Isabelle Amundson Dougherty

Isabelle went to be with her Savior on Oct. 16, 2020.

She was born to George and Archebelle (Bartlett) Hawes on April 3, 1920, in Van Hook, North Dakota.

During her teen years she worked as a housemaid and waitress. In 1937 she accepted a proposal of marriage from Arnold Amundson and they were wed July 3, 1937, in Cashmere, Washington. They resided there and in Trinidad until 1939 when they returned to North Dakota and rented a farm near Van Hook. That was the beginning of their family.

A daughter, Sharon, was born in 1941, followed by a son, Donald, in 1945 and a son, Arlyn, in 1947. In 1947 the family packed up and moved to Somers, where Dad got a job on the Great Northern Railroad at the tie mill. Due to an accident, the family packed up and moved to Whitefish in 1949, where they purchased a small farm west of town and Dad got on with Western Fruit.

Mother was a housewife, sold milk and eggs, and began childcare for some working families. In 1957 she was approached and asked to waitress for Sally’s Cafe that had just opened in Whitefish. She accepted and worked there until it closed in the mid-60s. She then went to work for Nelson’s Hardware. She was employed there until they sold the farm and moved to Polson, where they purchased a small cherry orchard on MT 35. Mom took care of the orchard and worked as a sales lady at McAlear’s Furniture. In 1973 the orchard was sold and a house on Hillcrest Drive was purchased. She continued at the furniture store under owner Jerry Fisher and also took instruction for hospice care. In 1975 she began doing hospice care, including caring for her uncle Charley McCarthy until his passing in 1976. During this period they had purchased an RV trailer and took many trips to the Glacier National Park and vacations with their grandson, Brett. This continued until the death of Arnold on July 3, 1981.

After Dad’s passing, Mom found she needed to work, so she got a sales job at what is now Ace Hardware in Polson. In 1983 she sold the Hillcrest home and purchased a double-wide in a court next to Richwine’s. She lived there until she met Leonard Johnson in 1984 and they moved it to Forest Hill Village south of Kalispell. Mom owned the trailer and Leonard owned the lot. At this time they began snow-birding, settling in Country Roads Village in Yuma, Arizona. This back-and-forth continued until 1988 when they split the sheets. In winter of 1988, Mother once again took to hospice care for the wife of James Dougherty. After his wife’s death he began seeing Mother, and after a short courtship they were married on Feb. 24, 1989. During Mom's time at Country Roads, she organized a pinochle club and by the time she left had a group of over 125 members. She also enjoyed an occasional outing at various casinos. Her favorite game by far was Deuces Wild, always hoping to deal five deuces. This marriage continued until James’ death in 2006. Mother sold the Yuma digs and continued to live at Forest Hill Village until failing health forced her into assisted living at Prestige Assisted Living.

Due to a fall on March 7, 2020, she was taken to the emergency room and then to Brendan House for rehabilitation, where she remained until her passing on Oct. 16, 2020. The family would like to thank Brendan House nurses, aides and support staff for their life-saving care that allowed our mother to reach her 100th birthday. Thank you also for letting us see her on April 3 even with the COVID raging.

Isabelle was preceded in death by husbands Arnold Amundson and James Dougherty; son Dewayne Arnold (died 1938); parents George and Archebelle Hawes; siblings: Virginia, Gordon, Vernon, Laraine, Irene, Kenny, Margret, Vivian, Dean and George Jr. (Punky); daughter-in-law Pepper Balog Amundson; son-in-law E.J. Curly Weidner; great-granddaughter Taylor Davis; and step grandsons Allen and Brian Cislo.

She is survived by daughter Sharon Weidner of Kalispell; son Donald Amundson of Kalispell; son Arlyn (Karen) of Polson; grandchildren: Dea (Ric) Block of Johnstown, Ohio; Brett Cislo of Kalispell; Denise Amundson of Denver; Danyel (Randy) McCrea of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and Darci Amundson of Denver. She is also survived by great-grandchildren Bryane, Shayla, Shawn, Khris, Jenna, Josh, Marrisa and Colton; five step-great-grandchildren; fourteen great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Due to Mom's wishes there will be no services. In lieu of this we will try to set up a celebration of life in the summer of 2021. For those wishing to give a memorial please send them to Frontier Hospice or a charity of your choice. Mom, you will be missed.