Colleen Ruth Olson Pepe, 78
Colleen Ruth Olson Pepe, 78, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, at North Valley Hospital.
Colleen was born at home in Kalispell on July 29, 1932, to Ralph and Velma Olson. She loved to tell how hot the day was, but that her dad put her in a little box in the oven to keep her warm. As an only child, she was the “apple” of her parents’ eye and learned the best qualities from each of them.
Colleen attended Evergreen School and Flathead County High School, and kept her teachers “hopping” with her antics and stories.
Colleen loved to bowl, and during a local bowling tournament in January of 1949 she met an equally young bowler who had just moved to Kalispell from Anaconda as an assistant manager of the Woolworth store. She married Tony Pepe on Aug. 4, 1949, and they shared 61 years together. They have three children, Valli, Melanie and Ralph.
Colleen was a homemaker who combined the usual chores of motherhood in the 1950s with an unusual sense of creativity and adventure. She was a gifted pianist, and not only taught piano for many years, accompanied and directed church choirs, but she also directed community theater events in Evergreen. Her variety shows included sketches from musicals such as “South Pacific,” and “Annie Get Your Gun,” and TV shows such as “Laugh-In” and “The Adams Family.”
She had to learn to cook “Italian,” which was not easy for a girl whose name was Olson. Cooking lessons from her mother-in-law were successful, so the family could enjoy a great marinara along with their lefse.
Colleen was also a true tomboy who loved to ride horses, drive tractors, hunt and fish. Hunting and fishing stories could fill more than one book and family times at Ashley Lake which began in the ’50s are still going strong today.
Colleen was a longtime member of Calvary Lutheran Church and shared her musical talents there for over 40 years. She always loved working with children and was involved in her children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s activities throughout the years.
She had a lifelong passion for gardening, and loved to get her hands in the dirt. She handed this love and knowledge to her family. She loved her hummingbirds and all of the wildlife which visited her yard; excluding any deer who ate her tulips.
Colleen was preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her husband, Tony, of Kalispell; her children, Valli and Richard Ostrem of Kalispell, Melanie and Alex Parkhurst of Columbia Falls, and Ralph and Holly Pepe of Boise, Idaho; grandchildren, Megan Pepe and Joel Welle of Kalispell, Melissa and Shay Evanoff of Kalispell, Lindsy and David Baird of Boise, Chris Ostrem of Kalispell, and Harry Ostrem of Los Angeles; and great-grandchildren, Ward, Walker, Luca, Coleman and Cayden.
Private family services are being held for Colleen.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Colleen’s name are suggested to the American Heart Association, 700 South Ave. West, Ste. D, Missoula, MT 59801.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for Colleen’s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to view Colleen’s guest book, offer condolences and share memories.