Mary Elizabeth 'Betty' Fredenberg, 85

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Fredenberg "received her angel wings" on Feb. 28, 2006, "and will be greeted by loved ones in heaven." She passed on of natural causes at Edgewood Vista with her loving family by her side.

She was born Dec. 2, 1920, to Joseph and Mary (Feirstein) Motichka in Kalispell.

She married her childhood sweetheart, the love of her life, Orville Fredenberg, on Dec. 31, 1938, and they recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. Orville always referred to Mary as "his Betsy." Mary and Orville's families were pioneer families in the Flathead Valley and they grew up on neighboring farms. Orville and Mary had two children, Mary Ruth and Ronald. Mary was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

She enjoyed fishing and camping, and she could lay a fly line out better than any man. One of their favorite campgrounds was Middle Thompson Lake, where they spent many happy days with friends and family. Mary and Orville fly fished the North Fork, the Middle Fork and the South Fork rivers. She loved picking huckleberries and bird watching.

For several winters they traveled south to Arizona and California and she enjoyed searching for artifacts and rocks in the desert.

Mary also had a green thumb and could make anything grow. You could always expect to hear Mary whistling when you walked through their door.

In her spare time, Mary enjoyed playing cards, and it was hard to beat her at a card game. Mary always had a smile on her face and she lit up the room with her laugh. She was an excellent cook, seamstress and also excelled at needlework, but her great love was her family and she was always there for them. She was dearly loved by her husband, her children, her nine grandchildren, her 25 great-grandchildren and her three great-great-grandchildren. Everyone that met her loved her; she was very special.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and two brothers.

She is survived by her husband, Orville; her daughter, Mary Ruth, and husband, Hank Olson, of Kalispell; her son, Ronald, and wife, Liz, of Kalispell; and her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her three sisters, Roberta Elgin, Barbara Penney and Katie Hatton; and her brother, Jim Motichka, and his wife, Alice.

The memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at Buffalo Hills Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Edgewood Vista or the Alzheimer's Fund in Mary's name.