Helen Amelia (Demarest) Weber, 100

Helen Amelia (Demarest) Weber was born in Great Falls on Nov. 29, 1916, to Harry and Amelia (Brown) Demarest.

Helen passed away on Feb. 14th, 2017, in Kalispell, a few months after her 100th birthday celebration.

She was raised on the family ranch in the Sweet Grass Hills and attended school at Whitlash, Montana, until the eighth grade. Helen had to board with a family in Chester to be able to attend high school. After graduating from high school, she attended Northern Montana College where she received her teacher’s certificate. She augmented her teaching certificate by attending the University of Colorado, specializing in early childhood education. Helen taught in Lothair, Brady, Cut Bank and Great Falls.

While teaching in Cut Bank, she met Wilfred “Web” Weber from Flaxville, Montana. They were married in Shelby on Sept. 14, 1941. The military and their careers moved them from Cut Bank to Texas to Billings to California, back to Billings and then to Great Falls. “You move to where the work is” she used to say.

In Billings, Helen operated a home day care that she said was the hardest job she ever had. In 1960, she started teaching at the Ursuline Academy and Holy Family School in Great Falls. She taught there until 1979 when she purchased an optical store in Kalispell and became self-employed.

With her very busy schedule, Helen had little time for hobbies but one she made time for was bridge. She played it until she was the last person at the table. After her bridge partners passed away, she worked the bridge games in the paper and, also, crossword puzzles with bigger and bigger print. Helen loved to quilt and started making quilts as gifts when she moved to Kalispell.

Helen moved from her townhouse in Kalispell to assisted living in 2009. After a fall, she became a resident of Immanuel Lutheran Comm-unities. She had a room with a view and was very much at home.

She is survived by her children: Steve Weber, Kalispell; Jane Weber Christman, Great Falls; Greg (Lois) Weber, Poplar; Mark (LouRae) Weber, Twin Bridges; Stuart (Sas) Weber, Belgrade; daughter-in-law, Jane Byard, Missoula; and her youngest sister, Lucille Ritter, Lakeside; 13 grandchildren: Paula (Chris) Ostrom, Conrad; Derek VanLuchene, Helena; Katie (Patricio Gonzalez) VanLuchene, Great Falls; Candice (Joel) Hoerner, Kalispell; Lanelle Christman, Seattle ; Nick Weber, Los Angeles; Tyler (Jen) Weber, Kalispell; Zachary (Mindy) Weber, Kalispell; Amanda (James) Swift, Billings; Warren Weber, Baltimore, Maryland; Mason Weber, Bozeman; A’Raeann Weber, Twin Bridges; and Amelia Weber, Belgrade; 20 great-grandchildren: Stefanie Ostrom, Kelsey Ostrom, Cale Ostrom, Dallas VanLuchene, Lane Hoerner, Kayla Deutsch, Adysonon VanLuchene, Liam VanLuchene, Dana Arroyo, Marshal Gwinn, Cristofer Gonzalez, Jackson Weber, Abby Weber, Max Weber, Clayton Weber, Wesley Weber, Jayden Swift, Colton Swift, Hope Swift, Hannah Swift, and one great-great granddaughter Spencer Jane Posey. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wilfred Weber; her parents, Harry and Amelia Demarest; brother, Claude Demarest; sister, Mabel Iverson; son, Byron Weber; daughter-in-law, Beth Weber; and grandson, Ryan VanLuchene.

“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have limited time on earth — and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up — that we will live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.” —Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

The family would like to thank Immanuel Lutheran Communities for her loving care during her final years.

A celebration of life is scheduled for March 18, times and place to be announced later. Interment of ashes will be at Mt. Olive Memorial Cemetery in Great Falls where Web has been patiently waiting since 1974.

The family requests that memorials be sent to either Ryan United, 800 E. Sixth Ave., Helena, MT, 59601 or donations can be made online to www.ryanunted.org, or the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium, 218 E. Front St., Missoula, MT 59802: www.missoulabutterflyhouse.org.