VIOLA NESS

HINGHAM - Viola E. Ness, 75, died Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2003, at a Havre hospital from complications of Parkinson's disease.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hingham Lutheran Church. Burial of ashes will be later this spring at the Kuper Memorial Cemetery in Chinook.

Viola was born March 18, 1927, at Chester to Estella Jesse Skonord and Percy F. Pimley. She was raised on the Pimley homestead north of Joplin and received her formal education at Joplin and Power. In 1943, she moved to Seattle to work as a riverter for Boeing during World War II. About two years later, she moved back to Joplin to help her mother, who was recovering from surgery.

Vi met and married Erwin "Swede" Carlson in 1948. The initially lived in Joplin and Glasgow, where he husband worked in construction. They eventually moved to Hingham, where they operated a machine shop. Vi worked as a homemaker and mother to their four sons. The marriage later ended in divorce.

Vi continued to live in Hingham, where she worked as a cook at the school for several years. In the early 1970s, she accepted a position as postmaster at the Hingham post office. She was later transferred to Libby, where she continued to work as a postal clerk.

While working in Libby, Viola met Ron Ness, who was formerly from Chinook. They were married on Dec. 31, 1979, at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They remained in Libby, where Vi worked for the Postal Service until her health began to fail in 1985. They decided to move back to the Hi-Line in 1992, so they bought a home in Hingham. She lived there until moving to the Northern Montana Care Center in Havre three years ago.

Viola enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, crocheting and reading. In her quiet time, she liked to do crossword and jigsaw puzzles, play the organ and guitar, and paint freehand scenic landscapes. Vi also enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, where she could study the geology and collect rock specimens during her explorations. She also enjoyed attending rummage sales.

Viola was preceded in death by her parents and five brothers, Anson, Orville, Francis "Ike", Jesse, and Percy "Tiny" Pimley.

Survivors include her husband of 23 years, Ron Ness of Hingham; sons, Dwight (Sandy) Carlson of Kelso, Wash., Kelly (Julia) Carlson of Littleton, Colo., Stuart (Linda) Carlson of Troy and Loren (Ronda) Carlson of Havre; stepchildren, Penny (Dennis) Heilman of Lewiston, Idaho, and Rod (Sheila) Pilkington of Clarkston Wash.; brothers, Vern and Donald Pimley of Joplin; sister, Joyce Easton of Helena; 12 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; many nephews and nieces; and her pet poodle, Toby.

Arrangements are by Rockman Funeral Chapel, Chester.