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Eileen 'Annie' (Clark) Williamson, 69

| May 3, 2014 1:04 PM

Eileen “Annie” Clark Williamson, 69, “went to be with the Lord” on April 29, 2014, at her home in Kalispell.

Annie was born in Fort Benton on Dec. 27, 1944, to Stephen Warren and Mary Ellen Clark.  

She was raised in Billings and spent her summers on her father's ranch in Lewistown, along with her sister Roberta “Bobi.” She attended Billings West High School where she was a majorette, and graduated in 1962.  She went on to attend Montana State University, majoring in commercial art, and belonged to the Chi Omega sorority.

In the summer of 1963 she worked at the Bureau of Land Management as a cartographic aid. In the summer of 1965, after the tragic loss of her sister the previous winter, she took the opportunity to go to Europe for over three months with a friend, and toured several countries there including Belgium, where her grandfather was born and then emigrated to the U.S. She established a lifelong link with her relatives there that survives to this day, and has transferred on to the next generations, and inspired their desire to learn English so they could communicate with her.  

After returning to college in the fall, she met up with James Williamson again, and they married in January 1966 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She worked at the Alumni Office at MSU while he finished college.

They went on to train and race thoroughbred horses at the major race tracks all over Montana and the rest of the country, including Spokane, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Phoenix. She was a hard worker all of her life and worked right alongside her husband while he trained, taking on the tasks of grooming horses and cleaning out stalls. She was the office manager for the racing secretary at numerous fairs in Montana.

In 1969 their daughter, Kimberly Ann, was born in Shelby, and after taking her along on the racing circuit for awhile, she decided it was time to call somewhere home. In 1970 they moved to Shelby to stay, and as is typical of Annie, she made many friends and got involved in the community. She established the PTA Chapter there, served as its president, was involved in the Homemaker Club and in community improvement projects.

Using her degree in commercial art, she was self-employed as a commercial sign painter, designing and hand painting numerous commercial signs used all over the area, and at tourist kiosks around the East Glacier entrance to the park. Her sign for the entrance to the Marias River Fairgrounds stood there for years. At his request, she also hand painted the lettering on the door of a brand new Kenworth truck for Dick Irvin Trucking, and although it made her nervous, it turned out beautifully.

In 1972, their son James Clark was born in Great Falls, named in the family tradition of his mother's maiden name for his middle name, and fourth generation James Williamson.

In 1978, they moved to Kalispell to their dream home on the Whitefish River in Evergreen where they could keep their own horses. Annie loved her home and being a homemaker. She grew a garden every year and canned everything she could. She went along on many family hunting and fishing trips and even shot her own moose.

She got involved in the Flathead Republican Central Committee, having served as vice chairman and went to numerous state conventions. In 1988, she was selected as a delegate for the GOP National Convention in New Orleans for George Bush Sr. She was a member of the Flathead County Republican Women, wrote their newsletter for 13 years, and served as secretary. She was also an election judge and attended numerous state conventions. She established a local investment club where she served as secretary and president. She worked at the Daily Inter Lake in advertising layout and design, again applying her knowledge of commercial art to create original ads for clients.  

Annie loved to create and was a very talented artist, making all different kinds of beautiful pieces of art that she freely gave to everyone that she was inspired to share them with. Her family and friends all have a treasure of beautiful things she made that includes paintings, calligraphy, woodworking and beautiful greeting cards. Annie also loved to write, and her command of expression through written language was admired by everyone who read what she wrote. She wrote poems for her special friends and family, and wrote editorials to the local newspaper. Annie also wrote books — about all of the cats she's had over the years, their adventures on the race track, and a cookbook for both her daughter and her son containing the special family recipes that she had prepared over the years, complete with a story about whom each recipe came from, and family photos.  

Annie was very much a Christian who shared her love of Christ with everyone. She attended Bible Study Fellowship for many years, growing in her faith and knowledge of God's word. Everyone who met Annie wanted to be her best friend. She was the kind of friend that people wanted to keep forever, as she's known some of her friends all her life. She leaves behind a beautiful legacy of caring and love of family and friends.

Annie was preceded in death by her father, Stephen Warren Clark; her sister, Roberta “Bobi” Clark; and her mother, Mary Ellen Nelson.  

She is survived by her husband of 48 years, James L. Williamson; her children, Kimberly Ann Martinson and husband Mark of Kalispell, son James C. Williamson and wife Melanie, and their daughters Hanne and Marta of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

A church service is planned at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, at Calvary Chapel Flathead Valley located at 2395 Whitefish Stage Road in Kalispell, with a cemetery service immediately following at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery. A gathering will be held afterward at Calvary Chapel for friends and family to meet and celebrate Annie's life.

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Eileen’s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and view Eileen’s tribute wall.