Estella
Katherine Whitegrass Costel Finley, 79, a retired CHR from Browning, passed
away Tuesday, January 24, at the Blackfeet IHS Hospital due to natural causes. A
wake is in progress at the Star School Gym where the rosary will be said at 7:00
p.m. on Friday. Funeral Mass will be Saturday, January 28, at 11:00 a.m. at the
Little Flower Parish with burial to follow in the Whitegrass Cemetery. Whitted
Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include her daughters, Patricia A. (Craig) Hall of Leesville, LA and Charlene M. Finley of Browning; sons, Nels J. (Judy) Costel and Les H. (Stacy) Costel Sr, of Browning; sisters, Agnes Mary Reevis, Thelma Bear Medicine and Yvonne Salois all of Browning; brothers, Clarence (Karola) Whitegrass, Herman (Margarite) Whitegrass and Bernard Whitegrass all of Browning; grandchildren, Eugene A. ‘Fudd’ Whitegrass Jr, Adrian J. Costel, Daniel L. Salway, Craig Al Hall, Les H. Costel Jr., Robert Eastman, Andrea K. Hall, Shayla M. Whitegrass, Zowie G. Whitegrass, Beth E. Costel and Sasha Meinke; great-grandchildren, McKayla & Noah Salway; numerous nieces & nephews; and great aunt, Gertie Heavy Runner.
She is preceded in death by her father, Nels ‘Jim’ Whitegrass; mother, Amy Ground Whitegrass,; husband, Charles J. Finley; son, Eugene A. ‘Jug’ Whitegrass Sr; brother, Allen Whitegrass; sisters, Cleo Whitegrass, Audrey Scabby Robe, Alfreda Last Starr; and a grand-daughter, Ky Charlys Finley.
Stella was born March 23, 1926 at Browning, attended grade school at Starr School and graduated from high school at Browning, she later attended nursing school in California. She married Charles J. Finley in 1968 at Browning. Along with being a homemaker she was one of the original CHR’s, a job which she held for over 34 years. She had developed and gathered much of the statistical information for the area surveys over the years.
Stella was active in the Catholic Church and was a member of the Legionnaire’s and the Rough Rider Society. She enjoyed spending time with her family, cooking, sewing, playing cribbage, and traveling.
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