Anne Kiley, 88

Anne Kiley, the loving mother of eight children, passed away after a nine-month battle with cancer on April 24, 2018, at the age of 88.

Anne was born in Pulaski, Virginia, the oldest of four children, attended Salem Academy High School and graduated from the College of William and Mary.

She married her husband, Jim, in 1952 and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After her husband finished medical school and internship, they moved to Michigan, with a family of three children, in 1960. By the time they moved to Kalispell in 1972, the family had grown to 10, including eight children.

She loved Montana, especially Flathead Lake. She was active in her Church, St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, and the Daughters of Isabella. She was an outstanding athlete, and while she ran a marathon, walked, swam and played tennis, golf was her true passion. She was a longstanding member of the Buffalo Hill Golf Course ladies group, had a hole-in-one in her 80s and played in the Buffalo Hill Labor Day tournament with her daughters and sister at age 80. She and her mother introduced the family to golf, and it remains a family passion to this day. In the middle of chemotherapy, she continued to play and enjoy the game.

In addition to golf, her other passion was bridge. For many years she was a member of the Flathead Valley Duplicate Bridge Club, where she worked to accumulate master’s points. She was disappointed she had to be hospitalized the day of her death because she was going to miss bridge the next day.

For many years, she and Jim spent winters in La Paz, Mexico, then as age started to take its toll, they began wintering in the Sacramento, California, area. There she remained active with daily walks and workouts, and made many friends playing golf and bridge. She will be deeply missed by those in her “part-time” home as well as in Kalispell.

A kind and gentle soul, Anne was the joyful mother of eight children, and the matriarch of 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was most proud of her family, and never missed sending a birthday or anniversary card, called frequently and visited often. She and Jim loved hosting and entertaining the kids and their families and friends during the wonderful Montana summers, and they lived near several family members in the Sacramento area in the winters. They had frequent visits from all of the children and very much looked forward to family bi-yearly reunions.

She was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2017 and remained under treatment until she passed. Despite difficult treatments and innumerable side effects, she maintained her poise, determination and dignity. She was more interested in how others were doing rather than in detailing her ailments.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Jim; eight children, Jim, Mike, Kathy, Dan, Mary Ann, Tom, Tim and Kate; sister, Sara Jane; grandchildren, Brian, Kevin, Bradley, Shannon, Enrique, Monica, Nick, Zack, Josh, Nicole, Austin, Jessica, Jake and Kiley; and great-grandchildren, Matthew and Joey. She had a special relationship with Shari, Lisa, Steve, Susan and Christie, her children’s and grandchildren’s spouses.

A vigil rosary for Anne will be said at 7 p.m. on May 3 at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Kalispell. A funeral Mass will be held at 4 p.m. May 4 at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, with a joyous “celebration of life” to follow at Buffalo Hill Golf Course.

The family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society.