Sarah Elizabeth Allison, 42

Sarah Elizabeth Allison, 42, of Columbia Falls, passed away peacefully at her home on March 4, 2019.

She was born to Leon Curry and Wendy Jean White on Dec. 19, 1976, in Thousand Oaks, California. She attended grade schools at Fulton and Jackson Elementary schools in the San Diego area. She went to high school at the San Diego School of the Performing Arts where she studied acting and stage set construction. After graduation, she went on to college at the University of California Santa Barbara.

After college she worked as a medical assistant, EMT and ambulance driver — a job she enjoyed. She said it was exciting and dangerous. She was wounded once by a shotgun blast from a passing car while she was driving to an emergency call. Luckily, she said, the ambulance door absorbed most of the blast, but she caught a few pellets in lower torso and hip.

In 1997 she married James Comstock of San Diego. In 2002 they moved to the Flathead Valley along with Sarah’s mother, Wendy. Sarah and James took jobs at Teletech in Kalispell. Sarah loved children and took in some foster kids for a time. It was one of the best experiences of her life, but heartbreaking as well when the time came for the kids to go back to their parents.

In 2007 Sarah and James divorced and later that year she met her husband Matthew. They were married in September of 2008. Sarah and Matt shared a love for camping, art, movies, music, road trips, rafting and floatie trips on the rivers.

Sarah was quite crafty. She enjoyed just about anything creative. Her hobbies included beading, knitting, tie-dying and painting.

She loved her music, Led Zeppelin and Morcheeba, being her favorites. Her most favorite band though, was Pedacter Project. She would love getting together with her friends (her “Bigfork Family”) and watch them play at the Garden Bar.

She loved making a place her own and wherever Matt and Sarah were living, no matter how temporary, she always managed to make it comfortable and beautiful. Working on their property, she loved planting flowers and trees. She spent as much time as she could outside in the nice weather laying out flower patches. One of her favorite things to do was walk down to Fisher’s Nursery and check out the plants so she could plan her next project. She was always watching DIY videos on YouTube looking for new ideas.

Sarah loved animals and often referred to her pets as “the kids.” Her special love was Callie “Sweet Puppy.” They were constant companions. Callie went camping, rafting and just about anything outdoors because that makes a good Montana dog. She also liked to take in older dogs from the shelter to give them a home and love for their final years.

She had so much love. It made her just glow from within. That love made her strong and beautiful. Everyone felt it when she was around. Many of her people used the word “awesome’ to describe her after they had met her.

Sarah is survived by her husband Matthew Allison of Columbia Falls, her mother Wendy Jean Curry of Bigfork, her father Leon Curry of EI Cajon, California, her grandmother Zelda White of Fremont, California, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins in the Bay Area and southern California. She is also survived locally by her Bigfork family — people she loved and made a life with. Her passing leaves a hole in all our lives and she will never be forgotten.

A memorial service will be held in the summer at Blair Flats, down the Swan. It was one of her favorite camping spots; date and time will be forthcoming.