Loretta J. Drake, 91

Loretta J. Drake, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, peacefully entered into rest on Aug. 16, 2022, at the BeeHive assisted living facility in Columbia Falls.

Loretta was born to William and Alice Krohn in Seattle on July 1, 1931. She was the oldest of three children and spent her childhood years in Seattle along with her brother and sister. She graduated from Highline High School in 1951 and then began to work for Sears in Seattle as an accountant.

Loretta met Everett Drake while he served in the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington, as a heavy equipment operator and they married shortly thereafter. In 1957 Everett and Loretta decided to make Montana their home. They moved from Seattle to the Flathead Valley where they raised their three children Donna, Diana and Raymond. In 1976 they developed Half Moon Mobile Home Park on their Columbia Falls property.

She was a lifelong homemaker, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; family was the cornerstone of her life. Everett and Loretta lived on a small farm where she worked hard gardening, canning and sewing for her family and friends. She wore an infectious smile wherever she went and never hesitated to extend kindness and love to anyone.

Loretta’s greatest treasure was her family and she dedicated her life to taking care of them. She found joy in time with family and spent as much of her time with them as she could. She loved to attend activities of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were all very dear to her. She enjoyed celebrations that brought the entire family together for a meal or any reason. She loved the holidays and had accumulated numerous decorations and enjoyed rotating them throughout the year as each holiday passed. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she had countless decorations and ornaments that she treasured and was able to pass along to her family. Anyone visiting her home soon became aware that she had a passion for collecting owls and snowmen.

She loved golfing, bowling, playing the piano and was a troop leader for Girl Scouts and Brownies, and enjoyed being active in the Red Hats, Columbia Falls Senior Citizen Center and the Moose Lodge in Whitefish. In her later years her yard was her sanctuary. She loved to putter around working in the yard while feeding the birds and squirrels.

Loretta moved to the Columbia Falls Beehive in 2019 where she lived out her remaining years putting together puzzles, visiting with family and walking as much as she could. She enjoyed viewing the garden and fountain there in the spring and summer.

In addition to her parents and brother, she was predeceased by her husband Everett Drake, and son Raymond Drake.

She is survived by her daughter Diana Kile and son-in-law Ed Kile of Columbia Falls, daughter Donna Trump of Clarkson, Washington, daughter in-law Barbara Drake of Jamestown, California, sister Beverly DeBroeck of Bremerton, Washington, and sister-in-law Sally Krohn of Seattle; six grandchildren, Tara Rieger, Kayla Kile, Ben Kile, Casey Littlefield, Jeremy Littlefield and Shayla Trump; and seven great-grandchildren, Bode and Wyatt Rieger, Hailey and Blake Littlefield, Noah and Kasch Littlefield and Everett Kile.

The family is grateful for the caregivers at the BeeHive who extended their warm hearts and compassion throughout her time there. As a family, we are all very grateful, thankful and blessed to have had her in our lives and she will be fondly remembered forever.

Loretta will be laid to rest next to her husband Everett at Glacier Memorial Gardens where the family will gather privately to celebrate Loretta’s life on Aug. 24.

Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls is caring for the family.