þ Marian (Fosland) O Neil, 76
Marian (Fosland) O Neil defined her life s focus by those around her. She was Ivan s wife; the mother of Sue, Cheri and Steve; grandmother of April, Andy, Amanda, Missy and Joey; and a friend to so many.
She loved to travel, especially if it was to visit family. She loved to walk, especially if it was with friends. She was determined to live a full life, devoted to all the people she loved and cherished.
She lived a life well-loved.
Twice in the last decade, she battled lymphoma and survived. This summer, she developed unexplained lung problems and suffered from a stroke. She died Sunday night, Aug. 6, 2006, at the age of 76, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center with her beloved husband at her side.
Marian Galora Fosland was born Feb. 27, 1930, in Noonan, N.D., during the Great Depression. She was the only daughter of Peter Fosland, a Norwegian-born farmer, and Hazel (Bummer) Fosland, a farmer s wife. She grew up with her parents and her brother on a wheat farm outside Flaxville, with winters spent in Scobey.
She graduated from Scobey High School in 1947 and spent her freshman year at Concordia College, in Moorhead, Minn. Then she joined her brother at the University of Montana, in Missoula, where she was a Delta Gamma and graduated with a bachelor s degree in business administration.
Most importantly, she met Ivan O Neil when she was a junior in college, and they were married in Scobey on June 23, 1951.
As newlyweds, Marian and Ivan lived in Seattle while he served with the U.S. Army Audit Agency and she worked as a legal secretary with the Corps of Engineers. They spent a summer in Ford Ord, Calif.
In 1954, they moved to Kalispell, where the O Neil family had lived for many generations. Ivan started Western Woodwork & Supply, later Western Building Centers; Marian was a proud homemaker and mother of three. The family lived in Kalispell on Fourth Avenue West North before building a home in Northridge. They spent summer weekends at their cabin on Flathead Lake.
A highlight of Marian s life was time and travel with the wonderful women in her sewing club. She was also an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and a founding member of Northridge Lutheran Church, where she was a volunteer church secretary for many years. She served on the Kalispell Board of Adjustment and was a member of P.E.O and several bridge clubs. She also walked in the Relay for Life and gave support to countless cancer patients.
She was a nurturer, reader, shopper, diary-writer, baker and cook. She enjoyed needlepoint and cruises and vacations in Hawaii. Her grandchildren will always remember family meals at the O Neil home and ginger snaps made by Nini. No one will forget her hugs and her smiles.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Ivan O Neil; her daughter, Sue Schottelkorb, and son-in-law, Bill, of Kalispell; her daughter, Cheri Matthews, and son-in-law, Bob, of Tracy, Calif.; her son, Steve O Neil, and daughter-in-law, Peggy, of Shanghai, China; her grandchildren, April Schottelkorb, and her husband, Ryan Johnson, of Roanoke, Texas, Andy Schottelkorb of Gettysburg, Pa., Marisa Schottelkorb of Stanford, Calif., Amanda Matthews of Tracy, Calif., and Joey Matthews of Los Angeles; her brother, Al Fosland, of Scobey; her nephew, Chip Fosland, of Scobey; and her niece, Jane Gidlewski, of Fort Collins, Colo.
She was preceded in death by her father in 1977, and her mother in 1993.
Visitation will be observed at 10 a.m. Friday, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at Northridge Lutheran Church. The grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Burial will be at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery.
Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Northridge Lutheran Church, 323 Northridge Dr., Kalispell, MT 59901; or the American Cancer Society, 3550 Mullan Road, Ste. 105, Missoula, MT 59808.