Suzanne Forrester, 61

Suzanne Forrester was born Jan. 11, 1946, in Los Angeles, the daughter of Joan and Charlie Forrester. Our beloved mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend died suddenly Feb. 22, 2007, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

She grew up in California with her sister, Becky. Her mother, Joan, remarried when Suzanne was 4 to Raymond Devine and he was a loving father to her all of her life. She loved the Monterey Bay area and being near the ocean. Suzanne graduated from Lindsay High School in 1964.

She met and married Ray Gene Washington and had two children, Judy and Richard Gene. In 1970, they moved to Oregon to raise their children, and in 1985 Suzanne moved to the Flathead Valley to reunite with her sister, Becky, and soon talked her mother, Joan, and daughter, Judy, into moving here also.

Suzanne shared her zest for living with all, giving generously to all her family and friends, always trying to feed us or give us flowers or garden produce.

She was passionate about many things in life. She adored her cat, Nikki, horses, flowers (especially roses), gardening and her favorite crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin.

She took great joy in her hobbies of scrapbooking, completing many albums of her life and of her mother's and daughter's, and also crocheting. She made many an afghan for her family. She was a great lover of music, especially Jack Gladstone, Elvis and Johnny Cash. She was always up for a long soak in a lake on a hot day.

She loved the outdoors and couldn't wait for spring to come so she could start planting and gardening. She loved to go fishing or just relax with a good book. She also had a great love for horses and collecting horse memorabilia.

Suzanne was preceded in death by her father, Raymond Devine; her grandmother, Melba; and her Auntie Anne.

She leaves behind her beloved cat, Nikki; and is survived by her daughter, Judy Washington, of Kalispell; son, Richard Washington, of Deer Lodge; her grandchildren, Josh Washington and Cherysa Washington of Vancouver, Wash., and Shayla Washington of Kalispell; her great-grandchildren, Mystique Sherman and Contessa Washington, of Vancouver; her mother, Joan Devine, and sister, Becky Madison, of Kalispell; nieces, Joanna Bauer and husband, Chad, and their daughter, Jordan, all of Columbia Falls, Bethany Madison, and her special niece, Laura Madison, and Alexis Wallace, and husband, Buck, with children Destiny, Denali, Delani and Daelen, and Angela Ogle, all of Kalispell; dear friends, Alex Ogle of Elk, Wash., and Sherry and Sam Stockholm of Kalispell.

Services will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Family of Faith Church, at the corner of Reserve Drive and Country Way North in Kalispell.

Johnson Mortuary is caring for the family.