Darlene Fay Engelking Moderie
RONAN — Darlene Fay Engelking Moderie was born in Great Falls on Dec. 3, 1941, to Josephine and William Engelking, and went to be with our Lord on Feb. 10, 2012. She graduated from Great Falls High in 1959 and moved to Missoula to attend St. Patrick’s Nursing School. She met Robert Wayne Moderie there and after a year, she left school and moved back to Great Falls to be married. Robert and Darlene were married on Aug. 6, 1960.
She worked as a telephone operator in Great Falls for a year, and then she and Robert moved to Ronan where she worked at Anthony’s Department Store and Robert took a job at Plum Creek Lumber Company. She then had the first of her four children and proceeded to work in several jobs throughout her life.
In 1977, her youngest daughter Sonya contracted Reye’s syndrome when she had chicken pox.
Darlene and Robert were instrumental in getting a warning placed on all children’s aspirin and Tylenol products regarding the use of these products when the person has a virus such as the flu or chicken pox. She was a telephone operator, a 411-directory assistance telephone operator, an office manager for Western Seed and Supply, and co-creator of the Lake County 911 system. She loved working as a dispatcher for the cities of Ronan, and Polson, and all of Lake County. In 1991, she moved to Helena to be with her developmentally disabled daughter Sonya.
She worked as a dispatcher for the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s department for a short time. She then went to work for the Montana Newspaper Association and finally retired at age 60 due to failing health.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her parents-in-law, and her granddaughter Kassandra. She is survived by her husband, Robert of Helena; sons Scott (Belinda) of Ronan and Shane (Shelley) of Hamilton; her daughters Sheryl (Jim) and Sonya of Helena; her grandsons Kyle (Sapphire), Chris (Kacie), Kody (Sheena), Marcus (Shallie), and Darrel; her two brothers Darrel and Doug (Madeline); two foster daughters Debbie and Crystal; her great-grandson and numerous nephews and cousins.
Cremation has taken place and a service will be held in late spring or early summer to celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in Darlene’s name at the Helena Community Credit Union for the Special Olympics of Montana.
