Edward William Simonich, 38, of 3310 Burlington died Friday behind the Freeway Tavern at 2001 S. Montana of a gunshot wound to the head.

      Coroner Leo Jacobson said, "I have a sworn statement from a witness (whom Jacobson declined to name) who says that he and Simonich discussed a gun two weeks ago.   Friday Simonich brought the gun to the Freeway and he and the witness stepped outside to look at the weapon.   A minute or a minute and one-half later, Simonich slipped on the ice and the gun discharged.   The gun was a .38-caliber pistol.   A single shot struck Simonich in the right side of the head and he died."

      Butte Police, Silver Bow county deputies and highway patrolmen responded to a call over their radios that "there has been a shooting" at the Freeway.

      Jacobson and deputies investigated the incident.

      Mr. Simonich was born in Butte Feb. 22, 1938 and attended local schools, graduating from Butte High School, where he played football, in 1956.   He later attended Carroll College in Helena and served in the Army.

      He was employed as a brick contractor.

    Survivors include his mother, Helen Simonich of Kalispell;   father, Edo, wife, Marilynn, daughters, Suzette and Shavonne, step-brothers, Ricky and Shaun Simonich, step-sister, Veronica Simonich, and mother-in-law, Mrs. Rose Lepetic, all of Butte, and a sister, Mrs. Chuck Shelton of Kalispell.

      Services will be Monday at 12:30 in the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church with Archimandrite Dositel officiating.   Burial will be in Mount Moriah Cemetery.   The body will lie in state in the church beginning at 11 Monday.

      Prayer services will be Sunday evening at 7:30 in the 213 N. Montana chapel of Duggan Merrill Dolan Mortuary.   Butte Elks will conduct Lodge of Sorrow Sunday evening 7 in the mortuary, where friends may call beginning Sunday afternoon.