Helen "Poogie" Larrivee

Helen Loretta (Kirkpatrick) "Poogie" Larrivee, 82, of Whitefish, slipped away from the hands of her devoted friends and family on Oct. 18, 2007.

She died unexpectedly in Whitefish from complications of a stroke. She will be missed by all whose lives she touched.

Poogie's family was the centerpiece of her life. She had five children, 28 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. "There was never a doubt in our minds that we were always loved and welcomed into her life and home," the family says.

Upon entering her house, we would bend down to give her a hug and a kiss and then make straight for the candy dish. She would then bustle around the house as she described her latest home-decorating projects, showing off an array of matching curtains, bedspreads and pillows.

Her skills with a glue gun were endless as she transformed thrift shop or garage sale finds into one-of-a-kind works of art. Her latest project was a collage of pictures of her beloved great grandchildren.

She never stopped learning and even tackled e-mailing and shopping online. Some of her favorite pastimes were shopping, playing cards, bingo, putting puzzles together, and did we mention shopping? All of her life she was a very hard worker with a job resume too long to allow printing here.

Poogie was preceded in death by her husband Lester, her brothers Ted and Mick Kirkpatrick, and her sister Lois Byers.

She is survived by sons Larry Larrivee and wife Anne Berry, Noel Larrivee and wife Shelley and Mike Larrivee and wife Diane; daughters Leslee "Joey" Meyer and husband Bruce and Barbara "Bobbi" Larrivee-Bothell and husband Dale; sisters Shy McClarty and Kyrol Jystad, of Kalispell, and Barbara Roche, of Minnesota; half-brother Marshall Murray, of Kalispell; half-sisters Mary Lou Puckett, of Idaho, and Carol Jean Dull, of California; 28 grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and extended family; and many, many friends, including her best friend Tommy (her cat).

A celebration of her life took place Oct. 20, 2007, at the cabin on Bitterroot Lake, which was a very special place to her with many warm memories.