Lillian Stephenson, 99

Lillian (Johnson) Stephenson died peacefully in her sleep at age 99 on Jan. 5, 2024.

She was born on July 25, 1924, in Polson to Carl and Marie Johnson who had recently arrived from Siberia north of the Arctic Circle where they had a trading post and where their first child, Chester was born. Carl had a homestead in Polson, so they decided to move here and raise their new family. Lillian was born two years later, followed by sisters Helen (McClellan) and Gloria (Violette), and then Gene Johnson. 

Lillian's childhood was spent on the family fox farm just north of town on Sunny Slope hill. In 1939 her father died leaving her mother to raise the five children as best she could. Coming from Russia, she was just learning English and life was a struggle just to get by. Her story has been written in a book called "Cup of Tears." 

Lillian graduated from Polson High School in 1942. Later she helped gather historical information for a book on one-room schoolhouses in the area, which she enjoyed doing. She moved to Seattle during the war and worked as a nanny for a family there. Later she worked for a trucking company as a bookkeeper for many years. 

She met her husband, Jack Stephenson, in Seattle at an ice-skating rink and they were married in 1946. They raised their family in Seattle and divorced in 1968. Lillian moved back to Polson in 1998 and built a house on Johnson Point where she lived until she passed. 

Lillian had many friends and loved to joke around with people. She attended the Journey Be Church for many years. She loved to go to the public market and visit with all the people there.

Lillian's other interests included music (she played the piano and clarinet) and she always supported her children learning instruments. She loved horses and had a black stallion named Nevada when she was young.

One year she was the Polson Rodeo Queen and won a beautiful saddle for selling the most tickets, which was recently donated to the Polson Museum. She also loved the old cowboy movies and her favorite hero was Hopalong Cassidy.

She took up walking in 5K races when she was 60 and then started running because she said the runners got better prizes. She loved winning things and entered all kinds of contests, many of which she won. She called herself Lucky Lil. 

Lillian travelled a lot and visited many countries all over the world with her longtime companion, Clyde Morrell from Seattle. She especially loved going to Russia where she could visit the relatives who still lived there and hosted some of them here in Polson and in Seattle. Her last visit there was in 2016 with her daughter, Janice; they went on a Viking Cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. She made friends everywhere she went who she stayed in touch with.

Lillian requested no services be held, but that her ashes be spread over her beloved Mission Mountains.

She is survived by her brother, Gene Johnson; her daughter, Janice Myers; her sons, Gary Stephenson and Rick Stephenson; her granddaughter, Jenny Scharringhausen; and four great-grandchildren, Alisa, Molly, Kenton and Kyle.