Joan Talkington

Funeral services for Joan White Talkington, 82, of Ekalaka, MT will be 11:00 a. m. Wednesday, November 24, 2010, in the Chapel of Stevenson Funeral Home in Ekalaka with Pastor Bruce Kolasch officiating. Interment will follow in Beaver Lodge Cemetery at Ekalaka. Visitation will be from 5:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m. Tuesday, November 23rd, at Stevenson Funeral Home in Ekalaka. Visitation will continue on Wednesday, from 9:00 a. m. until the time of service. Joan passed away peacefully on Friday, November 19, 2010, at Jef and Lisa?s home in Ekalaka. Joan Dorothy White Talkington was born September 25, 1928 to Earl Washington and Evelyn Maurine (Finkenbinder) Clay on the family farm in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. She grew up and attended country schools in Northwestern Illinois and graduated from Stockton High School in 1946. After receiving her teaching certificate from Iowa State Teachers? College, Joan?s friend convinced her that they should go west together to teach school. When it came time to leave, the friend chickened out; Joan boarded the train alone at the age of 19. Her first teaching job was at Hilmont School in Fallon County MT. While there, Joan met Walter Willis White Jr. and the two were married on September 11, 1949 at her parent?s home in Stockton, Illinois. After leasing and working on several ranches, the couple made their home on a ranch Southeast of Mill Iron along the edge of the Long Pines. During this time, Joan taught at the Carter School, Pine Hill School and the Coal Creek School while raising five children. When Val and Ed were in high school, Joan and Walt purchased a house in town for Joan and the children to stay during the week to attend school. Every weekend, except for sports, dances, or unshovelable snow, they returned to the ranch. The town house became known as the ?White House?. It was a home away from home for many country kids who needed a place to stay while attending high school. During this time she worked at the Mainline and then went to work at the Carter County Courthouse as the Deputy Clerk and Recorder. On May 20, 1981, Joan married Fallace Talkington in Belle Fourche, SD. The couple made their home in Belle Fourche. However, there weren?t any jobs that could support them so Joan went to Gillette to stay with Lisa and find a job. She found a job on the first day at the first place she went: the Campbell County Courthouse, Clerk & Recorders Office. Joan worked in Gillette and traveled back to Belle Fourche on the weekends until her retirement at which time she made Belle Fourche her full time home. During her years in Belle Fourche, Mike and Carol Talkington were her best friends and confidants. She appreciated the continued family relationships with Mike & Carol Talkington & family, Rhonda & Jerry Peterson & family, Lindsay Talkington & family, and Fallace?s sister Jackie & brother Larry. Joan loved reading, gardening, bird watching, and those ?Loveable Losers? the Chicago Cubs. She could find excitement, joy, happiness, and awe in: the first meadowlark of the spring; morning coffee; a walk along the Belle Fourche River; sledding with her grandchildren; baby ducks; and exploring the road less traveled. She is survived by her sister, Carolyn Steiner; two brothers, Kenny and Don Clay; her children, Lynn (Dave) Williams, Ekalaka MT, Valerie (Tracy) LaBreck, Sheridan WY, Edward White, Bozeman, MT, Alec (Dolores) White, Hoffman Estates, IL and Lisa (Jef) Jourdan, Ekalaka MT: eleven grandchildren, JD (Michelle) Williams, Brad Williams, Amy (Travis) Walker, Kimberly LaBreck, Patrick LaBreck, Devin White, Tyrell White, Amanda White, Heather White, Eric White and Lori White: two great grandchildren, Carter and Blake Williams and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Evelyn Clay, her siblings, Charlie Clay and Earlene Logemann, a grandchild, Michael Walter White, her husband, Fallace Talkington, and her beloved dogs, Tippy and Happy. A memorial has been established.


Click to View Program (PDF)


Burial Date: November 24, 2010
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral Service: Wednesday, Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT