ELIZABETH (FISKE) PITMAN Obituary (1920

Elizabeth (Betty) Fiske Pitman passed from this world to be with her beloved Joe (Joseph Russell) at Mountain View Manor in Eureka on November 6, 2014. Betty was born May 1, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts and shortly after moved with her parents John and Helen Fiske of Helena, Montana. Betty grew up in a tiny Milwaukee railroad town named Eustis, Montana just 2 miles north of Three Fork, Montana and 10 miles upstream (Missouri River) from Sixteen Mile Creek where her future husband Joe was raised. The two would not meet until 1936 when Joe, working for the railroad had dinner at the Fiske home. Joe and Betty Pitman were married on July 4, 1939. They began their lives together in Gardener, Montana where their first born son Darrell was born. They moved to Tooele, Utah around 1941 and there another son Fred was born. In 1946 Joe and Betty purchased the power and light company in Winnett, Montana where born to them in 1946 was their daughter Susan. Together they built the Winnett locker plant and creamery. Because they had to keep the power generators running 24hrs a day, travel was restricted to just around the neighborhood. In 1949 Joe's engineering company accepted the job of designing and staking the original power system for Lincoln Electric Cooperative in north Lincoln County, Montana. Betty (Bink) was Joe's "flagger" staking the original power line on foot from West Valley near Kalispell to Eureka. In 1950 Joe accepted the managerial job at the Cooperative and he and Betty moved their young family to Eureka. Betty and the other "coop" wives were very active in the social affairs of Lincoln Electric, making sure the member Annual Meetings and the yearly staff Christmas party went off without a hitch. While in Eureka their 4th child Roger was born. Betty joined the Eastern Star in Eureka and was very active as a member and in leadership. Betty was an excellent seamstress all her life and made clothes for the family including suits for Joe. She reupholstered furniture mostly for friends and family. Betty was a very good carpenter (her grandfather, Eugene Fiske, was a well-known builder in Helena, building among other things, the Montana Club and Power Block) and in 1960 she decided to remodel the bedrooms in the house. She knocked out the walls and added a hallway. She plastered over two doorways and finished and painted it all by herself. Joe mostly just stayed out of her way. Betty and Joe enjoyed camping and fishing with children and grandchildren and traveled mostly in Montana where their family roots go back to 1874. Grandchildren loved sleepovers at gram-pa and gram-ma's house and camping in the pop-up tent or the Mini Winnie. Betty was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eureka. There she was a Sunday school class president. She also worked in the Relief Society and Primary programs of the church. She also worked extensively in the church's Family History Center during their post-retirement years in Kalispell. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Joe, daughter-in-law Sherrilyn, grandson Corey, sister Herva and husband Jim, sister Mary Gail and husband Andy, and sister in law Sylvia. Betty is survived by her children Darrell and wife Alice of Eureka, Fred and wife Helen of Mesa, Arizona, Susan and husband Harold of Sierra Vista, Arizona, Roger and wife Barbara of Eureka; brothers John (Jack) Fiske of Seattle, Washington; Sam Fiske and wife Betty of Minneapolis, Minnesota; 27 grandchildren, 90 great grandchildren and 16 great great grandchildren. Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 21, 2014 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eureka. Family suggests memorials to Good Samaritan Society - Mountain View Manor nursing home, P.O. Box 327, Eureka, MT 59917 or charity of your choice. Online memories and condolences may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.