Wilma Leona Dougherty Conley

Wilma Leona Dougherty Conley

I was born at home on the farm near Guernsey, Iowa, on July 28, 1911, right across the road from my paternal grandparents' farm and during the horse-and-buggy days. I was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Lee Robert and Esther Jeanette (Sanders) Dougherty. My siblings were Mary Ellen, George James, John Perry, Edna Naomi, Ida Mae and Clarence Lee. I was the only child without a middle name, so was able to choose my own later in life.

I attended first grade in the little country school close by. During that year, all the schools within a 6-mile radius consolidated and built a new state-of-the-art school in Guernsey, Iowa. They were still in the building stage when I was in second grade, so we had class in an old general store building that my father owned, and other classes were in other empty buildings around town. My father was also president of the school board.

The classes moved into the new school in August that year, so I started third grade there. That November, the students were all told to go downtown for some great excitement — the Armistice Treaty had been signed ending World War I! I still remember the little ditty they all chanted, "Kaiser Bill went up the hill to take a look at France, Kaiser Bill went down the hill with bullets in his pants."

My junior year, the family moved to Brooklyn, Iowa, where I graduated from Brooklyn High School in 1928 at the age of 16. For the next few years, I worked various jobs, then moved to Malcom, Iowa, where I met and married Clark Vernon Fogel.

We had two sons during the Great Depression and the Dirty Thirties: Donald Lee and James Lew. Our family moved to Havre, Mont., in 1941, and the marriage ended in 1943. The boys and I moved back to Iowa for a bit, but I moved back to Havre to marry Paul Henry Conley in 1944. Paul happily adopted Don and Jim, and two daughters were added to the family: Joan and Colleen.

I kept house for the family, which once included a stepdaughter, Pauline, and her family. We lost Paul to a long fight with cancer in 1959, and I stayed in place to raise our daughters at 514 and 518 2nd St, and I started work as a cook at the Deaconess Hospital when all my children were grown and had left home. I cooked there until I retired in 1974, and then moved on to cook at the Havre Senior Center until 1982.

Active in the Van Orsdel Methodist Church, I enjoyed participating in the women's circles and ran the kitchen there for a few years. I also enjoyed my time in Eastern Star, and was Worthy Grand Matron in 1974-75.

Cooking was a passion of mine, I cooked for family, friends, church and work, and I hope I am well-known for my tasty meals, decorated birthday cakes and wonderful desserts. I loved to sew, and made all my daughters' clothes growing up. They would draw what they wanted, and I would just make it! I also sewed all my own clothes, and even a few coats, and I was very happy to sew wedding dresses for four of my granddaughters.

I also enjoyed crocheting, and made many a small item such as floppy dogs, Christmas stockings, purses and stuffed toys. I made all my children and grandchildren afghans, each meticulously designed and highly personalized by myself.

I did enjoy a bit of traveling, mostly around the United States, by car, train and plane. I made a long car trip one year with my friend, Mildred, and saw most of the country by car. One granddaughter and I took a vacation every year from 1996 to 2009, sometimes with other granddaughters and family tagging along, and I have taken many trips with other family and by myself. Paul had been a train engineer, so I really enjoyed traveling by train.

I passed away March 27, 2013, at Horizon Hospice Home in Billings, Mont.

I am survived by my children: Don (Barb) of Havre, Jim (Marsha) of Centerville, Del., Joan (Gary) Gaspard of Pensacola, Fla., Colleen (Barry) Wright of Billings, former daughter-in-law Frances Conley of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and two stepdaughters, Florence Kline and Pauline Wilson; 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, Cathy (Ken) Kihara, Ruth (Rick) Lagerquist and their children, Stefanie (Brent) Reay and Christopher (Melissa) Lagerquist, Chuck (Connie) Conley and their daughter, Angela and Sara, Mike Conley, Carol (Grant) Sather and their sons Jeremy (Megan) and Jordan (Jackie) and son Jaxon, Donald (Miranda) Conley, Connie Conley, Bonnie (Doug) Sims, Joe (Tracy) Gaspard; and children Ava and Grady, Amanda (David) Kelly and children Calista and Jace, Michelle (Michael) Churchill and daughter Katlyn, and Nicole McCausland and her daughter Olivia; six step-grandsons, Joseph, Paul and Stephen Kline and Michael, Randy and Robert Wilson, and their families; five great-great-grandchildren: Alexander, Andrew and Annalise Lagerquist and Katelynn and Adrianna Reay, with one more on the way.

I was preceded in death by my parents, siblings, husband Paul, and granddaughters, Jill Gaspard Shaughnessy and Mary Conley Nivens.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Monday, April 1, at Hope United Methodist Church, 244 Wicks Lane, Billings, with a luncheon to follow. The cremated remains will be lovingly interred at a later date.

Arrangements are in the care of Dahl Funeral Chapel and memories may be shared with the family at http://www.dahlfuneralchapel.com.