As told by her daughter Rosemarie Murrish

My mother was killed in a car accident at the intersection of US Hwy. 287 and MT Hwy. 200 [Bowman’s Corner]. She was traveling with two of her close friends, Eunice Johnson [86] and Audrey Anderson [85]. They were driving from Anaconda to Choteau for an Eastern Star meeting which they all frequently did together and enjoyed very much.

Eunice's vehicle collided with another car and all three women died on impact just after 11:00 in the morning. Five other people: a man, woman and three children were injured. The three fatalities put the death toll at 149 for that year.

My mother was a beautiful person inside and out. She and my dad were married for 55 years when she was killed. Mom had the sweetest smile ever! She was so full of love; always a smile and a hug! I remember whenever we would go visit; I can still see her standing at her back door, smiling and waving goodbye as we drove off. On a funny note, I can remember one thing she was always telling my dad. Dad was a great one for finding adventures no matter where we went. Mom would always cringe and give me one of those infamous “Mom looks” when we would be out for a drive and I’d say, “gee, I wonder where that road goes or I wonder how high that hill is” and my dad would immediately say, “Well, let’s go find out”. Looking back now, my mom probably wanted to choke me for saying anything but off we’d go! Mom was deathly afraid of snakes and her warning to my dad as we climbed out of his truck was “if she gets bit by a snake, Bill, you don’t have to bother coming back!” Mom would not have gotten out of that truck for anything. So she would sit and patiently wait for us to return by reading a book or working on her embroidery.

I guess the thing I would want people to know about her is her unconditional love for her family and friends. She loved us all so much and we, in turn, loved her very much.

January 20, 1921 -

September 21, 1996