Karla Joy Nielsen West, 76

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Karla Joy (Nielsen) West on Nov. 30, 2024, at her daughter’s home in Whitefish. During her final days, she was surrounded by and cared for by her four loving daughters. She was a strong woman who fought a courageous battle against cancer and will forever be our hero.

Karla Joy Marcella Nielsen was born on July 11, 1948, in Plentywood, Montana, and one of the first in her family to be born in the hospital. She was the beloved ninth and youngest daughter of Niels Peter "Pete" Nielsen and Vita Marcella (Hansen) Nielsen, and sibling to Beatrice (died in infancy), Howard, Gloria, Jane, Marie, Mark, Paul, and Jimmy. Karla enjoyed a fun-filled childhood on their family homestead in Westby, Montana, attending the local country school in which nine of the 11 students were cousins or siblings! Karla loved spending her days with the horses and playing basketball with her brother, Jimmy.

When Karla was 12, her parents moved from their country farm into the town of Plentywood. She was active in school, participating in student council, the trampoline team (one of the few sports open to girls at the time), Spanish Club, playing the trombone in band, singing in vocal ensembles, and accompanying the choir on piano. She enjoyed spending time with her friends and watching her brother, Jimmy, compete in basketball. In her free time, she played the organ for Plentywood Lutheran Church every Sunday.

Karla graduated from Plentywood High School in 1966 and left Montana to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, taking summer classes to graduate early in 1969. During her time in school, she loved spending time with her brother Mark’s family, who lived in the area.

Immediately following graduation, Karla took her first teaching job in Froid, Montana. Her brother, Jimmy, taught nearby and she enjoyed living close to him and his new family. Karla was offered a position teaching business and Spanish at Medicine Lake. It was there she met and married Don West. Karla and Don took their passion for music to New England, North Dakota, teaching at St. Mary’s Catholic School. It was in New England that Don and Karla welcomed their firstborn daughter, Kelly, to the family.

Shortly after Kelly was born, the family left New England to start a new adventure in Fort Collins. Daughter Kimberly joined the family in Ft. Collins, and Karla continued her teaching career at Poudre High School and Poudre Junior High. Don and Karla parted ways but remained close friends over the decades. Continuing her passion for music, Karla was involved in several music groups including the Colorado State University marching band and the Larimer Chorale. She met Chris Schatte during this time, and they married in 1983. Following the wedding, the new family moved to San Jose, California, where Chris worked as scientific researcher for NASA. Karla fine-tuned her business skills with a job for a company managing retirement communities. While in California, daughters Erica and Jill were born only one year apart! It was a fun and exciting time for the young family.

The Challenger tragedy gave Chris and Karla time to consider other career possibilities, and they decided to move back to Karla’s beloved state of Montana. In 1986, only a few weeks after Jill’s birth, the family chose Whitefish as their new hometown, a place where Karla had spent time with her sister Patty in her younger years. The family bought the local restaurant "R" Place, later changing it to Sunnys. Chris and Karla eventually parted ways but stayed friends over the years. 

Karla returned to education two years later, working with the Flathead Job Service and FVCC to create the Word Processing/Clerical Program helping to prepare students with skills to be successful in the modern workplace. She loved helping people who were struggling and saw the program as a way for individuals to become self-sufficient. Students connected with her as recently as two weeks ago to talk and share their appreciation for her. More recently she was instrumental in adding a music program to FVCC’s offerings and continued to teach business and accounting classes until just a few years ago.

In 2007, Karla married the love of her life, John Goodrich, a fellow musician and music continued to be a major component of Karla’s life. She was the primary organist and musical director for St. Charles Catholic Church for 37 years, the musical director for Whitefish Theater Company for more than two decades, festival director of the Glacier Jazz Stampede for 20 years, and director for the youth Dixieland Jazz camp, Camp Heebie Jeebies.

In addition to the events she organized, she was an active member for the Cowboy Country & the Gold Dust Girls, the Shady Ladies, Rocky Mountain Rhythm Kings, Flathead Ragtimers, Good Tyme Jazz Band, Flathead Community Band, Hume Street Jazz Band, Montana Highlanders Bagpipe Band and many others. The last few years she partnered with her daughter, Kelly, to bring her passion for music and education to the seas with Dixieland Trad Jazz Cruises.

Karla also volunteered for NW Montana Arms Collectors Association at the Les Bauska Target Range and competed in Fast Draw events around western states. Karla became a very active piece of her daughter, Kimberly’s restaurant group in 2014 as a business partner with her granddaughters, Amber and Cassie. Together they opened a unique speakeasy style restaurant, The Jawbone, in White Sulphur Springs. Her contributions are countless, and she will be deeply missed. 

She was preceded in death by her husband John, her parents, and siblings Beatrice, Howard, Gloria, Jane, and Jimmy. 

She is survived by her four daughters: Kelly Haverlandt (Dennis) of Whitefish, Kimberly Durham (Tom) of Missoula, Erica Schatte (Brad) of Kalispell, Jill Lautaret (David) of Whitefish, and grandchildren: Jimmy Millard (Nina), Ashley Millard (Kit), Shane Coburn, Courtney Coburn (Wolfgang), Amber Coburn, Cassie Coburn, June Lautaret, and Harlan Lautaret. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Atticus, Penelope-Rae, and Silas.

Karla will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and musical community. She leaves behind a legacy that will always be remembered.

A viewing will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls with Rosary at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, followed by a memorial service at 2:30 p.m. also at Columbia Mortuary led by Father Stanislaw Rog. A celebration of life will follow at the Whitefish Moose Lodge, of which she was a proud member.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Plentywood on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow in the Parish Hall. Burial will take place Saturday afternoon at Emmaus Cemetery in Wesby, where Karla will be laid to rest next to her parents, grandparents, siblings, and nephew.

The family is being cared for by Austin Funeral Home of Whitefish and Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood.