Mabel White

Mabel Clair (Welch) White, 74, of Ekalaka passed away following a heart attack on her mother?s birthday, Wednesday, July 30th, 2003 at Holy Rosary Health Care in Miles City, Montana with her daughter by her side. She was born July 8th, 1929 in Baker, the second child of four born to Theodore and Eileen (Pickens) Welch. The family farmed and had a few head of cattle from a start of two cows given them by their folks. She grew up on the family ranch that was homesteaded by her grandparents in 1915. She graduated from Carter County High School in 1947. Mabel and Harold Whitney were married in 1948 and had three children Roy Allen who died at birth and Linda & Michael. They lived in Miles City, Plevna and finally settling in Broadus before the children were old enough to go to school. Harold died in 1972 and in 1973 Mabel moved to Ekalaka to be closer to her family and lived in the house in town that her Grandfather built. After working at several jobs Mabel started working at the Carter County Museum for the Green Tree program and then on June 1, 1988 became an official employee. In 1974 she married Earl White and later divorced but remained very good friends until his death. Her daughter, Linda came to live with her in 1995 and lived a quiet, contented life. Mabel loved her family and friends. She made quilts that her children and grandchildren have, until she couldn?t anymore because of the pain in her shoulders. She also loved gardening, fishing, her job at the museum and feeding her feathered friends. Mabel was preceded in death by her parents Ted & Eileen Welch; her husbands, Harold Whitney & Earl White; infant son Roy Allen, a sister Barbara Smith and brother Vern Welch. Her loving memory will live with her surviving family, Linda Cuomo of Ekalaka, Michael Whitney of Billings, 2 granddaughters Karen (Jason) Thompson of Lincoln, Nebraska and Michelle (Elwin) of Broadus and 3 great-grandchildren, Devon Grant & Brenden Thompson and Colton Grant and Karen expecting a future grandchild at the end of March 2004; her older sister Fern Kombrec of Spokane, Washington her honorary brother Curt Wilson and her quilting friends Jane Logan, Mary Carter and her gardening friend LaVerne Peabody all of Ekalaka; 2 sister-in-laws Mary & Catherine Whitney & brother-in-law Lester Whitney; many nieces & nephews all of whom she loved so dearly; her step children, RoxAnne, Brett, Loralee. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Carter County Museum. Visitation hours will begin on Monday, August 4th, from 1 pm ? 6 pm at the Stevenson Funeral Home. Funeral Services will take place on Tuesday, August 5th, 2003, at 11 am at the Ekalaka Bible Church. Mabel will be buried at the Welch Family Cemetery with her mother, father, & brother. A lunch will be held after the funeral service in the church basement followed by the burial.


Burial Date: August 5, 2003
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral: Tuesday, Ekalaka Bible Church, Ekalaka