For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11
Introducing Madina Sult
Madina is currently the Office Manager of Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home in Sidney. Madina started at Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home in July of 2022. She spent the first 15 years of her life in the Arlington, Washington area, learning a love for helping people from her parents. She moved to Miles City in 2008 and spent the next few years adventuring around the area, traveling from Fallon to Minot, then Sidney on to Billings, before finally moving back and settling forever into Sidney in 2016.
She married her best friend, Scott, in 2019, further cementing her roots into the community. They are raising their son, Elliot; two rescue dogs, Mia and Kira; horse Cinch; pony Rodeo; and a cat named Luci(fer) at their home just outside of town.
Madina spends as much time as possible on adventures with her family – especially weekend fishing trips. She also enjoys hunting, reading, graphic design, and anything that doesn’t involve stacking hay in a barn.
Please take a moment to view the photos of Madina in the slider album below. We hope this brief collection of pictures helps our introduction be more complete.
As Asked For
Quite a while back, we split an article entitled How to Write an Obituary into two consecutive newsletters. It was very well received, but many people wrote in and asked for it to be placed into a single newsletter. Its length was the reason for splitting it, but we do appreciate that can create issues for many readers. That being said, below is the article in its entirety. We’ve also included a link to a PDF of the article, which you are welcome to download and share.
How to Write an Obituary
Writing an obituary is both a great honor — and a great responsibility…
The person writing an obituary is being asked to create a document that is going to be read by many, many people. It will be read in newspapers for several weeks, and on the internet far into the future. It will be read by family members, loved ones, friends, acquaintances and many others who are simply interested in reading about neighbors who have passed away. For most authors, the obituary will be the most read piece of writing they have ever done – or ever will do.
Despite the above factors, most people who are called upon to compose an obituary are utterly unprepared to do so. And while there is a growing list of resources to support the novice obituary author, there is still a profound lack of practical, helpful, easy-to-use assistance.
Please note that all of the following steps do not have to be included. If all of the steps are included, it constitutes an exceptional obituary. Many times, an obituary must be much, much shorter due to any number of factors; including the inability to contact friends and relatives from early years. Provide the readers of the obituary you write with whatever you can.
Instructions on How to Write an Obituary
Paragraph: The deceased’s entire name. This includes nicknames, middle names and extensions such a Jr., Sr. and III.
EXAMPLE: William “Will” Harold Johnson, Sr.
Paragraph: The deceased’s death information. This includes the date (and approximate time, if available) of death; the location of the death and the cause of death. It is preferable, when applicable, to include the age at death and a personal comment such as “surrounded by family” or “comforted by his wife.” NB: Sometimes it is desirable to omit the cause of death – such as when death came as a result of extreme violence, or the carrying out of a court sentence.
EXAMPLE: On the evening of May 15, 2012, Will passed away at St. John’s Hospital in Billings, MT as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident earlier that day. Will was 75 years old.
EXAMPLE: On the evening of May 15, 2012, Will passed away peacefully of natural causes. Will was being visited and comforted by family members at the Shady Oaks Assisted Care Facility in Billings, MT at the time of his passing. Will was 75 years old.
EXAMPLE: On the evening of May 15, 2012, Will passed away after a three year battle with cancer; while being attended by familiar staff members at the Shady Oaks Assisted Care Facility in Billings, MT. Will was 75 years old.
Paragraph: The deceased’s birth information. This includes the date of birth (and the time, if available), the city and state (the county is optional) of birth and the full names of the parents.
EXAMPLE: Will Johnson was born in the town of Montauk in Edmonds County, Idaho at 6:15 AM on February 15, 1937. He was the third child, and the first son, of Irene Margaret and William Joshua Johnson, Jr.
Now, a brief story about the deceased’s life is told, usually in loose chronological order
Paragraph: Start telling the story as early in the life of the deceased as you are capable of. Family members and close friends are often quite happy to provide useful facts, anecdotes and information – all of which make the obituary more meaningful for those who read it. If you write about something a friend or relative has related to you, try to somehow, casually mention that person’s name: “Aunt Sally said Will was the best fisherman she ever knew.” An obituary must be factual, but the very best obituaries include personal insights, comments and observations.
Paragraph: Continue with the story of life. Include facts, use adjectives and adverbs to enhance your writing and to more personally describe the deceased to your readers. Don’t forget hobbies, obsessions, favorite pets, games to play; movies; magazines; books and favorite sports teams. Important accomplishments, profession, special skills and military service can also be mentioned. Some people continuously use the same slogan or expression for most of their lives – and these are very good to include in their obituary.
