Madeline Rose Coverdell, 89

Madeline Rose Coverdell, 89, went quietly, with joy in her heart, "to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" on Friday, June 6, 2008, in Whitefish.

She was born in Liverpool, England, on Dec. 13,1918, to Frank and Annie McLean. She came to America when she was 18 months old. She only had an eighth grade education but you would have never known that, because she read everything she could get her hands on and she self taught herself everything. She had five half brothers and one half sister.

She always told us her mom would always sing and make hard times as happy as she could. As a young woman she and her brothers had to spend a lot of time in Moose Heart, Father Bakers, and other orphanages. When she was old enough to work she worked in the orphanages to be close to her brothers. She took care of 50 babies at one time and loved every minute of it.

She met and married Joe Mrgich in 1942. They spent years apart because of the war but had three children, Mike, John Alan and Judy. Joe was one of the first inventors of the saddle gas tank for semi-trucks. When his business failed, they moved to California only for a short time.

Joe found work in Montana in 1952 and upon arriving announced, "This is where we will raise our children." Mady went along with him and when she arrived here she totally agreed. They were city folk but set out to learn how to fish and hunt with the best of them. They became true Montanans. They didn't have a fancy life, but it sure was a happy one. They had to move back to California due to Joe's health problems. Joe passed away in 1965 while living back in California. Mady said after his funeral that she had to come back to her beloved Montana, so she packed up her daughter and came back to remain here forever.

In 1972 she met and married her second beloved husband, Arell Coverdell. Together they raised Arell's youngest son Kevin. They fished, gardened, raised dogs and traveled to their hearts' content. It was the happiest of years for the both of them.

In 1993 she lost her beloved Arell. She then moved next door to her daughter Judy in Martin City, where she remained the rest of her life.

She lost both her sons to early deaths, and we all admired how she could always find joy in getting up in the morning to another day. After all, she buried two husbands, two sons, two grandchildren, her mom, two of her brothers and a sister; but she always found the positive and beauty in life.

She is survived by her daughter, Judy Rabidue, and her stepson, Kevin Coverdell. She is also survived by four other stepchildren, three brothers, daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren - definitely more if you count all the stepkids and stepgrandkids.

She loved a lot of people and things in life - her husbands, her dogs, fishing, music, everyone that worked at the stores she shopped at, her doctors; but she said that most of all she loved her Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ.

She got to see and tell everyone she loved good-bye and her last words were, "Please do not have a big fancy funeral. But be sure to tell everyone I said for them to love God, take care of and love each other and above all, be happy." She will be missed by all.

So, there will be no funeral. A graveside service for the family will be held at a later date.