Verna Somerville

Verna R. Somerville, 96, died Oct. 4, 2006, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, after a short illness.

She was born in Kalispell on May 18, 1910, to Joseph A. Roe and Gratia Proud Roe. She attended West Side School and graduated from Flathead County High School in 1927. Later, she attended Washington State University, where she was affiliated with Kappa Delta national sorority.

She was employed from 1928 to 1945 under Civil Service in Glacier and Yellowstone national parks as well as for the Flathead National Forest. Verna lived very exciting times in the two major national parks and was always ready to share her stories of these adventurous times.

During her two years in Glacier, she worked in the superintendent's office and traveled along the Going-to-the-Sun Road as it was under construction. During the 1929 Half Moon Fire, she helped evacuate the Park headquarters at Belton via rail to Nyack Flats.

While at Yellowstone, she traveled extensively, eventually meeting and marrying James P. Somerville, of Gardiner, on Nov. 12, 1938. They made their home at Mammoth Hot Springs until November 1945, when they moved to Kalispell to be with her ailing mother.

Their two children, Roger J. and Susan M. were born in Kalispell and attended Kalispell schools. Verna was very involved in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and the Peterson School PTA.

After living in Spokane and Kalispell, Verna and Jim moved to Buffalo Hill Terrace, where Jim died in 2001.

Verna was preceded in death by her parents; her husband James; her sisters Romona Jellison and Lucile Vick; her brother Archie Roe; and many friends.

She is survived by her son Roger J. Somerville and wife Melissa, of Bozeman; daughter Susan Young and husband Geoffrey, of Canberra ACT, Australia; granddaughter Gratia L. Somerville; step granddaughters Teagan, Trenna and Caitlin Keith; sisters-in-law Marge Somerville, of Livingston, and Fran Rose, of Kalispell; cousins Chuck and Pat L'Allier, of Whitefish; and numerous other Jellison, Roe, Proud and Cannaday nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of life for Verna Somerville will take place at Buffalo Hill Terrace on Oct. 21, 2006, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Memorial may be made in her honor to Kalispell Regional Hospital Volunteers or a charity of your choice.