Karen Mae Mower, 78

Karen Mae Mower, age 78, entered heaven’s gates on April 21, 2020, due to a short but aggressive battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig) disease.

She was born July 13, 1941 in Lakota, North Dakota, to Roy and Leona Simons. She married R.D. Mower on Feb. 5, 1965.

Karen loved to always keep in touch with family and friends. She always sent cards and made telephone calls to ask how you were, always telling you she had been praying for you and your family/friend. She was a true, genuine, caring and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to all. She was kind and compassionate person, always forgiving and trusting in God.

Karen moved from North Dakota with her family to Lakeside at a young age and attended schools in Lakeside and Flathead Valley. She married R.D. Mower and lived in Somers, then moving to Fortine in 1966, where she lived the remainder of her life and passed away at home.

Karen worked many different jobs over the years, but a few were for the U.S. Forest Service, a nurse aide at Mountain View Manor, and volunteering at her church, Latter Day Saints. She had a love and passion for horses. R.D. and Karen had many great race horses over the years. She personally competed in numerous events with her horses and won many buckles and awards. She held a national record for many years for an event called “the arena race” for the women category, in what is called an O-Mok-See. Barrel racing and trail riding were two of her main preferences with her horses. If anyone ever needed a horse to ride or wished to learn to ride a horse, she was always there for everyone.

Karen is survived by her husband R.D. Mower; daughter Karleen Bergdahl; stepsons Dwyane Mower, Lamar Mower, and Bruce (Shelley) Mower; sister Lenore Burgess; grandchildren Stephane Mimmentta, Bo (Megan) Mower, Zack Mower, Tia Mower, Darin (Melissa) Mower, Brandy (Bob) Lovell, Amber Solarez, Tracy (Dido) Ivey, J.D. Bergdahl and R.D. Bergdahl; numerous great-grandchildren; great-great-granchildren and numerous nieces and nephews, all for which she loved and cared deeply.

Karen is predeceased by her parents Roy and Leona Simons; sister Mavis Thornton; brother Kenny Simons; and grandsons Jesse Mower and Clifford Mower.

The family will be having a celebration of life later this summer. An announcement will be put in paper when we are able to have the celebration. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ALS research.