Doris Hall

Doris Ethelyn (Peterson) Hall, 96, of Billings and formerly of Valier, passed away July 19, 2011.

Doris came kicking and screaming into this world on a farm homestead in the Abbot Lake Community north of Valier, on June 1, 1915. Born to Oscar and Marie Peterson, she became the only sister to older brother LaVerne Edward and would be joined on the farm nine miles northeast of Valier a couple years later by her baby brother LeRoy "Pat."

Doris attended Abbot Lake School, then traveled to Valier during her high school years, often boarding with a family in town during the harsh winter months when travel was difficult.

She married Floyd W. Hall in 1939, and into this marriage four children were born: Russ, Lyn, Karilee Kay "KK" and Trudy. Doris and Floyd farmed the land they both loved from 1941 until their retirement in 1975, at which time, with Doris' urging, they began to travel the world. Starting off with a motor home and trips to California, Florida, Texas and Arizona during the winter months, they later expanded their horizons and literally traveled the world during the years between 1982 and 1998.

Floyd's passing in 1998 hardly slowed Doris' wanderlust, and she continued to make many trips, albeit confined to the United States, up into 2007. They both enjoyed so very much their winter home in Fountain Of The Sun, in Mesa, Ariz., where they each developed a love for the game of golf, with club memberships both at FOS and at Glacier View Golf Club in West Glacier, where they spent the summers of their retirement years in the beautiful home they had built there.

Doris had a unique zest for life. She loved camping and fishing when the kids were growing up. She was equally at home driving a grain truck during harvest on the farm or sitting at the captain's table during any of the many cruises she and Floyd enjoyed.

Hiking and picking huckleberries in Glacier Park with her beloved sister-in-law Hedvig Peterson brought her true joy, with rousing competition as to who could pick the most berries always a subject of conversation around the pinochle or bridge table in the evenings. Doris was an inveterate shopper to the end. She couldn't pass up a bargain; she loved rummage sales, and always giggled over saving a dime here and a quarter there, using her coupons.

She was adventuresome beyond the traveling, too. Some examples of her daring-do included parasailing at age 70 over Lake McDonald (which landed her on the front pages of both Flathead County newspapers). Then, after her 80th birthday, her breakneck antics would include hopping on the back of any motorcycle that would slow down long enough for her to do so, tooling around in a Corvette convertible, flying in hot-air balloons, and rafting down the often treacherous Middle Fork of the Flathead River. In 2005, she accepted without hesitation a 90th birthday gift from her grandkids and hopped a plane to Hawaii for a memorable 10-day vacation.

She loved being around children; she was an MYF counselor at Valier Methodist Church for many years, and a camp counselor at King's Hill Methodist Youth Camp. She was a mentor for the college kids who were part of the Christian Life Ministry in Glacier Park, opening her home to them for meals, laundry and even sleeping quarters. Her six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, plus the grandkids and great grandkids from her extended, blended families, also benefited from her showering of love. When she was with the great grandkids especially, during family gatherings, it was often difficult to decide which "kid" to send to bed first at the end of a day.

Changing gears a bit in 2003, Doris moved to Hutchinson, Kan., to spend the winter months in a retirement community in daughter Lyn's hometown. Fiercely independent, she always hastened to add, "in my own apartment." Spring, summer and fall found her in Glacier Park, as she loved to spend as much time in her summer home as she could, entertaining company all summer long. "The more, the merrier" was her motto. A joyous family reunion was held during her 90th birthday summer, with all the kids, most of the grandkids, cousins, nieces and nephews in attendance - 34 of us at one point during the week.

A more recent high point for Doris was in the summer of 2006 when, along with three of her surviving classmates from the Valier High School Class of 1932, she was honored to lead the all-school reunion parade sitting on the back of a shiny red convertible. Dancing with son Russ at the lakeshore dance that night, she laughingly informed him that he wasn't as good a dancer as his dad had been. Doris and Floyd would never pass up an opportunity to dance, right up until a week before Floyd passed away.

"Now, they are together again. Dance on!"

With a desire to return to her beloved Montana year-round, she made a final move into WestPark Village in Billings in 2010, where she enjoyed making new friends and especially enjoyed the new reconstruction of this beautiful facility and the fine dining made available to its residents.

"Now that Mother is safely enrolled into heaven, there is no need to wish her Godspeed; in fact, perhaps God may have to put her on a bit of a tether - just so He can keep track of her."

Doris was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Verne and Pat; husband Floyd; granddaughter Rita Marie Hall; and sons-in-law Rev. Gary Reynolds and Jim Lovelace. 

Surviving are her children Russell and Mary Jane Hall, of Billings, Lynelle Reynolds, of Hutchinson, Kan., Karilee Kay Lovelace, of Conrad, and Trudy Jo Hall, of San Antonio, Texas; the aforementioned grandchildren and great grandchildren; a niece and two nephews; and many very dear friends around the country.

A memorial service was held in the Valier Methodist Church on July 23, 2011.

In lieu of flowers, the family would request memorial gifts be made to the Valier Methodist Church, the National Parks Christian Ministries program, Quality Life Concepts in Great Falls, or the charity of choice.