Lori Luce

Lori Luce, 75, passed away Nov. 21, 2014, at her home north of Columbia Falls after battling congestive heart failure, COPD and diabetes for many years. She will be dearly missed by her family, relatives and many friends. “Her troubles are gone now as she has joined God in Heaven.”

Lori was a loving and caring wife, mother and grandmother. She was an outgoing person and made friends easily.

She was born Feb. 18, 1939, in Portland, Ore. to Robert and Katherine VanScoy. She attended schools in Portland and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1957. She attended Oregon State College in Corvallis, Ore., and Portland State College in Portland, studying accounting and business.

Lori learned to ride horses at a young age and dearly loved it. For several summers when a teenager, she worked at a children’s summer camp and taught youngsters to ride.

She started her first job in 1961, working in the accounting department of Jantzen Knitting Mills in Portland. In about 1964, she moved to Seattle and worked in the accounting department of Stetson-Ross Machine Company, a manufacturer of wood working machinery. Several years later, she worked in the computer departments of Washington Wholesalers and ABC Records in Seattle.

In 1974, she started working for a traffic flagging company. She eventually would train new flaggers and did job dispatching. She worked for the flagging company for about 12 years until 1986. After that, she worked in a video rental-used book store in Everett, Wash. until about 1992.

She married Gary Luce on Jan. 13, 1973, in Seattle. A year later, they moved into their new home in Lynnwood, Wash., about 15 miles north of Seattle. She and Gary lived in this home for 32 years until 2006, when Gary retired and they moved to Columbia Falls.

Lori started bowling in 1974 and enjoyed it very much. She bowled for 38 years in mixed leagues with her husband and in women’s leagues.

She was a Cub Scout den mother when her son was young and served on his Boy Scout troop committee.

Lori liked football and enjoyed watching college and NFL games on television. She rarely missed watching her favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks.

She liked collecting carrousel horse figurines and had more than two dozen adorning her home that she had received as gifts or purchased. Lori’s favorite color was purple, so a lot of her wardrobe, jewelry and home accessories contained purple.

She volunteered one day a week at the Klothes Kloset by helping tie quilts and lap robes. For more than seven years, she was an active member of the North Valley Senior Citizens Center in Columbia Falls. She enjoyed having lunch at the center, visiting with people and playing pinochle and cribbage there. She was the treasurer of the center for three years.

She was a member of the congregation at the Columbia Falls United Methodist Church for more than eight years. She was also a member of the United Methodist Women’s group and served as treasurer for more than six years. She helped with many harvest dinners and Christmas bazaars at the church.

She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Gary, of Columbia Falls; son Rob and his wife Jessica, of Mechanicsburg, Penn.; and eight grandchildren.

Cremation has taken place and a celebration of her life will take place next summer.

Donations may be made to a favorite cause or charity, or to the Columbia Falls United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 27, Columbia Falls MT 59912, or to the North Valley Senior Citizens Center, P.O. Box 676, Columbia Falls MT 59912.