Therese 'Terry' Mahoney Ewing, 84

On Oct. 26, 2008, Therese "Terry" Mahoney Ewing passed away in Seattle, after complications from a stroke she suffered in September.

She was born May 7, 1924, in Levittown, Pa., to William and Nora Mahoney.

A child of the Depression, Terry and her siblings learned to "make do," a trait that she was famous for.

After a short stint as a model she worked as a backup singer for Mel Torme. She was very proud of the time she spent working as a hostess at the USO dances.

She met her future husband, Bob, in the cafeteria line at the May Company in Los Angeles. A coin flip decided they would move to Montana, and they made the Flathead Valley their home for 40-plus years.

Terry was a member and served as president of the Daughters of Isabella, a Catholic women's organization. She was also a PTO member for many of the years that her children were in school.

Terry loved the outdoors and would often cross-country ski or take walks in the mountains behind her home in Lakeside. She enjoyed flowers and gardening, a hobby that she took with her to her Seattle home.

She loved her kids and grandkids and supported them in their various endeavors and backed them up no matter what, like a momma bear with her cubs. Heaven help the person that said or implied anything derogatory about her family.

Terry "joins her parents in Heaven," along with her sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Walker, and her two brothers, Bill and John Mahoney.

She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Robert "Bob" Ewing, of Seattle; her children, Steve and his wife, Wendy, and their children, Keyvin, all of Northampton, Pa., and Shane of Butte; Bruce and his wife, Renee, and their children, Erin and Rob, all of Union City, Calif.; Dan and his wife, Terry Ann, of Kalispell, and their children, Erik and Ryan, of Missoula; and Sheila Mullally and her husband, Paul, and their children, Jenna and Connor, all of Mesa, Ariz.

Terry also has many nieces and nephews and cousins that will miss her greatly.

Per her request, there will be no funeral. Instead, she has requested an Irish wake. A celebration of her life will take place in the spring. The time and place will be announced.

"Keep an eye on us up there. We love you, Mom. We have lost our biggest fan."