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William Paul "Bill" Leistiko, the son of John and Hedwig Leistiko was born in in Great Falls, Montana in 1910. Bill grew up in the boarding house run by his mother, where he helped with the chores and delivered milk from their small dairy through the neighborhood. (In his "Memoirs of Bill Leistiko", Bill documents his memories of his childhood and early life).
In 1916, Bill's father homesteaded 160 acres north of Vaughn. Bill helped with the farming, and was plowing with horse-drawn teams from the age of nine. By age 15, Bill was managing the farm.
In the spring of 1928, the Hansen family moved into the area, and rented one of the local ranches. That summer, Bill met one of the Hansen daughters, Ordell. Ordell was born in Albion, Idaho, in 1913, and attended school in Sun River, Fort Shaw, and Great Falls. She was the first president of the 4-H club in the Sun River Valley and won many blue ribbons for her sewing skills.
Bill and Ordell married in 1930, and lived their early married life during the depression. Times were hard, but the family never went on "relief". Bill farmed and worked at various jobs, when he could find them. Bill joined the Farmer Union and after a year was elected President of the Local at Sun River. He was then selected to attend the Agricultural Conservation Association meetings at the courthouse in Great Falls, where they had the responsibility of allocating wheat allotment acreage and yields for the farms in their district. He was eventually elected as the County Chairman. During this time World War II started, and the County Committee had charge of all the gasoline and farm machinery rationing. Bill also served as chairman of the Cascade County Agricultural War Board, where he was in charge of all the activities associated with drafting the local farm boys into the armed services.
Bill was always an active hunter. (Check out his Montana Bear Story of October 1936, where his brother-in-law, Al Bergmann,bags a grizzly).
Bill and Ordell had 6 daughters:
| Billie June Leistiko | Born in 1930 in Great Falls, Montana. |
| Della May Leistiko | Born in 1932 in Great Falls, Montana. |
| Betty Ann Leistiko | Born in 1933 in Great Falls, Montana. |
| Gayla Leistiko | Born in 1936 in Great Falls, Montana. |
| Mary Arlene Leistiko | Born in 1937 in Great Falls, Montana. |
| Glenda Lou Leistiko | Born in 1942 in Great Falls, Montana. |
Bill and Ordell were divorced in 1943.
Norman Roragen was born in Fertile, Minnesota on Aug 7, 1912. His parents were immigrants from Roras, Soer Trandelag, Norway. He was an army veteran of World War II, having served as a supply sergeant in the South Pacific. He served with honor and was awarded a Bronze Star. He was always proud of our country. Norm met Dell in Great Falls, Montana, after the war and they were married in 1947. Norm was an amazing step dad to her six girls. Norm and Dell spent most of their married life in Lewistown, Montana, where they owned the Mountain View Motel. Later Norm worked at Weirs Furniture. Norm was a past president of the Kiwanis Club and served as an Alderman on the Lewistown City Council for four years. He also served as president of a multi-state Highway Association and was lead man in successfully advocating for Federal Highway 200 from Duluth, Minnesota to Spokane, Washington. Norm and Dell eventually moved to Arizona to be with the rest of the family.
Norman and Ordell had no children together. The six girls had two sets of parents that were both considerate of their children and made it possible for them to be together often. They have remained close as a family and they appreciate the love and care shown to them through the years.
Norm died June 30, 2004 in Cottonwood, Arizona at age 91 with his funeral service held July 3. He was buried in the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. Dell passed away at her daughter Glenda Hakes' home on July 1st, 2010, in Phoenix, Arizona. She had celebrated her 97th birthday with her five girls 16 days earlier. Dell was buried at Veteran's National Memorial Cemetery with her husband Norm on July 19th, 2010.
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Bill remarried to Leonora "Lee" Wick in 1944. They farmed at Denton, Montana with great success and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona, with the intention of retiring because of Bill's heart condition. After six months of rest, he was ready for work again. He drove school bus, was a feed salesman, and an electrician. He then helped Orra Lundgren, his daughter June's husband, in a Ceramic manufacturing shop which they bought together. In later years, Bill went to business college to study accounting, and the last 15 years of his life he owned Pacific Bookkeeping. All of his children eventually moved to Arizona.
Bill and Lee adopted two children:
| Cynthia Lee Leistiko | Born in 1954. |
| Robert William Leistiko | Born in 1960. Died April 9, 2005 in Mesa, Arizona. |
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Bill was killed in a car accident November 14, 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. Lenora, known to the family as Grandma Lee, passed away 27 April 2015 from a stroke after living at an assisted living home for 4 years. She is remembered for her kindness and devotion to all of the family.