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Obituary: Arnold "Bill" Stansberry

September 24, 1931 ~ February 25, 2021
Arnold "Bill" Stansberry
Posted at 11:58 AM, Mar 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-04 14:00:42-05

Arnold “Bill” Stansberry passed away on February 25th, 2021, at home with his wife at his side. Born September 24th, 1931 in Choteau to Orlo and Gertrude (Rowland) Stansberry, he lived his first several years on the family ranch up Blackleaf Creek, west of Bynum. When Bill was about 5 years old, his family moved into Bynum when his dad took a job freighting with a mule train between Great Falls and Choteau.

In 1942, the family moved to Helena where his dad took a job delivering mail on the York/Nelson route. In 1944, the family moved once again, this time to Great Falls. Never one for city living, Bill spent every moment he wasn’t in school at his uncle Homer’s ranch between Bynum and Pendroy. He was happiest with a band of sheep or behind a team on the buckrake.

In 1946, once again Bill moved with his parents to a farm south of Fort Shaw. He divided his time between the farm, his uncle Homer’s ranch and going to school at Great Falls High. After high school, he worked several different jobs in Great Falls and helped his parents on the farm. Towards the late 1950s, he decided a full-time job was in order and began a long career as a mechanic at the Buick garage. It was about this time that Bill began to notice a pretty young lady that worked at the office building across the street named Mary Sauke. Love Bloomed and the young couple were married in Simms on September 16, 1961.

They found some land to buy 3 miles north of Fort Shaw. He and Mary raised a daughter, Carrie and a son, Bret, on their land. They wasted no time starting a cow herd; Herefords at first, then transitioning to Black Angus. Through careful breeding and sire selection, they maintained an admirable commercial herd for many years. Bill retired from the Buick garage in 1992 and was then able to focus full-time on the job he really liked- his cattle.

To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.