Bette Jean Bear passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on Sunday October 1, 2017 in Kalispell, Montana.
Bette was born on May 29, 1943 in Great Falls and grew up in Whitefish. She married Ray L. Bear on January 9, 1963 and they spent almost 55 years together building a life full of love and happiness.
Bette went by many names in her life, including Bette Kaber and Bette Jean, but her favorites were Mom and Grandma. She was happiest when surrounded by family and those she considered to be family. She loved it when her house was overflowing, with children running amok, family sharing stories, and so much laughter that it could be heard a mile away. She also loved to cook and especially to bake. During family gatherings, there was always enough food on the table to feed an army and she always had plenty of cookies in the cookie jar. If she wasn’t with family or in the kitchen, she could be found in her garden, tending the flowers or weeding the vegetable patch with dirt up to her elbows and a big smile on her face. While she built her life and home in Kalispell, her heart lived with the ocean. She loved the ocean breeze on her face, the waves washing over her feet, and walking barefoot in the sand hand-in-hand with her grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Esther Fern Hoffman Kaber and Arthur L. Brown, brother’s Arthur “Larry” Brown and Vernon Brown and puppies Maggie, Zoey and many more. She is survived by her husband Ray L. Bear; siblings Rita Holcomb, Bruce Kaber, Claude Kaber, Karen Benda, Arthur Brown Jr., Sandra Waible, Les Platt, and Raymond Brown; daughter Diana (Kelly) McIntyre and their 3 children and 3 grandchildren; daughter Sheryl (Russ) Walter and their 7 children and 12 grandchildren; son David (Latasha) Bear and their 2 children; daughter Kelly (Mike) Cannon and their son and grandson; puppies Molly and Izzy and so many more family and friends.
A memorial service will take place at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home on Friday October 6, 2017 at 1pm, followed by a graveside service at Conrad Memorial Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held following the memorial at the Eagle's Lodge upstairs in the main Ballroom .
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Bette’s name to your local Humane Society or to the American Cancer Society.