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Betty Friske Brown

Betty Friske Brown, 93 passed away peacefully on June 9, 2018 at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish with family by her side.

Betty was born on Sept. 11, 1924 in Kila on her parents’ farm. She was the oldest of four children of Fred and Hattie Knutson. Betty married James F. Friske in February 1947. James passed away in April of 1974. Together they had three children, James, Terry, and Carolann.

Betty married Ransom Brown on Jan. 21, 1977 in Columbia Falls and moved to Heyburn, Idaho where Ransom managed a Credit Bureau. Ransom passed away in August 2016.

Betty held several secretarial and bookkeeping jobs — Bank of Columbia Falls, Plum Creek Lumber, School District 6; and also helped Ransom with his business.

Betty loved flowers up to the very end. She had a large flower garden and would plant flowers wherever there was open space. She also loved canning fruit and vegetables in the fall from their orchard and large garden. There were always shelves full of canned fruits and vegetables.

Betty and Ransom loved to travel from Arizona in the winter to Alaska in the summer and many places in between.

Betty is survived by her sister Norma Brumbaugh; her sons James Friske (Karen), Terry Friske (Sylvia), and daughter Carolann Racine (Clyde); her stepchildren Pam Jensen (Larry), Patty Dodge (Dee), four grandchildren, nine step grandchildren, and 40-plus great-great children.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers Pat and Buster Knutson, husbands James and Ransom.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. June 20, at Columbia Mortuary with burial at Glacier Memorial Gardens. Columbia Mortuary is caring for the family.