COLUMN: 2015 was a thankful year to remember

I doubt many would disagree that on a global scale 2015 had more than its fair share of bad news.

That’s why this assignment is so redemptive. Year-round, as the “Good News” columnist I get phone calls, emails, letters and occasionally folks just stopping by — each with a story that lifts my spirits ... and hopefully yours, too.

Here’s a look back at some of the stories that made my day this year:

The year began with a loving, lasting memorial to a beloved doctor.

In a quiet courtyard outside the coffee shop at Kalispell Regional, there is a Tribute Garden and Memorial Wall that was dedicated in 2007. It is common to see family members, patients and staff sitting there having lunch or tea and enjoying the beauty around them or stepping away from a loved one’s bedside for a peaceful moment and a little fresh air, says Allison Meilicke director of the Ambassador Program for Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation.

 In January, friends of Dr. Michael Spence, a brilliant infection specialist who dedicated his career to public health in the Flathead Valley, around the country and around the world, placed an engraved brick on the wall in his honor.

Spence died Dec. 25, 2012. He was as passionate about hiking as he was about medicine and founded the Flathead Outdoor Club, a group of hiking enthusiasts that for years met monthly for slide shows and talks in the winter and hiked the trails across Northwest Montana in the warmer months. He would surely be happy to know of his colleagues’ outdoor memorial.

In March, we received a letter from 86-year-old Helen Biltek of Edmonton, Alberta, a big Edmonton Eskimo fan. Last December she wrote a thank-you letter to their quarterback, Mike Reilly. Flathead football fans are well familiar with Reilly, the Braves’ standout QB who went on to play with the Packers, Rams and Seahawks before joining the Canadian Football League.

But not only is Reilly good on the gridiron, he’s a heck of a nice guy. Biltek answered her door a few days after she sent her letter and Reilly was standing on her porch with an autographed Eskimo jersey for her. As Biltek said, “What a class act.”

In April, a fellow wrote about a wonderful act of generosity by a couple during the DREAM Adaptive dinner and auction. Mark and Kristine Powers were giving away the big ticket item at the live auction — a four-day fishing trip to their fishing lodge in Southeast Alaska. The astonishing outcome was that Mark outbid everyone else on his own auction item and then he and his wife gave the trip, airfare included, to a father and his 15-year-old disabled son who had spoken earlier that evening about how DREAM had given the son recreational opportunities that never would have been possible otherwise.

I followed up with the Murrays this month and learned that Dan and Sasha just got their tickets and are heading to Whaler’s Cove Lodge next July for the father and son trip of a lifetime.

One little lost pup got very lucky in July. Molly, a Jack Russell/chihuahua mix went missing on the Fourth of July in Whitefish near the railroad tracks during a harsh heat wave.

Serendipitously, three days later she was spotted all the way across town by a family member who just happened to see her run across the highway. Apparently, during Molly’s big adventure employees at a nearby restaurant had been keeping the 8-pound pup fed with food scraps.

Good golly, little Miss Molly, originally a Christmas gift to her owner, Annalise Iavicoli, turned into the gift that just keeps on giving.

The owner of the Outlook Bed and Breakfast Inn in Somers gave a warm Montana welcome and hospitality to a visiting elderly couple this summer. First, the couple had to cancel their reservation due to an injury.

Then they called to reschedule after all; but when they got there they found they couldn’t negotiate the inn’s stairs.

Owner Michelle Ahern refunded their money each time without hesitation. Her ancestors would be proud — the property on Boon Road has been in her family for more than 80 years.

A 3 1/2 year-old Minnie Mouse saved Halloween for Judy Hinchey this year.

The eastside Kalispell resident has always celebrated the holiday in a big way, decorating her house and donning her trusty witch costume to hand out candy to thousands of trick-or-treaters over the 20 years she’s lived there.

This year, despite a day-long downpour, the kids kept coming and she unexpectedly ran out of candy. Out of the blue, one tow-headed little girl stepped up on the porch, upended her bag on the table and happily announced, “Now you won’t be out anymore!”

For Hinchey, that little mouse put the magic right back into her favorite night.

And finally, 2015 closed with a heartfelt note of gratitude sent by the woman who runs the Heart Locker for local homeless students. The program that has challenged Nichole Heyer with huge responsibilities has also been just as rewarding to her, thanks to this community’s love for its own and a desire to step up and do what must be done — and more — wherever there is a need.

Thank you, all you folks in the Flathead Valley, for all you do for one another. May you be blessed abundantly in the new year.

Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 758-4440 or by email at community@dailyinterlake.com.