Jeanette Bernice (Hewitt) McGee-Parent

Jeanette Bernice Parent, 99, departed life Aug. 2, 2012, one month shy of her 100th, birthday, at Benefis Care Center in Great Falls, in the arms of her loving granddaughter, Dawn McGee. She was born Sept. 2, 1912, in Minneapolis, to Ernest Robert Hewitt and Cora Mae Wellcome Case, the fourth of nine children.

The Hewitt family farmed in the New Ulm and Odessa, Minn., area from 1907-1911 where three of her sisters were born. They then moved to the Minneapolis-St Paul area for several years. In 1915 moved to Ortonville where her father worked as a dray driver. Later they would move to Clinton and farmed where several of her siblings were born. In 1928 they relocated to a homestead near Jordan, where they resided until her father went to work on the Fort Peck Dam when he built a home in the town of Jordan.

Jeanette graduated from Jordan High School in 1930. She then attended nursing school in Galen, where she earned her RN degree. She worked at the hospital in Galen until moving to Whitefish in 1934 where she met and married Emmet William “Mick” McGee, a carman with the Great Northern railroad. Her sister, Margaret (Hewitt) Thompson, also resided in Whitefish.

In Whitefish she was known as Dr. Lockridge’s third arm and his most-valued assistant at his clinic for more than 20 years. In 1941 she had her only child, a son, William Michael “Mike” McGee.

She divorced in 1952 and continued to work and live in Whitefish until retirement.

On March 13, 1962 she married Martin Parent a long-time friend from her childhood in Jordan. They subsequently moved to Anaconda, until Martin’s retirement. Martin died there in 2001. In 2004 Jeanette moved to the Benefis Care Center in Great Falls, where she has resided since.

She was known throughout her life as the sweetest and kindest lady a person would ever be privileged to meet. Her cooking, canning and pies were a treasure she shared with all who knew her. Nobody made her acquaintance without being a friend.

She was preceded in death by seven siblings. Surviving is her son, William Michael McGee, of Great Falls; her brother, Donald Hewitt, of Mackay, Idaho; grandson, David McGee, of Anaconda; granddaughters, Wendy and Shannon McGee, of Minneapolis, Dawn McGee, of Great Falls; and greatgrandchildren, Michelle, Michaela, Marissa and Maverick McGee, of Great Falls.

A celebration of her life was held at Benefis on Aug. 11, 2012. A second memorial will be held in Anaconda on Sept. 2, which would have been the anniversary of her 100th birthday. She will be interred there.