Doris Louise Tutvedt Knox, 78

Doris Louise Tutvedt Knox, 78, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on the morning of June 4, 2014. She left us as she listened to “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables.”

She began her life on May 30, 1936, in the Stillwater Community near Kalispell, with parents Hans and Andora (Stabbestad) Tutvedt, older sister Thelma, and brothers Harold and Paul. She attended Sparks Elementary and Flathead County High School. Doris was a member of Winifred Lutheran Church, serving as a pianist, and was very active in Ladies Aid as treasurer and making numerous quilts for overseas missions.

 Dick and Doris were high school sweethearts and united in marriage on Feb. 3, 1951, in Kalispell. He swept her off her feet with hats full of gumbo lilies and bouquets of wild flowers, moving her and the entire family from their farm in Kalispell to “The Ranch” in the Missouri Breaks North of Winifred. He preceded her in death in 1997 after 46 years and they were as in love as they were on the day they married. 

People who knew Doris Knox knew that she was a person to listen to, a person to learn from. Her capacity for love was immeasurable. We all feel blessed by the time we were granted with her, and here is what we learned in that time. Find the best in people — there are redeeming qualities in every person; always take the high road; McDonald’s cheeseburgers are delicious; always have enough coffee (actually, have more than enough coffee); every flower deserves a vase; there is always room for another person around the kitchen table; even two bites of taco salad is worthy of a leftover container in the fridge; a sense of humor can get you through anything; and most importantly, every person deserves a fair chance. Above all, Doris was a Christian who showed her faith in the way she lived and treated people. 

She is survived by her loving children, Donna and Lance Johnsen, and their children Lisa, Richard and Luke; Steve and Reta Knox, and their children, Nikki, Bob, Matt and Jessica; Paul Knox and Ginger, and their children, Jake and Jeff; Joe and Jackie Knox, and their children, Madison, Steven, Trent and Colter; Matt and Karla Knox, and their children, Sally and Sarah; and Nina and Walt Zidack, and their children, Madeline and Julia; her siblings, Thelma and Vernon Johnson, Harold Tutvedt and Paul Tutvedt; 17 great-grandchildren, Shelby, Lance, Sawyer, Faith, Emily, Ryder, Gunner, Paul, Hunter, Claire, Keeton, Carter, Bryce, Parker, Morgan, Ella and Lily; and several nieces and nephews..

Doris was preceded in death by her cherished husband of 46 years, Dick Knox; her parents, Hans and Andora Tutvedt; and grandson, Duane Webb.

Funeral services for Doris Knox will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 9, in the Winifred High School with interment to follow in the Winifred Cemetery. The Cloyd Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Friends are asked to make memorials to the Winifred Library, Winifred Ambulance, or the Winifred American Lutheran Church; or the charity of their choice and they may be left at the Cloyd Funeral Home.  Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.cloydfuneralhome.com