Frances Cantrel

Frances Dodge Candy Cantrel, 89, passed away March 26, 2008, at Heritage Place in Kalispell.

She was born Nov. 8, 1918, in Plains to Wilbur and Nell (Clark) Cameron. Frances was raised on the family ranch in the Little Bitterroot area near Hot Springs, where she attended a one-room school house until moving to Plains for high school.

After graduation, Frances went to Kinnman Business College in Spokane, Wash. She decided that teaching was her calling and went on to get her bachelors in education from the University of Montana-Missoula.

Frances met George Dodge while teaching in Noxon. They married in November 1943. After George died in 1958, she accepted a teaching position at Dixon grade school, where she met and later married Gerald Ed Cantrel.

Frances taught school at Noxon, Heron, Dixon, Arlee, Charlo and Ronan. She dedicated her life to her students up to her retirement in 1986 from the Ronan School District.

At that time, she moved to Kalispell to be near her family.

Frances was preceded in death by her husband George, with whom she had her four children; her second husband Ed; her brothers Phil Cameron and Richard Cameron; and her sister Virginia Erchul.

She is survived by her children Deanna Mathison and husband Steve, of Kalispell, Patricia Murphy and husband Ron, of Whitefish, Jon Dodge and wife Ann, of Laramie, Wyo., and George Dodge, Jr. of Kalispell; and grandchildren Stephanie Bell and husband Charlie, of Pearl City, Hawaii, Rebecca Mathison, of Kalispell, Jessica Curry, of Butte, and Bryan Dodge and Dan Dodge and wife Karrah, of Fresno, Calif.; and great grandchildren Hannah Bell and Owen Burwell.

A memorial service will be held in June 2008 at the Noxon Cemetery.