Shirley A Fewer, 84, passed away during the early morning hours of Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow, Montana. A private graveside service will be held at a later date.
Although her birth certificate said April 29, Mom always claimed that she was born on April 27, 1939, to Lloyd and Mary (Lemp) Tribby. She attended school in Dodson, Montana, graduating in 1957 at the head of her class. The Dodson School Superintendent always told her that she wasn’t valedictorian because she was so smart; it was just that the rest of the class was so dumb!
Mom married Dad, William “Bill” Fewer on September 1, 1956. They made their home in Havre, Montana where Dad worked outside the home and Mom opted to stay home and take care of the kids and the household. Mom and Dad welcomed all six of their kids while living in Havre: Marie, James, FayeAnn, Paula (who died at birth), Ronald, and Richard. In the summer of 1964, Dad’s job with Great Northern Railroad transferred him to Glasgow so they moved their family to the home out on Skylark Road where they had a huge garden and raised a multitude of animals.
During the summers while us kids were growing up, the whole family traveled to O-Mok-Sees. We drove in our crew cab truck with the big overhead storage rack, hauling our horses around the state and to many other states. What adventures we had and we met so many amazing and wonderful people. Mom and Dad were also 4-H leaders for many years.
In 1979, Mom and Dad moved into town where they took over the operation of the Star Lodge Motel which they then purchased in 1980. They added on to the motel so that it had triple the number of rooms it had when they bought it and triple the amount of work. They lived at the motel for over 30 years and worked very hard to make it into the successful business it became. Mom cleaned rooms, did all the laundry, waited on customers, unclogged toilets; anything that needed to be done she would do. She always said that she had friends all over the country but she hardly knew anyone in Glasgow! She loved the Motel and all of the friends she made while running it.
In 2013, Mom sold the Motel and moved into the house that she and Dad had bought a few years earlier. Mom loved to read, to watch the birds in her front yard and Jeopardy on TV, to work crossword puzzles and word searches, to listen to music, to watch Griz football games, but mostly she loved visits from family and friends. She collected angels, nativity sets, mini tea sets and anything Griz or John Deere!
Mom is survived by four of her six children: Marie (Dave) Pippin, FayeAnn Cummings, Ronald (Tammy) Fewer, and Richard (Marlo) Fewer and her daughter-in-law Jennifer Fewer. She has eight grandchildren, Jen Hood (Garrett Collins), Jaime (Jeremy) Nickels, Alyson (Travis) Dunkle, Kayla (Drew) Thomas, Greg (Laurel) Fewer, Emma Fewer, Jason Cummings, and Mary Fewer. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Caty, Chloe, Isabelle, Brekken, Rebecca, Abby, Ava, Brooks, and Baby Boy Fewer, and two step-grandchildren, Colton (Staci) and Kayla Hughes. Her brother, Jim (Sally) Tribby; sister, June Cornell, and sister-in-law, Shirley Tribby survive her as well as a special niece Sue (Mark) Hungerford, special friends Shelley Mills and Joe French, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Fewer; her oldest son, James; infant daughter, Paula; her parents, Lloyd and Mary Tribby; brothers, George and Pete Tribby and sisters, Vi Hoover and Frances Dopp.
Mom was a loving wife; a great Mom, Grandma, and Grandma-Great; a wonderful friend; an extremely hard worker, and a very special lady whom we will miss every day for the rest of our lives. She was fiercely proud and loved every one of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids and we were equally as proud and loved her back just as much. Gone but not forgotten; Godspeed Mom. Condolences may be left for the family at bellmortuarymontana.com.
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Karen H Link says
To the family of Shirley Fewer
God bless you all ! We have been blessed to have had such wonderful parents. I am so sorry for your loss. What a great person,loving mother ,grandmother and a lovely women who worked hard and always was there for her family.
Denise Cole says
Shirley I’m deeply sorry to be seeing this. You and Bill were great in town neighbors. Prayers and condolences to the family. She will be missed.
Cindy and Tom Erickson (Cindy Burner) says
Fewer Family….I’m so sorry to hear of Shirley’s passing. Prayers for you and the entire family. Take care of yourselves and remember & celebrate all the wonderful times you had together. Thinking of you!
Karleen Kleeman says
So sorry to hear about Shirley’s passing. Sending hugs and prayers to you all
JUANITA HAIDER says
Ive been thinking about her. she was a wonderful woman. god bless
Barb Math says
Thinking of you all. Never easy to lose your mom and grandma. Hugs to all.
Alan Erickson says
So sorry Fewer family my dad and I give our condolences she was a great friend to my mom and dad
Kitty Lou Rusher says
I enjoyed phone visiting with dear Shirley. Conversation made me realize the abiding love for her kids. I felt blessed to have had FayeAnn, James, Ron, and Richard as GHS students. And some grandkids, too. They were products of nurturing parents. May you now cherish the glorious memories of a life well-lived, the very salt of the earth.
Shelley Mills says
My heart is breaking for your family. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Shirley was such an important person in my life and I have been blessed to have known her. The day before she passed I found a penny in the street and thought of her because she always told me that she would think of James when she found a penny. I will now think of her and James when I place that found penny in my pocket. Pennies from heaven. God bless.