Betty's Obituary

You'll be able to find Betty's obituary in yesterday's Livingston Enterprise (but it's not online yet) and today's Denver Post.  However, the Denver Post incorrectly stated that she died in Bozeman and that her services will be in Bozeman.  That is completely untrue.  She died in Livingston and her services will be in Gardiner.  As well, you can see Betty's Obituary at the funeral home's website. [Note added April 5, 2012: Here is Betty's obituary in the Livingston Enterprise.  The Denver Post made corrections to the obituary, so it appears correctly now.]

Elizabeth "Betty" Louise Bolt Harris Wiebe McGowen

Elizabeth “Betty” Louise McGowen passed away peacefully on March 22 at Livingston Health and Rehabilitation Center.  During her last years, she had suffered from what is thought to be Alzheimer’s Disease.

Betty lived to be 88 years old, having one younger sister Lucinda May Dore who still survives; three husbands who proceeded her in death: Carl Albert Harris, Carl Thomas Wiebe, and Earl Leonard McGowen; two children who proceeded her in death: Gerald “Jerry” Albert Harris, and Alan Ray Wiebe; three surviving grandchildren: Carl Martin and David Harris, and Carlene Adams; six surviving great-grandchildren: Sarah Kay, Justin, Corey, and Amanda Harris, Shawnna Haynes, and Courtney York; and four surviving great-great-grandchildren: Breyden Ray and Jaxon Martin Haynes, and Caroline and Layla Harris.

Born March 13, 1924 to George Henry Albert Bolt and Ruby Eloise (Benson) Bolt in Montrose, Colorado, she grew up as the daughter of a prominent accountant for the Bureau of Reclamation.  During her childhood, she also lived in Boulder City, Nevada; Los Angeles and Earp, California; Pheonix, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado as her father worked on reclamation projects across the West.

She married Carl Harris, who was a machinist, on October 20, 1941 and gave birth to Jerry on October 26, 1942.  Carl went into military service April 29, 1944, and died in the line of duty as part of the 62nd Infantry Battalion, 14th Armoured Division on March 21, 1945 in Lorraine, France during World War II.

She married Carl Wiebe December 6, 1952 in Denver.  Betty gave birth to Alan August 2, 1954, who died four hours later.  Carl died in an auto accident.  She worked for the Bureau of Mines as a personnel assistant there in Denver from October 1959 until two days after she married Earl on February 5, 1963.  Their marriage was short-lived because he passed away October 4, 1963 during surgery.  Betty started working again for the Bureau ten days later until she transferred in 1978.  At that time she and her widowed mother Eloise moved to Gardiner, Montana to live next door to her sister May and May’s husband.  Betty worked for the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park in the same position until she retired in 1986.  Betty continued to live in Gardiner after her mother passed away in 1992.  In 1995 she met her long-lost cousin Calvin Smith, who had been adopted about the time she was born.  Her son Jerry passed away in 1998.  In 2005 because of dementia it was necessary for her to live at the nursing home in Livingston, Montana where she spent the remainder of her life.

Betty had acute interests in rocks, gardening, music, and her cats, and was an accomplished typist and stenographer.  She enjoyed a social lifestyle, and held deep Christian roots.  We will all miss her charming personality.

Many thanks from Betty’s family are given to Gardiner Baptist Church, Rocky Mountain Hospice, Livingston Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Dahl Funeral Home. A memorial service for Betty will be held March 29 at 2:00 pm at the Gardiner Baptist Church.

Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.dahlcares.com.

Betty Passed Away

As many of you have noticed from my Facebook post, Betty passed away peacefully last night around 9:30 p.m.

I'm relieved that she's no longer lingering the way she did.  Near the end, Alzheimer's Disease had really taken its toll on her.  I wasn't sure that she understood English, and she didn't recognize anyone around her.  There was some concern about aspiration because she had difficulty in swallowing (another Alzheimer's symptom).  She was restless in bed, which could have indicated that she was in pain.

We were told Wednesday morning by Kris at Rocky Mountain Hospice that Betty had severely declined.  I had many errands to do in Bozeman, but Jean and Dad were able to see her.  She had stopped eating and drinking, and had apnea, so it seemed as if she had decided it was time.  Hospice administered some low doses of drugs to give her more comfort in breathing and for restlessness.  She couldn't take oral medication anymore so they used some that could be absorbed.

Since yesterday I have been busily working on Betty's obituary, knowing that she was getting ready to leave this world.  I'm very glad that her pack-ratting abilities allowed her to keep so many records on her life!

We'll miss you Betty!

Betty McGowen

1924 - 2012

Betty excited to go to Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming - August 1940

Betty stands next to her new friend in January 2005.

The Beginning of the End

This past week has been really difficult, but it's had its blessings too.  The prospect of selling Grandma's house has weighed pretty heavily on me.  At the same time, Adam came over from Helena to see me.

Our real estate agent came to the house to look it over Tuesday, February 28.  That was fairly easy because I've always enjoyed showing off this place, plus our real estate agent is a friend.

