Bertha Paulson, age 89, of Lolo, MT formerly of Poplar, MT passed away quietly February 10, 2011 in Florence, MT.
Bertha was born in Culbertson, Montana on December 23, 1921, the daughter of Christ and Elizabeth (Damm) Eberling. She was one of nine children; John, Mary, Bertha, Ida, Harry, Willy, Amy, Eddy, and Joyce. Bertha married Sanford Berdette Paulson in December of 1939. They had two sons, Kenneth and Wallace.
She especially enjoyed baking bread and big, fragrant cinnamon rolls. She is well remembered for always having fresh cookies and hot coffee ready for visitors. They lived in the Poplar area all their married life, and even in her last days she was talking about Poplar. In their later years, the couple would sit in the front room of their home and watch the world go by. Friends and neighbors dropped in, and the coffee pot was always on and cookies ever at the ready.
Sanford’s health was the first to go, and Bertha spent her time caring for him. When he died in the fall of 2007, Bertha could no longer live alone. She lived near her eldest son, Kenny and his wife, Shirley until the fall of 2009 when she was moved to a nursing home near her younger son, Wally and his wife, Bev.
She rallied and grew stronger, able to get around fairly well until she suffered a mild stroke last April. After that Bertha’s health deteriorated but she still enjoyed visiting family and friends until just the last two months of her life when she declined rapidly.
Bertha is survived by her sons, Kenny (Shirley) of Dickinson, ND and Wally (Beverly) of Missoula, MT; siblings Mary, Harry, Amy, Ida, and Eddy; six grandchildren, Tim, Rodney, Lori, Kenda, Jacquie, and Melody; thirteen great-grandchildren; and nine great-great grandchildren.
A funeral service for Bertha will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, February 13 at the First Presbyterian Church in Poplar. Interment will follow at the Poplar City Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.stevensonandsons.com. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Wolf Point has been entrusted with the arrangements.