Beverly Dellwo
RONAN — Beverly Jean Dellwo, 89, passed away on Dec. 22, 2023, at St Luke Hospital. She was born on Oct. 21, 1934, in Kalispell to George and Dorothy (Lykins) Hardie. They resided in Ronan where she attended school. She learned at an early age that life is not always fair. In 1936 she lost her baby sister, Ramona Rae, in a house fire and in 1944 her dad was killed in action in France during WWII.
Beverly married Derald Dellwo at an early age and together they had nine children. While raising the kids, she worked various jobs, sometimes having two or three at the same time to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. She was a strong and determined lady. Her stress relief was scrubbing floors on her hands and knees after everyone was in bed.
One of Beverly’s jobs was at St. Luke Hospital where she started out in the basement doing the laundry and then was approached about a position in the Lab, which would require on-the-job training to be certified as a Lab Technician. She took it and never left until her retirement in 2010. She was at St. Luke’s for over 40 years with many of her co-workers becoming lifelong friends.
She had many adventures starting with her first trip east of the Rockies in 1979. She took Nina with her on the Greyhound Bus from Missoula to Columbia, South Carolina, and let’s just say she was a changed woman when she got back. In 1982, she traveled to Germany to visit her son, Jim, and family and Switzerland to see her sister Delores. They all traveled to France to visit her and Delores’ father’s grave at Epinal American Cemetery, fulfilling one of her wishes.
One of her crazier adventures was going with her friend Barbara Knudsen to see the polar bears out on the tundra near Manitoba Canada. She said you could have touched their noses from inside the tundra buggy. She enjoyed numerous road trips over the years with Bud Willard and other friends and family.
Beverly always enjoyed visits from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren along with going and watching their concerts and sporting events. She had such an enjoyment of her garden and flowers each year… she always made a trip to Kalispell to Hooper’s to pick out her plants and was like a kid in a candy store.
Beverly was preceded in death by her husband; parents; sister, Ramona Rae; brother, George; a grandson; and her good friend, Bud Willard.
Beverly is survived by her children, Jim (Sue) of North Pole, Arkansas, Nicholas (Karen) of Polson, Theresa Hakes (Bernard) of Ronan, Thomas (Laura Driscoll) of Missoula, Mary Ann Virts (Dale) of Missoula, Kay Sundh (Chuck) of Kalispel, Kathy (Jerry) McElderry of Ronan, Dennis of Pablo, Nina Hebnes (Bob) of Missoula; 15 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren; sisters, Delores VanOmmen of Great Falls and Donna Collins of Ronan; brother, Bill Dellwo of Spokane; and sister-in-law, Mayme Hardie of Missoula.
Celebration of Life Services will be held for Beverly Dellwo at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Ronan Community Center.
The family would like to thank the staff at St. Luke Hospital for their care and compassion for Beverly.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials be made to St. Luke Community Healthcare Foundation, Ronan Food Pantry, or the donor’s choice. Messages of condolences may be shared with the family online at: www.shriderthompson.com.
Arrangements are under the care of Shrider-Thompson Funeral Home.
