Esther Georgina Henrietta Becker, 93

Esther Georgina Henrietta Becker “went with the angels” on Nov. 16, 2011. 

She was born on April 7, 1918, in Cabri, Saskatchewan, the only child of Lewis and Mamie Beedle. She was known as Dollie to her family.

Esther grew up on the open Saskatchewan prairie in a traditional one-room farmhouse, where she helped her mother tend the garden. Every week she and her mother would hook up the matched team of black Percheron horses to the wagon and drive to the river for water. During the winter, she rode to school in an open sleigh packed with hot bricks to keep warm. One of her favorite pastimes was curling, which she watched throughout her life. Every summer, her father had a threshing crew that traveled from farm to farm.  From a distance it looked like a train on wheels with threshing machines, chuck wagon, bunk wagons and a crew made up largely of Chinese immigrants.

After completing her secondary education in Cabri, she went on to business college in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and started her career in banking. In 1941, she went back home to care for her mother after she had a stroke, and stayed with her until her death.

After her mother’s passing, she moved to Anamoose, N.D., to be near relatives. In 1942, she was visiting her cousin in the Harvey, N.D., hospital and met a young man visiting his mother. He turned out to be the love of her life, Gordon Becker. They were married on May 16, 1943, and spent the next 56 years together. They were blessed with three daughters, Alvina, Barbara and Carol (often referred to as ABC).

In 1947, Esther and Gordon moved to Whitefish, and later Kalispell. The family loved the mountains and spent many weekends in Glacier National Park and picnicking by the many lakes in the area. When the girls reached school age, Esther returned to her career in banking at Conrad National Bank. She eventually retired from the First Interstate Bank in 1980, where she worked in the installment loan department.

Esther and Gordon were active members of the Good Sam Club and loved to travel across the United States and Canada with the club members and their spoiled dog Buffy.

Esther was a devoted member of the Northridge Lutheran Church and considered the congregation her second family. She believed in supporting her community and volunteered at the church, American Red Cross, Kalispell Regional Medical Center, and did income taxes for other seniors.

She loved gardening and painting ceramics. Having learned handcrafts from her mother, Esther was an expert in tatting, embroidery, crocheting and knitting.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon, in 1999.

She is survived by daughters, Alvina Hix and husband Daryl of Kila, Barbara Geha of Kalispell, and Carol Finch of Tacoma, Wash.; grandchildren, Robert Geha and wife Julie of Arkansas, CTR1(SW/AW) Carmel Finch of the U.S. Navy, Paul Finch and wife Pam of Alaska, and Montage Hix of Kila; and great-grandson, Parker Finch.

For the last three years of her life Esther was a resident at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell. The family sincerely thanks them for their wonderful and loving care to Esther and her family. She was always treated with love, dignity and respect.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Northridge Lutheran Church or the Immanuel Lutheran Home.

A visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home. Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Northridge Lutheran Church, with interment at Glacier Memorial Gardens. A reception will follow at the church.

Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. To send condonences to the family, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com.