Davita Michelle Colker Bryant, 32

Davita Michelle Colker Bryant, 32, of Whitefish, passed away Monday, Sept. 20, 2004, after the plane in which she was traveling crashed into Mount Liebig in the Great Bear Wilderness.

Davita is survived by her husband, Brian Bryant, of Whitefish; her mother, Lynne, and father, Allan Colker; sisters, Sandy Hanberry, Barbara Colker and Susan Colker; her brother, Greg Colker; and by nieces and nephews, Julianna Schroeger, Evan, Davis, Bryant and Lia Hanberry, and by Madeline, Jacob and Simon Colker, all of Pittsburgh.

Davita was raised in Pittsburg and moved to Whitefish in 1995. She was an all-around outdoorswoman who loved skiing and the backcountry, jazz and especially live music, dancing and yoga.

Davita was a kind and loving woman who laughed beautifully and often. She had a knack for seeing only the best in people, and for making everyone around her feel comfortable and at home.

Davita met her husband in January 1993, when they both were students at Ohio State University. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in environmental communications. The couple traveled and often were on plot together as part of their work with the National Forest Service, where they were a part of the Rocky Mountain Research Station. Davita was very pleased this year to be stationed near Glacier Park so that she could be closer to her friends and her Happy Valley home.

A brief memorial service to celebrate Davita's life and the many ways that she is loved will begin at 4 p.m. today, Sept. 24, at the top of Big Mountain, and will continue with a potluck gathering at Dire Wolf in Whitefish from 6 to 9 p.m. Friends are encouraged to attend and to bring photos, poems or stories to share.

Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to the Flathead Valley Food Bank; World Wildlife Fund; or Dream Adaptive Recreation Inc. at Big Mountain.