Gladys Mary (Limke) Tavary

Gladys Mary (Limke) Tavary died peacefully in her sleep during the predawn hours on July 14, 2010. In Helena, Mont. She was a beautiful and bright 85-year-old woman.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, John W. and Viola Limke; her sister, Geraldine Coryell and Gerry's husband Dale Coryell; her sister Lucille's husband, C.A. "Tig" Durocher; and their son, Wayne Durocher.

Gladys was also preceded in death by her infant daughter, Rosemary; nine unborn children; and granddaughters, Indigo Beyer and Jersy Nicole Tavary. Also, beating her to the pearly gates was her husband Arthur's parents, Anthony and Antoinette (Pizzo) Tavary; Arthur's brother, Michael; sister, Juanita and her husband, Nash Scalese; brothers-in-law, Irving St . John and Bi l l Hubbard; and sister-in-law, Mary (Raymond) Tavary. There are many more than we can name there to welcome her home.

Gladys is survived by her spouse of 64 years, Arthur Tavary; son, Rick (Linda) Tavary; son, John (Diana) Tavary; and daughter, Annie (Barb Allen) Tavary, all of Helena; as well as son Jim (Karen) Tavary of Wisconsin; and daughters, Beth (Lyle) Courtnage and Mary (Bruce) McLain of Havre, Mont .; and finally, son, Greg (Meredith) Tavary of Minnesota. She is also survived by her sister, Lucille Durocher of Cut Bank, Mont.

Her legacy of love continues to flourish in her 26 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren of Montana, Oregon, Las Vegas, M i n n e s o t a , Wi s c o n s i n a n d Arizona. She has many wonder ful nieces and nephews, too.

Gladys was born May 30, 1925, to John W. and Viola (Sartwell) Limke.

Because her dad had a nomadic spirit, Gladys and her sisters, Lucy and Gerry, lived and schooled in many towns and states to include Sunburst, Chinook, Fort Peck and Malta, as well as California and Cheyenne, Wyo.

It was in Cheyenne, at Fort Warren where Gladys worked for the U.S. Army, that she met Sgt. Arthur Gabriel Tavary. As she tells it, she fell in love with Arthur the first time she saw him. It was not long before she reeled him in, and they were married in Nashua, Mont., on Nov. 30, 1946. They would have been married 64 years in November. They raised their children and lived out their love in Cut Bank and Malta, Mont., with a short time in Arthur's hometown of Baytown, Texas.

Momma was too homesick so far away, and Daddy brought her back to Montana where it became his home as well.

Gladys was first of all a devoted, attentive, trusting and vociferous child of God. God was her first love, and their intimate relationship imbued her life and that of her family. She was a prayer powerhouse, as evidenced by the pages of prayers written in her hand for literally hundreds of people — family, friends and strangers alike.

Second she was a committed wife.

She never waivered in her love of Arthur, no matter what life threw at them. They stood by each other in the best of times and the worst of times, as they vowed they would. In these last several years Gladys was in excruciating pain, but she never stopped smiling, never lost her sense of humo r and c ont inuous l y expressed her love and gratitude to Arthur for the care he gave her which was constant these last months. She was overheard saying, "I love you, Arthur. I have always loved you.

I know I love you, but sometimes it hits me so hard, it takes my breath away and almost knocks me over. It washes over me like a wave." This was their love. Arthur stood by Gladys these last weeks as a devoted, tender, loving husband. Nothing deterred him from her care. The night of her death, he slept beside her, wrapping her in love thus she felt safe enough to let go of this life to move into the next. It was easy to see the God light in their relationship.

Third, Gladys was a mother to eight children, grandmother to 26 and great-grandmother to

30. She delighted, thrilled and lived to be a mother. It was her calling, and she followed it with undeniable passion and zeal.

Momma was an impeccable housekeeper, working into the wee hours of the morning to finish her work, then, getting up to make us buttered toast, hot chocolate and orange juice for breakfast. She let us run, play, explore and grow in common sense through our experiences.

Momma could be strict and was the disciplinarian, but she did it all with great love and would never have intentionally hurt any one not even the most fragile being. She walked beside us on every path we took, sometimes to her chagrin, but her love was unconditional. Being a grandma and great-grandma was her forte.

She had coloring pages, crafts, finger paints and rocks for all kinds of projects. The basement floor was a kaleidoscope of colors. Momma didn't just give the little ones projects; she was right in the middle of it all. She had as much or more fun than any of them. She never lost her childlike spirit. The grands and greats used to sit on the counters in the kitchens or lay on top of them snuggled in their blankets watching her cook and bake. She was the Super Nintendo champion and was often called upon to help the kids get through challenging parts of Mario, Donkey Kong and Bust-a-Move. She conquered all the levels of each in record time. Every day of Momma's life and every waking moment these past years, she wrapped all of us, child, great and grand alike, in her prayers.

When she was healthier, she never forgot a birthday, anniversary, death or holiday, and she sent a card for each occasion to all of us as well as her extended family and friends.

Not being able to reach out with greeting cards and letters was extremely frustrating for her, so prayers became the Hallmark of her life and the greetings she sent to our souls.

Two of Momma's gi f ts, among others, were baking and cooking. Innumerable families in Cut Bank were blessed by her baking ministry. At Christmas, Easter and whenever anyone was down on their luck, whether Momma knew them or not, members of the community received homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies. Daddy had to deliver them, because Momma did not like the attention. She was famous for preserving the Italian spaghetti recipe passed on to her from Daddy's mother.

Also, she took great joy in baking the communion bread for St. Margaret's Catholic Church in Cut Bank. She passed on the recipe to children and adults alike. She added extra honey to flavor the bread because she understood the sweet love of Jesus and the Gospel message.

Momma had fun baking. It made her happy to make others happy. It was an extension of her calling to motherhood after we kids grew up.

Gladys was a child of God, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and lover of life. She was all God called her to be, and she reveled in every moment. Gladys made peace with all things in her life, asked forgiveness to as many as she could in person for her human faults and any hurt she caused and — for those to whom she did not speak personally — she asked within her heart. She forgave all whom she perceived to hurt her, and in these last weeks Momma was a woman with peace of heart, soul, mind and emotion. There was so much she could not do these last years, but now she is free to dance, laugh, run and play without pain and with no regret. We love you, Momma, and we will miss you, but we are ecstatic to have you completely healthy and whole with God, Rosemary, Jerseygirl, Indigo, your parents, Gerry and so many more than can be named that have preceded you in death. Stay close to us. Make yourself known to each of us, especially Daddy and thank you for the gift you have been in all of our lives.

Gladys' family received friends from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 18, 2010, at Retz Funeral Home. A vigil service followed at 5 p.m. at Retz. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. Monday, July 19, 2010, a t S t . Ma r y ' s Ca t h o l i c Community Church. Burial will follow the Mass at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison. A reception will be held at St. Mary's immediately after the burial. Arrangements are entrusted to Retz Funeral Home in Helena. To offer a condolence to Glady's family or to share a memory of Glady, please visit http://www.retzfuneralhome. com.