Paragraph: Use as many paragraphs as it takes to tell the life story of the deceased to the best of your ability. The life story is a very important part of the obituary. Don’t be shy about creating new paragraphs: people are more inclined to read and comprehend shorter paragraphs. Don’t forget to mention any clubs, affiliations and charities of interest to the deceased: Boy Scouts, Masons, AARP, and so forth.
Paragraph: List those close relatives who preceded the deceased in death. Start the paragraph with the deceased’s first name, and then “was preceded in death by:” followed by the list of names. Appropriate, immediate family members: wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and parents are customarily listed, but you can add as many names as you wish. Sometimes these lists are extremely long, and sometimes they do contain the names of people who were not relatives, but close friends.
Paragraph: List those close relatives who survived the deceased. Start the paragraph with the deceased’s first name, and then “is survived by:” followed by the list of names. Appropriate immediate family: wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and parents are customarily listed, but you can add as many names as you think are most appropriate.
Paragraph: Memorials and gravesite mentions. Include where flowers and memorials, such as donations, may be sent. Include the name and location of the gravesite & monument, so that people can visit the grave and see the monument at a later time, if they desire to. Donations are customarily sent to large charities or local charities, but on occasion, the family will request that donations be sent to them to help cover the cost of final services.
Paragraph: Special thanks. This optional paragraph can include the names of people and/or institutions. Commonly included are the names of rest homes, private care facilities, hospitals and funeral homes. People who worked in those places, including doctors and nurses, as well as special caregivers, including professionals and relatives, are also in this paragraph.
Paragraph: Where to send the family condolences or make a final personal comment to or about the deceased. Today, the name of the website, such as stevensonandsons.com, is usually quite adequate. If the family wishes it, a mailing address may be included, but this practice is not suggested. Phone numbers and private email addresses are never included.
We hope this will help you create an obituary that you are proud of; one that does justice to the deceased’s journey through life. An obituary that will inform and be enjoyed by relatives and friends for many generations to come.
You may download this document and save it to your computer for future reference. If you have any questions or require further support or assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 406.232.4457 or 1-800-775-4460.
Funeral Planning Aid
We frequently receive questions regarding what the person responsible for making funeral arrangements should expect. Since we’ve received so many requests for this information, we are placing a link which allows our newsletter subscribers to download a complete copy of our Funeral Planning Aid. The informative article is presented as a PDF – simply click the PDF Button below to access it. That way, if you wish, you may keep it on your computer for future reference or sharing with others. If after you read the article, you have any questions, please contact the Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of your choice.
Who’s eligible for Military Funeral Honors?
- Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
- Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
- Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
- Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
How to establish veteran eligibility
Submit the DD Form 214. The DD Form 214 may be obtained by filing a completed Standard Form 180 with:
National Personnel Records Center(NPRC)
9700 Page Blvd. • St. Louis, MO 63132
The Standard Form 180 may be obtained from: http://www.archives.gov/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf
Headstones for Veterans
For complete information and ordering, please visit: Legislative Changes Concerning Eligibility for Headstones, Markers and Medallions – National Cemetery Administration (va.gov)
Supporting Others
If you know someone who would benefit from the uplifting messages and support information we provide in these monthly newsletters, they can sign up to receive their own copy here (https://stevensonandsons.com/news/sign-up/). It’s a great way to lend your support to a friend or a family member.
Financial Assistance
Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020…
If you lost a loved one due to Covid-19, you may qualify for financial assistance for your family’s funeral expenses. Click here to find out more information.
Recently posted on the FEMA Covid-19 Funeral Assistance page: The COVID-19 incident period ended on May 11, 2023. FEMA will continue to provide funeral assistance until Sept. 30, 2025, to those who have lost loved ones due to this pandemic.
Grief Support
Many people do not have the time to locate a proper grief counselor. Others do not live in an area where there are any grief counselors available. And finally, many people are not prepared to pay a professional for grief counseling. Fortunately, the internet provides some solutions for those who wish to seek grief counseling or to interact with groups of people who are also coping with grief. Many such services exist, as do professional counselors who will assist people privately on line, hence eliminating the need for travel. Not all services are the same, nor are all chat rooms/groups. You should research what you are interested in and follow-up on the leads you believe will be most helpful to your personal situation until you locate exactly what works best for you. In your search engine look for terms like “grief chat rooms” “bereavement support groups” “professional grief counseling” or “grief management.” Good research is the path to successfully linking up with what, or who, will work the best for you. Another option would be to start your search at the Mental Health American website. Lots of information, and many places to research groups, centers and more.
