Ida Fey

Ida M Fey (Nymark), 90, of Great Falls, a retired childcare provider and homesteader, formerly from Shelby died on Friday, June 1, 2012 at her residence of natural causes. Memorial Services will be at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Burial of ashes will follow at Highland Cemetery. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Ida was born December 1, 1921 in Borgund, Norway to Gustav and Ragnhild Nymark. She was the third of eight children. As a teen, she remembered watching the Nazi Army as they came over the Norwegian mountains during WWII. After the war she sailed to America. Speaking little or no English, she found refuge with Norwegian relatives in Minnesota and then traveled on to Montana to live on the horse ranch that her uncle Pete had written home about. However when she arrived, she discovered that a fire had destroyed his home and he was living in a house that was no more than a tarpapered shack, with a bedroom, living room, kitchen and a porch, where the oil burning stove warmed up the little home. All the farming was done by horses and fields were watered by ditch irrigation. Ida got a job at the Snack Shack in Shelby and she soon caught the eye of her future husband, Clifford Fey. She loved getting teased and loved dancing and he loved teasing her and taking her dancing. He also played with a small band at the local school where neighbors gathered for dances. He was the son of a rancher and worked as a ranch hand. He had fought in WWII and after the war he got his own airplane. Cliff and Ida married on 7 June 1949. They lived first with her Uncle Pete, just North of Devon. Here their first child was born. When the Ekholt farm, which was about 5 miles North of Uncle Pete's place, nestled in the Sweetgrass Hills became available, they moved their little family to their new home. Soon the little family turned into a family of eight. Life wasn't easy, there were very harsh winters and there were summers with no rain with a hot sun that dried up the crops. Cliff was almost killed in a car accident in the late 50's and had to spend the summer recuperating. Neighbors helped with the farm operations and Ida helped to support the family through whatever means she could - the large garden she planted allowed her to can and freeze vegetables to keep the family supplied year round. Baking bread, milking cows and gathering eggs were daily chores. They continued farming and ranching until 1969. They moved to Shelby where she set up a daycare that became a 24-hour operation, we don't remember what her fees were but she never turned a child away. She received Good Samaritan of the Week award several times for her selfless contributions to those who needed her help.In 1972, she moved to Great Falls where she started working at a local motel, but it didn't take long before her home became a daycare once again. Many of the same families followed her to Great Falls. With her child care profession, she finished getting her kids through school and getting them into a vocational school. Sometime after Uncle Pete died and the children left home, they moved to a country home on five acres and they began raising a huge garden, surrounded by a shelterbelt. They always had the family over for holidays and had an open door for anyone. After Dad died in 1994, she sold the home in the country that she loved, and moved back to Shelby. Later she returned to Great Falls where she once again established her immaculate lawn, always weed free and freshly trimmed. Every year she had a bountiful garden harvest which she then sent to her children. During the winter she spent the evenings knitting or baking cookies, she especially enjoyed it when her grandchildren would bake with her, thus ensuring the Norwegian tradition continued on. Of course huge containers of cookies were always sent home with anyone who showed up.Neighbors would always remark ... that woman is making us look bad - her sidewalks were shoveledor that last dandelion was pulled before the newspaper was in the box! She always made the best out of a bad situation, and turned it to good, by working hard and never giving up. To all who knew her - she was always known as Grandma .Ida is survived her sons Clifford A Fey Jr (Barbara) of Shelby, Victor W Fey of Cut Bank and Pete A. Fey (Ginger) of Cut Bank; daughters Randi G Meehan of Great Falls, Anita G Barker (Thomas) of Lyons, TX and Mary J Bates of Great Falls; 26 Grandchildren and 37 Great-Grandchildren. In addition to her children and grandchildren she is survived by her brothers Jon and Gunnar Nymark of Norway. She was preceded in death by her husband Clifford A. Fey, Sr.; a son-in-law, Timothy Meehan, Sr.; and two grandchildren.A special thank you to the wonderful folks from Peace Hospice- Denny, Stacy, Linda, Bernadette and Natalie.