Edwinna Engellant

Edwinna Winnie (Cottrell) Engellant, 105, died of natural causes on November 7, 2012 at Benefis Extended Care Center.Winnie was a ranch wife in the Geraldine community for many years, and a resident of Great Falls since 1981.A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 12 at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2900 9th Avenue South.Inurnment will follow at 3:00 p.m., at the Geraldine Cemetery.Schnider Funeral Home is managing the arrangements.Winnie was born on January 13, 1907, the fifth of nine children, to parents Roba and Delaska Cottrell, near Fargo, Oklahoma.The family moved to Montana when Winnie was eight years old and settled on a farm east of Geraldine. Not long afterward, she attended her first dance, a hard times community dance where food or supplies were provided in exchange for live music.It was an event she would fondly recall as the night she discovered her love for dancing.Winnie learned the value of work at an early age, tatting lace and sewing to earn her first wages.She attended the Hawarden Country School, and was granted early entrance to high school in Geraldine through state administered examinations.Her family bought their first car, a Ford Model T, and the fiercely independent Winnie learned to drive as a young girl.Winnie worked at her high school dormitory for room and board, then at the local drug store, and later at the telephone office.She also danced every chance she got.At 15, she met a boy named John Engellant at a school house dance.He escorted her to a prom in Fort Benton for their first date, and over time they fell in love.But Winnie attended college in Dillon and taught at a country school before marrying John when she was 20.The couple traveled to Great Falls for their nuptials in June of 1927.Afterward, they enjoyed an airplane ride over the city, and attended a movie where they learned of Lindberghs transatlantic flight on the newsreel.Their lovely daughter, Betty Joan, was born the following year.Life on the ranch meant a great deal of hard work indoors and out, and Winnie found herself doing an enormous amount of cooking and baking to keep workers fedskills she later shared with her granddaughters and great-granddaughters.She loved her community and played an active role in the local Re"public"an Women, CowBelles, and American Legion Auxiliary organizations.Always well-read, Winnie closely followed current events, tracked financial markets, and had a passion for politics.And, of course, she and John continued to dance.Winnie was a wonderful grandmother and friend to Bettys children, Marlys and Brenda.The girls spent summers with Winnie and John, and always cherished their time on the farm.Winnie and John retired to Great Falls in 1981.When John died the following year, after 55 years of marriage, Winnie volunteered at the C.M. Russell Museum and the Deaconess Hospital.She was a gifted artist and painted a great deal.She traveled frequently, and eventually started dancing again.Winnie remained curious and tenacious, inspiring many in the last decades of her life with her remarkable health and fearless ventures into unfamiliar territories.Even in her 90s she traveled to places shed never been, learned new dances, and took classes to help her navigate computers and technology.She didnt stop driving until she was 99.She offered a good natured quip at the time: Ive been driving for 84 years, you know.Its a hard habit to break!Winnie loved maxims.When she was over 100, shed joke I aspire to inspire before I expire.She may not have realized the extent to which she lived up to so many of the little sayings she sprinkled into conversation or posted on the refrigerator.But it was hard not to be inspired by the lovely centenarian -- especially as she danced the Argentine Tango with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in her eye.Winnie received excellent care in her final two years of life in the gentle hands of Benefis nursing staff.Her family is grateful.Winnie is survived by her two grandchildren; Marlys Nichols of Great Falls and Brenda Wilson (Brett) of Minneapolis, MN; 10 great-grandchildren, Sharlo Haggard of Great Falls, Timothy Wilda (Suanne) of Provo, UT, Amy Beames of Arlington, VA, John Holman (Marcella) of Garden City, KS, James Wilda (Summer) of Roosevelt, UT, Tami Weist of Bozeman, MT, Wendy Martin (Cooper) of Pendroy, MT, Jenny Kolar (Dave) of Bettendorf, IA, Karen Byrne (Adam) of Boise, ID and Holly Loomis (Geoff) of Provo, UT; and 20 great-great grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her daughter, Betty; as well as her husband, John Engellant.In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Benefis Health System Foundation, PO Box 7008, Great Falls, MT 59406-7008.Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.schniderfuneralhome.com.