Adam arrived Saturday, March 3 and stayed until Monday.  He just bought a new Ford Escape and wanted to take a trip.  We hadn't seen each other for a couple months, and this has really been the first opportunity he's had to come to Gardiner since July.  On his first night here, we barbecued a couple steaks, and I made some baked potatoes and asparagus for dinner.  We were able to catch up on things that evening.  I showed him the DVD I just produced about Grandpa's photo album from the 1940s.

Doug, Adam's Miniature Pinscher, did pretty well with my cats, considering they hadn't seen each other for several months.  Storm and Thunder especially stared at him.  By Monday, the cats seemed to be pretty well used to having a small dog in the house.  Even still, Butterscotch liked her respite in my bedroom at night.  Lightning didn't really care about Doug and just stayed out of his way!  She's an odd cat.

Sunday while I was at work, our real estate agent came by the house and put up the sign.  Adam was at the house so she could take some photos.  Honestly I'm glad I wasn't able to be there for all that.  Just thinking about the sign on the property made me sick.  I dreaded coming home and seeing the sign.  That also meant that the house was already listed, and I found the online listing.

Adam and I were already planning on going to Chico Sunday, but it was a good thing I went anyway because I was upset.  Going to Chico with a friend helped relieve some of the stress of the day.  It was a pretty nice day too.

Adam drove to Chico, so I got to see how his new ride was.  It's a pretty decent vehicle.  I'd consider getting one too if I were in the market.  I was impressed that his Sirius radio didn't drop while we were in Yankee Jim Canyon.  It still had the new car smell, too!

Yesterday after work we had enough time before he had to go back to Helena to barbecue the other two steaks.  While I was getting things ready, I got a call from Kevin in Germany.  It's been a few weeks since I've heard from him, so I was glad.

It seems that my family is in the midst of pivotal changes.  At least Adam was here this weekend; his visit was inadvertently well-timed.  My changes were easier to deal with having a friend around since Jean had to work this weekend.

Telegram Brain Twister

Last month I worked on my a few things that I had scanned into my computer a few years ago for my genealogy.  I hadn't really looked at them very closely until recently and have found some really interesting information.

Among some of the most important documents was a telegram:

This sort of information is so valuable to people who study genealogy because often it's difficult to get dates or times on any important events in people's lives.

I've scrutinized this document pretty well.  I was unsure if Oakfield, Wisconsin was the origination, destination, or both.  H. E. Parratt refers to Henry Ezra Parratt, my 3rd great grandfather.  "Father" refers to Henry's father, my 4th great grandfather, James Parratt.  In 1874, February 14 was a Friday, and Sunday would have been February 16.  James was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Oakfield, Wisconsin; one of my distant relatives has been to the grave site to confirm the marker.

"E. F. Parrott" was a little bit of a mystery because the last name was misspelled and because there was no one in the Parratt family with the initials E. F.  I could be reasonably certain about this because James Parratt had immigrated from England aboard the Bark British Queen with his wife and children and their families June 28, 1842.  The best solution to this quandary was if the sender was Evander W. Parratt.  He was James' youngest child, but was about 24 years old at the time of the telegram.

The sender's name was not the biggest problem, however.  To my knowledge, everyone involved would have been in Oakfield at the time of James' death, and it didn't make sense for someone to send a telegram across the small town of Oakfield when it cost in today's economy about $10.27 to send a telegram and $29.78 to receive it (at least that's how I interpret the charge at the bottom).

Yesterday I had a nice long conversation with Grandma's cousin Jalane.  She and I have a common interest in genealogy, and she asked me if I was certain that my 2nd great grandmother was born in Oakfield.  I said yes, that I had several sources to back up that claim.  Then she asked where my 2nd great granduncle "Albie" was born.  Lo, and behold!  He was born at Lake Crystal, Minnesota on March 3, 1874!  That meant that Alba's (his proper name) father Henry was likely in Minnesota at the time of the telegram!  The two towns are about 327 miles apart with today's road system.

She wondered if Henry was in Minnesota at the time of the telegram because she had lived with Alba for a few years and he remarked about how his father had made a trip to Minnesota by wagon with his family because he wanted to do something different.  He wanted to get out of Oakfield for awhile apparently.  He eventually moved back, but this explained that Oakfield was only the origination of the telegram.

In my conversation with Jalane, I told her of Evander, pronouncing the name "ƏV'-ǝn-dr."  She said that the family had pronounced it "Ē-VAN'-dr".  After taking phone calls awhile, I can see someone thinking that Evander might be E. V. or E. F. since V and F sound similar.

So it seems that Henry, living in Lake Crystal, Minnesota, with his wife about to have a baby, and caring for a two-year-old baby girl, received a telegram from his youngest brother in Oakfield Wisconsin on Valentine's Day 1874 saying that their father had died in the middle of the night.  Their dad would be buried in just two days.  One can easily imagine the dynamics of the day as the scene unfolded.