Wilma Margaret “Billie” Fleming West
POLSON — The family of Wilma Margaret “Billie” Fleming West, 88, of Polson, announces the passing of their sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. We mourn the loss of her presence with us, but celebrate her life of work, play, motherhood, and love.
Billie passed away on Tuesday, May 24, at St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan.
Billie was born in Indianola, Neb., in 1922 to Louis and Ruth Vontz. Little “Willie” was the fourth child of four girls and one brother and lost her parents early in life. In 1939, having completed high school, Billie attended a dance in central Nebraska, danced to the music of the Jimmy Fleming Band and fell in love with the band leader. Billie danced through life from that moment on.
On a golden August day in 1941, a black haired beauty arrived in Pablo with her mother-in-law (Mable) and Jim. An immigrant car carried the tools of farmers including two Nebraska workhorses. The newlyweds moved west to escape the ravages of the Great Depression and drought and soon established a successful farm on the edge of Pablo.
Jim and Billie were blessed with 11 children over the next 20 years. Billie reveled in raising her children; making the best cinnamon rolls in the valley, and using a pressure cooker to feed her large family.
Billie loved music and enjoyed singing in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church choir in Ronan and the Polson Sweet Adelines. Her sense of style and homemaking skills placed her as a finalist in the Mrs. Montana competition and as a model in Fresno, Calif., at annual charity fashion shows.
Supporting and advising husband, Jim, as he served in the Montana Legislature was a highlight of Billie’s life. She loved meeting people and they always loved Billie.
Billie’s first marriage ended in 1976 with the death of her dear Jim and she turned to dealing with her loss and maintaining the family farm in Pablo. She completed her duties in raising children and spent the next few years traveling and working for Community Concerts. Soon, she had caught the eye of a handsome cowboy doctor who happened to be the father of her daughter-in-law, Lydia. In 1981, Billie and the second love of her life, Robert West, were married in Carmel, Cali..
Billie and Bob lived primarily in Fresno, but she never missed a summer on Flathead Lake at the family cabin. Billie loved her grandchildren and had many to love, but also loved her new life with its freedoms to travel and see the world. They spent their lifetime traveling to rodeos around the West and ski trips to Europe. She expressed her sense of public duty by serving on hospital boards both for St. Luke in Ronan and St. Agnes in Fresno.
Always an outdoor person, Billie found time to hike the Mission Mountains, Glacier Park, and in later years, long exercise walks. Her excursions into the mountains with her Ronan huckleberry pals highlighted late summer days. Long journeys into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, led by husband Bob, a lifelong packer, showed how tough Billie really was. In winter, she loved to ski the slopes of Montana, California, and occasionally Europe.
In addition to her husband, Bob, and sister Ruth Vontz, Billie is survived by her 11 children, Mary (Tom) Weaver of Houston, Texas, James Fleming III of Polson, Joan (Bob) Hardie of Seattle, Wash., John (Lydia) Fleming of St. Ignatius, Pat (Charlene) Fleming of Pablo, Peg (Mike) Hertz of Missoula, Greg Fleming of Pablo, Neil Fleming of Pablo, Ann Fleming of Ronan, Kate (Greg) Hertz of Polson, Elizabeth (Greg) Collins of Polson; three stepchildren, Lydia (John) Fleming of St. Ignatius, Dulce (Dick) Zoellner of Whitefish, and Russell (Mary) West of Imbler, Ore.; 28 grandchildren, Joel Weaver, Christine (Pete) Trammell, Molly Weaver, Cindy Fleming (Keith) Johnson, Thomas (Amanda) Fleming, Brad (Jennifer) Thompson, Erik (Stephanie) Thompson, Craig (Lydia) Thompson, Theresa (Glenn) Kaleta, Louis Fleming, Will (Brandi Ellefsen) Fleming, Ian Fleming, Lisa Fleming, Chris Fleming, Derik (Elise) Fleming, Ryan (Desiree) Hertz, Stefani (Garrett Irvine) Hertz, Sarah Hertz, Jacob Fleming, Nathan (Gretchen) Fleming, Jennifer Johnson (Mike) Hendrickson, Shannon (Vanessa) Johnson, Kristin Hertz, Matthew Hertz, Adam (Brittni Friia) Hertz, Clyde Collins, and Maxwell Collins; 24 great-grandchildren, Caroline, Billy, and Jefferson Trammell, Chance, Ashley, and Brady Johnson, Olivia and Elijah Fleming, Bailey and Braden Thompson, McKlain and Keaton Thompson, Copper and Kerrigan Thompson, Katie and Ella Kaleta, Hana and Ryland Hertz, Issac and Isaiah Fleming, Emma and Casey Fleming, Cashton Henrickson, and Braeden Coleman; four step-grandchildren, Carine (Steve) Schlesinger, Guy (Keagan) Zoellner, Nick West, and Reva West; a step-great grandchild, Kinley Schlesinger.
Billie is preceded in death by her first husband James Fleming, Jr., sisters Helen Morris and Marie Davis, a brother, Louis J. Vontz, a son-in-law, Owen Thompson, and a grandson, James “Jimmy” F. Fleming IV.
Billie lived her life with grace and class and died in peace surrounded in love. The family would like to thank the Comfort Keepers of Kalispell, the St. Joseph Retirement Community, and St. Luke Hospital for the excellent and thoughtful care in Mom’s last days and years.
In lieu of flowers, Billie’s family has asked that donations be made to the Holy Cross Center for Women in Fresno, Cali., SAFE Harbor, the St. Luke Foundation, the Mission Valley Aquatics, or to an organization of the donor’s choosing.
Services were held in Ronan May 27-28.
Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. The staff of Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory, Polson, considers it a privilege to care for Billie’s family.
