&G Livestock and Cathey Cattle Company were honored by the Stockgrowers for environmental stewardship and a commitment toward improved sustainability in the beef industry. The family also won the regional stewardship award from the National Stockgrowers Association, and is among six finalists for the national award, to be announced in February during Cattle Con 2026.

Gannon and his partners spent three decades creating PhoSul, a product that’s capable of revolutionizing the phosphate fertilizer industry by making this essential nutrient readily available to plants while avoiding the hazardous chemicals and waste products that phosphate mining and production typically entail.

The Green Chemistry Challenge Award is presented annually by the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemical Society.

Constanza von der Pahlen received the Watershed and Wetland Stewardship Award March 13 in Helena. Von der Pahlen arrived in Polson in 2000, and has spent the last 25 years working with the Flathead Lakers to foster collaborations between federal, state, tribal and local agencies, as well as conservation groups and landowners. Her goal is “to create a connected network of conservation areas that will ensure the long-term health of the Flathead watershed.”

Melvina and Dennis Krantz were honored March 25 at the 45th annual Ag Appreciation Banquet. The couple has been married 54 years and live in the house Dennis and 11 siblings grew up on, purchased by his parents in 1930.

Becky and Gary Dupuis, CEO and COO of Polson Theatres Inc., highlighted their company, a family business which owns eight movie theatres across Montana, during CinemaCon, a national convention for theater owners in Las Vegas held last April in Las Vegas.

The couple especially focused on their state-of-the-art Showboat Stadium 6 in Polson, which represents their faith in the film industry and the local community of movie-goers.

Johnny Lapotka, 10, finally finagled some ducks of his own, after persistently showing up a Polson Commission meetings to ask for a rewrite of the city’s chicken ordinance, which forbade ducks. He began his quest June 2, and it ended in early December, when the commission unanimously updated the chicken ordinance, adding ducks to the list of allowable fowl.

Port Polson Players producers Neal and Karen Lewing, who celebrated the 50th summer season of their theatre dcompany, launched in 1976 by Larry Barsness. Neal came on board in 1978, and Karen in 1980.

The Players have since moved into their permanent home in the original log clubhouse on the Polson Golf Course and staged countless productions for kids and adults, with their three summer shows typically spiced with professional talent from Montana and beyond.

Even after more than a half century in show biz, the couple still loves their craft. “We always said we get tired from it, we don’t get tired of it,” said Karen.

Polson athlete Samantha Rensvold met her birth sister at a softball tournament Aug. 1. The adopted daughter of Dave and Mary Rensvold was playing in the annual Veterans Memorial Softball Classic in Belgrade when a friend from Huntley Project told Sam she bore a remarkable resemblance to, and even played ball the same way as her classmate Kyann Dean, also adopted from Great Falls.

Parents were approached, connections were made, and the two girls met for the first time playing a game which they both love and excel at. “It kind of just all fell together,” Sam says.

Valley View rancher Buddy Westphal learned in October that he’s a 2026 inductee into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The owner of Valley View Charolais Ranch has a slew of cutting horse awards and saddles, rodeo buckles, and grand champion cattle trophies.

He’s also a founding member of the Montana Cutting Horse Association, served for decades at the national level, and continues to coach and mentor others on cattle, horse and ranching issues.

World War II veteran Jim Sivelle, 99, bore witness to Japan’s surrender more than 80 years ago on Sept. 2 in Tokyo Bay, and recounted his experience in a letter to his parents.

Motivated by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, the young seaman was finally able to enlist three years later and served aboard the supply and escort carrier USS Detroit. The Polson resident believes he may be one of the last living witnesses of the historic event.

During a meeting Nov. 1, the Ronan School Board selected Sandra Beal to replace superintendent Mark Johnston when he retires at the end of this school year. Beal is the current curriculum director and served the district as middle school principal. She was one of two finalists for the job, which was advertised internally.

Clint Cottle retired as Polson Fire chief Nov. 6 after 10 years on the job; he also served the city as police officer, beginning in 2002, and working his way up to assistance chief before moving over to the fire station in 2015. His second in command, Kevin Straub, is the new chief and brings considerable experience, both as a firefighter and EMT, to the post.

Dr. Ed Vizcarra retired from St. Luke Community Healthcare at the end of October, after serving the community for 34 years and practicing medicine for nearly 45 years. During his time in Ronan, he’s seen significant shifts in his field, largely induced by ever-changing technology and rising healthcare costs.

“Good care starts with caring for each other in the organization, and then it naturally flows over to the people you’re taking care of,” he says.

    Bob Gauthier, whose philosophy was: “If it doesn’t say you can’t do it, it means you can.” (Courtesy photo)
  

    Ed Gannon at his home on Indian Bay displays rock phosphate, PhoSul, and the Green Chemistry Award. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

    Constanza von der Pahlen of the Flathead Lakers received the Watershed and Wetland Stewardship Award March 13 in Helena. (Courtesy photo)
  

    Neal and Karen Lewing portray Norman and Ethel Thayer in the opening play of the Port Polson Players 50th summer season, "On Golden Pond." (Anna Lewing photo)
 

    T. E. “Buddy” Westphal (Courtesy of Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & WHC, Inc.)