Violet "Babe" Boughton

Violet Lucille Babe (Pendleton) Boughton, 83, of Great Falls, died of natural causes Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at her residence.At her request, no services are planned, however, there will be a celebration of life gathering for family and friends at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 5, 2011, the Northwest Family Fellowship. Private entombment will take place in Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Our beloved and respected wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend passed away September 27, 2011. Born November 8, 1927, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Mark and Violet (Mink) Pendleton, Babe moved with her family to Stanford, Montana, at the age of 19 months. She was teased often by her children about the wagon train trip to Montana. In her adolescence, the family moved to Fairfield, MT where she graduated from Fairfield High School in 1945.Babe began her working years as a teacher in the Glendive area at the age of 17. There being a teacher shortage because of the war effort, she was hired right out of high school to teach in a rural school there. It took only one year for her to realize, I was not a teacher, yet her children and those who knew her would say differently, as she taught them a great deal as a loving mother, sister and friend.Babe also worked for Great Falls Paper Company and Northern School Supply. She began her career there in the store, was promoted to store manager and then to office manager, becoming Northern's first data processing agent in the days when a computer filled an entire room and punch cards were the order of the day; all accomplishments of which she deservedly was very proud. She retired from Northern School Supply after many years of service.At the wedding of her older sister, Babe met Glen Frederick Ewald and they were married on November 8, 1946. A daughter, Mary, and a son, Mark, were born soon after as the couple wanted to begin their family right away. Another son, Alan, followed five years later. As a homemaker and mom, Babe stayed true to one of her favorite songs, Whither Thou Goest, and loaded up her children and belongings and moved with Glen to Valdosta, GA, then to Wrightwood, CA, places where Glen was stationed during the Korean conflict. After a move to Fairfield, where they owned and operated a Texaco gas station for a few years, the couple and their children returned to Great Falls to settle permanently. Glen passed away far too soon on October 2, 1965. Babe later met and married widower Edward Lloyd Boughton in Great Falls. In her loving fashion, Ed's children, Jerry and Judy, became hers in her heart. Babe and Ed retired and moved to Florida in 1982, and they remained there until Ed's death on July 19, 2000. Babe then returned to Great Falls in 2002, to be near family and friends.Babe loved to socialize, make new friends, and share time with others. She became a member of Club at the age of 27 and the bonds formed there, sharing good times and bad, have endured to this day. She also enjoyed the Great Falls Senior Center where she created new friendships, exercised and socialized. Survivors include her children, Mary (Mike) Dietz of Great Falls, , Mark (Kathy) Ewald of Enid, OK, Alan (Sheila) Ewald of Conrad, Jerry (Diane) Boughton of Mohnton, PA, and Judy (John) O'Donnell of Cruz, CA; adopted son Jim De Lucas of California; a sister, Martha (Raymond) Jones of Great Falls; six grandchildren; eight step-grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; 14 stepgreat-grandchildren; and beloved Club members Nina Coefield, Margaret Muggs Palagi, Betty Jo Dusko, Peggy Jacobsen and Marion Haines. Babe was preceded in death by her parents, Mark and Violet Pendleton, who passed away in 1980 within 6 weeks of one another; siblings Louise Normile in 2005, Helen Winter in 1994, and Mark Lyle Jr., in 1940; a grandson, Glen Alan Ewald, in 2009; a granddaughter, Christina Marie Ewald in 1973; and Club members Helene Parchen and Lois Madsen Landis.Babe loved family get-togethers and was instrumental in planning numerous gatherings. She is infamous for the visors that were mandatory head gear for all family members attending the semiannual Ewald/Boughton reunions. Her family is sure she is now having a great family reunion with those she has not seen in many years. Memorials are suggested to the Great Falls Senior Citizens Center, 1004 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59401; the Autism Society of America, 7910 Woodmont Ave. Ste 300, Bethesda, MD 20814-3067; the MS Association, 600 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59401; or the charity of your choice. One last reminder from Babe - Be sure to take One Day at a Time !