Lillian Irene Howard, 86, died Aug. 7, 2008, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

She was born in a log cabin near Faunce in northern Minnesota on May 3, 1922, to V.E. and Anna Crabtree. The family later moved to Baudette, Minn., where she went to school. She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., in 1943 and was married that summer to Marine Lt. George Sorben of Williston., N.D., who was killed in the invasion of Saipan.

She taught public school for two years until Sept. 2, 1945, when she married a returnee from the war, Lt. Robert S. Howard of Wheaton, Minn. Four children were born to this union.

Lillian and Robert "Bob" lived in eight states over the years, first coming to the Flathead as summer residents in 1951, and have spent every summer and sometimes fall since then on Flathead Lake, marking 2008 as their 58th year.

Lillian was involved in the Kalispell baseball program for many years, first as a coach of Pee-Wees, then as scorekeeper and mentor for Little League, Babe Ruth and Legion ball, for which teams her sons played.

She played most sports, both in school and later, including softball, bowling, basketball, ice hockey, water and snow skiing, golf and tennis, and was probably the first female water skier on Flathead Lake.

She excelled in music, and was choir director in several churches, including the Lakeside Chapel.

She was a fisherwoman and hunter, including shooting deer to feed venison to the local baseball team. She loved the outdoors and went on several hiking trips in Glacier Park with friends from Kalispell, and rafted the Middle Fork of the Flathead River with two of her children.

Survivors include her husband, Bob, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and Lakeside; daughter, Andrea Palmer, and husband, Jack, of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Lakeside; sons, Thomas and wife, Beatrice, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., William and wife, Cheryl, of Friday Harbor, Wash., and David and wife, Beth, of Leland, Mich.; as well as 17 grandchildren and eight-great-grandchildren.

A private memorial for family members will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be sent to United Fund of Flathead County.