Betty Schall, 99

Betty Mae Schall of Arlee, Mom, was born at the Elmore Hospital in Missoula on Jan. 20, 1925, to Elmer and Della Wemple. She was proud that her dad, living on top of Evaro Hill at the time, flagged the train down to board his pregnant wife so she could travel to the local hospital to bring their little girl into the world.

Mom truly led a lively, colorful life. She lost her real mom to leukemia when she was 5 years old and went to live in the Florence-Carlton area south of Missoula with her Gramma Rose and Grampa Lew. She told many stories of when she was a little girl, living with her grandparents.

Mom moved back to the Jocko Valley when her dad met and married her "mother," Ruth.

Mom attended grade and high school in Arlee, earning a scholarship to Northwestern Business University (later known as Kinman Business University), in Spokane. She met and married Noel Weary in 1945, moved to the Tampa, Fla., area, living there for two years, before eventually divorcing and moving back to the Jocko Valley.

In August of 1948, Mom married her high school sweetheart, our dad, Billy Schall, in a double ring ceremony in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, following a rodeo in Sandpoint. Mom and Dad built their first Iog house on Schall Flats, welcoming son Rodney Jay in 1951.

Mom was the primary chauffeur for Dad on the highways following the rodeo circuit, and was also a timer in the announcer’s stand in a lot of the rodeos that Dad competed in.

In 1953, Mom gave birth to a little dark-haired beauty named Nancy Jo. Mom packed those two little tykes, accompanying Dad across the U.S. by car with another couple and their two littles from their home to New York's Madison Square Garden and Boston Gardens in 1956 for the World Finals Rodeo. She told many stories of their adventures there.

In 1959, Mom and Dad had another little girl, Tracy Kay. The family moved from the Jocko Valley in 1963 to the lower Jocko Valley, eventually building a couple of houses, including an A-frame, west of Ravalli. Mom helped Dad in his logging business, learning to run a chainsaw to bump knots; she could drive a truck, and baled Christmas trees in the fall of the year.

Mom worked various office jobs for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes including at Dixon at the Old Agency, Kicking Horse Job Corps, Indian Health Service, Mission Valley Power and Tribal Credit.

Mom and Dad missed the Jocko Valley, eventually rebuilding and moving back to the Schall Flats area on the west side of the Jocko River. Their home burned and lives were tragically lost. Determination and grit prevailed, and they built another smaller "slab" house very near where the other house had burned.

Mom became a widow in 1995. She had a few cows that she took care of, some chickens, a dog or two, cats, housed a horse or two at different times, and most recently had become fond of guinea fowl.

She officially retired when she was 68 years old, working part time for Tribal Credit until she was 73. She bought herself a four-wheeler when she was 70-plus years and learned to ride it, having a mishap or two along the way. She was a survivor, beating breast cancer in her 70s and a fractured hip in her early 90s.

Mom was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in February 2024 and was quite impressed when she would receive a congratulatory letter from Senator Tester.

On June 4, Mom took a critical step, falling and crushing the hip that had been pinned 8 years prior. There are stories of our mother that would make your hair stand up, of which we will reserve for her private memorial service – ha!

On the morning of Sept. 1, 2024, Mom relaxed and decided that we could probably manage by ourselves. She passed peacefully with her granddaughter, Madeline, at her bedside.

Mom was preceded in death by her father, Elmer, mother Della, stepmother Ruth, brother Donald, sister Alvina, brother Lewis, sister LeeJean, husband Billy and son Rodney Jay.

Survivors include her daughters, Nancy of St. Ignatius and Tracy of Valley Creek; grandchildren by order of birth – Shawna, Kelly, Nich'e, Madeline, Clay and Numa; many great grandchildren and a handful of great-great grandchildren; nephew Steve; and many extended family members along with many wonderful friends. Private services have been arranged.

Messages of condolences may be shared with the family online at lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com.

Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.