Marie Elizabeth (Reed) Loch

Marie Elizabeth (Reed) Loch, aged 90, of Dutton, MT died of respiratory heart failure on Thursday, April 18,2024, on the same date that her sweetheart Bunks passed away in 2013.  She had been at Park Place, Great Falls, MT recuperating from a fall.

Her funeral service is on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at St. William’s Catholic Church in Dutton with burial to follow in Dutton Cemetery.  A reception for family and friends will follow at the church.  Schnider Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Marie was born in Whitefish, MT to Lawrence and Cathern (Bunner) Reed on October 29, 1933.  Her family lived above their family owned/operated grocery in Whitefish.  Eventually four siblings joined her, and later a home was built on the point near Whitefish Lake State Park campground.  Marie was a talented alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone player.  She loved music of all kinds.  She attended and graduated from Whitefish schools. Marie then started studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA for a Biology Pre-med Med Tech degree.  There she met Bunks who also was in science classes and sang in Glee Club.  Marie married Frank Loch Jr. in Whitefish on July 2, 1955.  They resided in Great Falls while Bunks finished his degree at the College of Great Falls and they welcomed their first child, Fran.  They then moved permanently to the Dutton Loch family homestead and seven more children were born: Tom, Gretchen, Aug, Pete, Nick, Betsy, and Casey.  Marie had a very busy life nurturing her brood plus doing her farm wife duties.  She was very active in the St. William’s parish.  She served as a Parish family life coordinator, a Eucharistic Minister, and worked with St. William’s Pastoral Council.  She was a graduate of Helena Diocesan Program for Formation of Lay Ministries, involved with the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Holy Spirit Charismatic Conference, Montana Council of Churches, Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, taught catechism and helped with Vacation Bible school.   She helped with World Day of Prayer, Thanksgiving, and Baccalaureate community services. For years, Marie provided and often arranged flowers for church that were mostly grown in her gardens. Marie was a cantor and reader for church services and sang in the choir.  Many of these endeavors were journeys Bunks and Marie took together.

Marie was active in many community affairs including, swim team mom, boys’ baseball, Fun Day events, school band booster and sports mom, room mother, 4-H leader, Dutton Recreation Complex, and chauffeur (even though she never had a driver’s license).

Marie was a kind and loving family-oriented person and often gathered outside members into her flock.  She was the beloved matriarch of her family, and they think of her fondly in her two favorite places – the kitchen and the garden.  She passed on her love of cooking, gardening, and music to her children and grandchildren. Holidays were always a joyous (and loud affair) and everybody went home with too-full stomachs.  Her light definitely flickered when Bunks passed away, but she was strong in her faith and able to meet new grand and great-grand kids in her time left.  Marie was an awesome writer who could clearly and elegantly create images in her ponderings.   She was able to summon great introspection within a reader by the words she put to paper.

Survivors include daughters, Francesca “Fran” Gossack of Great Falls, Gretchen (Phil) Demus of Vista, CA,  and Elizabeth “Betsy” (Ande) Alama of Kennewick, WA;  sons, August “Augie” Loch of Great Falls, Peter Loch of Dutton, Nicholas Loch of Seattle, WA, and Casey Loch of Great Falls; grandchildren, Anne-Elizabeth Alama of Spokane, WA, Lindsay Gossack (Jesse) Nofziger of Snoqualmie, WA, Allison Gossack (Wesley) McDonough of Saint George, KS, Kirby Alama of Kennewick, WA, and Ian Loch of Valier; great-grandchildren,  Hailey Couch and Karen Alama of Spokane, WA, Lane & Rylan Nofziger of Snoqualmie, WA, and Trinity Cornelius of Kennewick, WA; and great-great-grandchild, Julian Sims of Spokane, WA.

Marie was preceded in death by her parents; siblings; husband, Bunks; son, Tom “Poe” and his wife, Velda; and son-in-law, Tom Gossack.

Memorials may be made to St. William’s Catholic Church of Dutton MT 59433 or the Dutton Ambulance Service, Dutton, MT 59433.

Condolences may be posted online at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.