Lillian A. Dove passed away at the age of 100 on Friday, September 22, 2017 at BeeHive Homes in Missoula. She was born August 2, 1917, to Dean and Hazel (Cliff) Anderson on the family homestead near White Sulphur Springs, Montana.

Lillian's childhood was filled with hard work, lots of outdoor play, and simple pleasures including family camping trips and community dances. Times were hard, but her folks were clever and industrious. She shared stories about her mother sewing dresses for her from feed sacks and making cottage cheese from sour milk on the back of the woodstove. One of Lillian's first jobs was with her brother delivering the family's garden produce to town in a goat-drawn wagon.

Lillian attended school in White Sulphur Springs and went on to nurses training in Great Falls and Bozeman, graduating in 1939. She married Frank Breidenbach in 1940 and had three children: Mary 'Merry', Francis 'Little Fellow', and Theresa 'Terry'. That marriage ended, and in 1951 she married Kenny Dove, who passed away a decade later. She spent her career as a nurse, working in over a dozen hospitals in four states, including many locations in Montana. She finished out her nursing years in the hospital in Boulder, MT, doing what she considered her "real life work"—caring for patients who were mentally and/or physically disabled.

Lillian enjoyed endless pastimes including reading, cooking, dancing, crocheting, quilting, painting, picture-taking, playing the accordion and organ, and traveling by car, plane and ship on three continents. She learned to fish as a little girl and later taught her grandsons on the Little Boulder River. She had a gift for writing and penned stories for the newspaper, memoirs of childhood, poetry, multiple travel journals, two self-published cookbooks, and multitudes of letters through a "Round Robin" with her nursing school classmates for 60+ years. Lillian was an active member of countless organizations and volunteered in many leadership roles, including with nurses associations, 4-H, businesswomen's clubs, and the Montana Institute of the Arts. After retiring and moving to Missoula in 1980, she submitted annual entries in the county fair, including her baked and canned goods, flowers and photography. She also entered and won many recipe contests.

Family and friends were extremely important to Lillian, and if you were lucky enough to be one of them, you could always find a seat at her table with a good meal, a cat, and a game of cards or dominoes. And most likely, you'd be sent home with an armful of home-grown or homemade goodies. She was particularly close with her youngest daughter, Terry, who visited with and cared for her mother nearly every day in her final years.

Lillian was preceded in death by her parents, younger brother Stan, infant son 'Little Fellow', and husband. She is survived by daughters Merry (Dennis) Richter of Whitewater, WI, and Terry Bears of Missoula, MT; grandchildren Dean (Robyn) Bears of Pullman, WA, Tom (Stacy) Bears of Missoula, MT, Cheryl Richter of Manassas, VA, and Rebecca Richter of Victor, MT; numerous nieces and nephews, including Peg Mulski of Liberty Hill, TX, and Ken Breidenbach (Tracy) of Victor, MT; and five great-grandchildren.

At her request, no services will be held. Relatives and friends may send contributions to their favorite charity in Lillian's name, if desired, as she contributed to so many good causes over her lifetime. Brothers Mortuary and Crematory in Hamilton are honored to care for the family. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.brothersmortuary.com.