Ida Moos, age 86, of Circle, Montana passed away June 21, 2009, in Circle.
Ida was born June 24, 1922 at the homestead home in Watkins, Montana to Reinholt and Pauline (Schlepp) Naasz. She attended school in Prairie County. The Naasz School was built in 1928 on her parents land just one mile from the homestead because the Hammand and Hedstrom schools were too far away for a number of families. Ida and her sisters either walked or went to school by sled and horses in the winter time. Her folks supplied water for the school so the girls could “hitch a ride” a few times a week. She remembered that the carpenter who built the school stayed with them and entertained the family by playing his violin. She thought of him every time she heard “Turkey in the Straw”.
Ida talked of her memories growing up. She and her six sisters took turns with farm chores; milking the cows, raising chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs and bum lambs. They raised big gardens with lots of watermelon and muskmelon that were lunch treats during harvest time. Ida was elected to be the driver of the header box with her mom and sister as grain handlers. Her dad drove the header, all the girls helped to unload and her mother usually stacked the grain bundles. All fieldwork and haying was done with horses and neighbors hired out their threshing machine. Threshing time meant many long hours in the fields. Ida loved the social activities in the community: the Christmas programs, dances, sledding and card parties.
Ida married Edwin Moos on May 23, 1940, in Miles City. In the fall of 1940 they moved 12 miles northwest of Circle. They were blessed with four children, Doline, Don, Janice and Eldon. Ida and Edwin shared 69 years together.
Ida was a member of the Brockway Community Church and taught Sunday School there for 25 years. She loved raising flowers, sorting wheat kernel-by-kernel for fair exhibits, crocheting, singing, reading and playing cards. She was especially proud of her Grand Champion trophies for the wheat she exhibited at McCone County Fairs.
She was preceded in death by her parents Reinholt and Pauline Naasz and sisters, Mathilda Schlepp, Maggie Erlenbusch and Martha Erlenbusch.
She is survived by her husband Edwin, children Doline (Earl) Fritz of Brockway, Don (Nancy) Moos of Circle, Janice (Paul) Albert of Evanston, Wyoming and Eldon (Dana) Moos of Sidney, Montana; grandchildren Rick Fritz, Mike Fritz, Sheila O’Brien, Amy Gilbertson, Michelle Syth, William Albert, Cassandra Moos and Alan Moos; 11 great-grandchildren; and three sisters Annette Kaul of Missoula, Montana, Bertha Schlepp of Circle and Katie Boyles of Glendive, Montana.
Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, June 25, 2009 at Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Circle. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, June 26, 2009 at First Lutheran Church in Circle. Interment will follow at Riverview Cemetery
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.stevensonandsons.com. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.