Olive Ezell

Olive Clair (Millard) Ezell, 84, a retired home healthcare worker of Great Falls, died of natural causes on Friday, April 27, 2012 at a local care facility.A vigil will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. The funeral liturgy will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Black Eagle with committal at Mount Olivet Cemetery to follow. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Olive was born in Melrose, Wisconsin on May 25, 1927, the fourth of ten children. At the age of 15, she met William (Tex) Ezell. Five days after her 16th birthday, on May 30, 1943, they married. They moved to Collins, Montana where Tex worked for the railroad. They had daughters, Sylvia and Mary. Then six years later, Billy was born and eight years after that Tammy. Olive and Tex worked managing and working in many restaurants. Olive was known for her phenomenal pies and baking. Olive and Tex divorced in 1962.After a fall, Olive was forced to change careers and went to commercial college, then worked for the Home Insurance Company until it closed. At the age of 58, she again went to school for training in home health care and she continued to work as a home health care aid into her 70s. She volunteered in many activities with disabled children and especially the Cerebral Palsy Bowling League of which Tammy was a member.She was a member of the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary, the V.F.W., Insurance Women, The Eagles Lodge, and R.S.V.P. Her love for music led her to sing in the Methodist Church Choir for over 50 years. She sang with the Sweet Adelines and Great Falls Harmony Group. For the past 30 plus years, Olive has sung with the Swinging Seniors at many retirement and nursing homes every month. She was secretary and scheduled the performances for most of those years. With all her volunteering, Olives number one priority was the overseeing and caring for Tammy.Olive was a very devoted member of the Methodist Church all through her life until this past March 22, when her desire for the Eucharist and her strong belief that it was actually and truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ compelled her to be received into the Catholic Church. However, this did not change her love for her many beloved friends in the Methodist Church and those in the many Bible studies and church services she had attended. Some highlights of her life were the many times she drove to Wisconsin to attend family reunions or other events.Olive is survived by her daughters, Sylvia (Chuck) Harant of Black Eagle and Tammy Ezell of Great Falls; grandchildren Sarah (Rory) Peck of Black Eagle, Jenny (Mark) Grasseschi of Black Eagle, Dawn (Dave) Bushard, of Black Eagle, Koni Kangas of Sacramento, CA, Lori (Bert) Brown of International Falls, MN, and Kaylene (Michael) Kuchkahan of International Falls, MN; foster granddaughter, Shana (Greg) Chapman of Great Falls; twenty-one great-grandchildren; three great-great grandchildren; brother Spencer (Phyllis) Millard of WI; sister Vernice (Clarence) Sanders of Highwood, MT; and numerous very special nieces and nephews as well as a multitude of extended family and friends.Olive was preceded in death by her son, Billy Ezell; her daughter, Mary Taylor, her parents, Samuel and Catherine (Abbott) Millard; brothers Fillmore, Gile, Eugene and Lee; sisters Charlotte, Ila and Lula; and many extended family and friends.Memorials to Corpus Christi Adoration, 410 22nd Ave. N. E., Great Falls, MT 59404 are suggested.Condolences may be left for the family at www.schniderfuneralhome.com