Tabatha Richelle Tavares, 49

Tabatha Richelle Tavares, 49, passed away on Oct. 24, 2017, in Kalispell.

She was a loving and gentle spirit devoted to her husband Daniel of 15 years and her daughter Arwen.

Tabatha was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1968, to Richard “Rick” Lee McPhail and Sara McPhail (Barton). She graduated from Central High School in 1986 and attended Missouri Western University where she studied anthropology. In her youth she was a skilled dancer.

She met her future husband in an online chat room and moved to California to be married on the beach in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 27, 2002. For the couple’s honeymoon, they traveled up and down the California coast, visiting San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Her daughter Arwen was born the following year in 2003.

The family relocated to Montana in 2007, where she found pleasure being a supportive wife and mother. She enjoyed writing fiction and poetry, traveling, music, movies, Hindi television and spending time with her family. Tabatha possessed a great spiritual awareness and

was a faithful Catholic with a special connection to St. Therese of Lisieux, “ultimately going home to be with Jesus on Tuesday.”

She will be deeply missed by her family, friends and all those whose lives she touched.

Survivors include her husband Daniel Tavares, and daughter Arwen Tavares of Polson; in-laws, Carlos and Carolyn Tavares of Florence; sister-in-law, Donna Russell, of Castro Valley, California; sister Jamie McPhail, brother-in-law, Mat Gabbert, and niece Emmaryn of St. Joseph; brother, Richard McPhail; stepfather, Harold Barton, and children Cassie, Alex and Chris; as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, at the Lake Funeral Home in Polson.

Memories and condolences may be sent to the family at www.thelakefuneralhomeandcrematory.com. Arrangements are under the direction of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.