On Dec. 7, 2015, we lost a beautiful and caring woman, “and the Lord gained a great cook.”
Bert was born on Oct. 20, 1930, in Amidon, North Dakota, to Frank and Albertina Holler. Bert was one of 11 children raised during the Great Depression.
She married Tom LaValley in November of 1952 and, in 1953, had the first of their three boys. As her boys grew, she had seen just about everything boys could do, and nothing surprised her. Bert never knew how many kids were coming down for breakfast. Everyone was welcome in her home.
Bert always did what she could for her boys. She even became league president for the local baseball association, so her boys could have a league to play baseball. She was a fan for their sports, even losing a couple of windshields on her car from home runs over the center field fence — her favorite parking spot.
Bert always wanted the best for her boys and wanted them to be a doctor, lawyer or a dentist. What she got was a biker, yuppie and a jock. But she was very proud of her boys.
Bert work at various eating establishments in Columbia Falls while the kids were growing up, and also worked for School District 6 in the school lunch program. Bert also had her own restaurant in the Canyon Bar.
In 1981, after her divorce, she move to Fairbanks, Alaska, to be closer to her younger two boys.
She started working at the Chena Hot Springs Resort where she was a cook and later became the kitchen manager. In 1985, she started working on the North Slope of Alaska.
1986, she moved to Molalla, Oregon, to be close to her brother David and wife Vivian.
Years later, she moved back to the Flathead Valley and found a great apartment at the Elms Apartments, were she made a lot of friends and enjoyed her life.
Bert was a two-time, breast cancer survivor, and never let that slow her down.
Bert was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Albertina Holler; brothers, Albert, Elon, Frankie, Forrest, Jerry, Lyle and Freddie; and sisters, Diana and Betty.
She is survived by her brother, David, and Vivian Holler, in Arizona; sons, Tom of Hungry Horse, David of Whitefish, and Danny and Cari of Medical Lake, Washington; nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren;, cousins, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in the spring.