William I. Brownell, 70, Gallatin county commissioner for more than seven years, died Saturday morning at the Deaconess Hospital. He had been in failing health for about a month following a paralytic stroke.

Mr. Brownell was first elected to the board of county commissioners in 1932 and took office on the board in January of the following year. He served as chairman of the board during the years 1937 and 1938 and in the latter year was re-elected to the board. He had served a little more than 15 months of his second consecutive term.

He was born in Charles City, Iowa, July 31, 1869, the son of Wesley and Jane Brownell. When he was 14 the family moved to Woonsocket, S.D., where Mr. Brownell grew to manhood. He and Jennie E. Reid were married there, October 19, 1892 and moved to Gallatin County in 1904.

In the Gallatin Mr. Brownell was a farmer in the area north of Belgrade until his election to the county board.

Surviving, besides the widow, are two daughters, Mrs. Robert (Hazel) Nisbet, Belgrade, and Mrs. Joe (Ethel) Davis, Manhattan; two sons, Wesley R. Brownell and Everett Brownell, both of Belgrade, and six grandchildren. Mr. Brownell was the last of a family of five children, two sisters and two brothers having passed away some years ago.

The Rev. Glen W. Mell was in charge of the services, and Mrs. Henry Moore and Mrs. Wm. Cowan sang "Rock of Ages" and "The Old Rugged Cross." Mrs. M. E. Holm played the accompaniment.

Funeral services were held at the Dokken Funeral home Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock, and interment took place in the Springhill Cemetery where his mother and father are buried.

Pallbearers included the late Mr. Brownell's two fellow commissioners, William M. Alberda and P. H. Caffney, and Hugh Reid, Dave Reid, Sam Allen and Lee Frank. Honorary pallbearers were Steve O'Donnell, Chas. Cramer, Emmett Huffine, Ray Angrell, Floyd Hughes, Alvin Gowan, Lovitt Westlake, Homer Snyder and James Border.

~ Printed in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle