Marie Perkins

Marie Perkins, 100, of Bozeman, passed away on Thursday, August 1, 2013. She was born June 18, 1913 in Twelve Mile, Indiana to Frank Paul and Florence Ola (Rhoads) Chenot. The family moved to Long Beach, California when she was about 11 months old. She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. In 1935 Marie came to Montana for the first time with a woman who had taken out an ad in the paper looking for a ride for her and her children. On March 1940, she married that woman's brother, Thomas Perkins, in Helena, Montana. They began their life together on his family's ranch near Townsend. Together they had two daughters, Twyla and Vickie. They subsequently lived in Columbia Falls and Billings, Montana, Corona and San Diego, California and Bozeman, Montana. Marie enjoyed a rich life full of adventure and loving her family. She would do anything to help you. She and Tom were well known vendors at the farmer's market and pleased many people with beautiful vegetables and fruit from their garden. Marie was not only an exceptional friend and talented woman; she was a wonderful seamstress making many clothes for her two girls. She was a caring and inspiring mother. Marie had a reputation for cultivating perfect sweet raspberries. She was a perfectionist when it came to her berries. During the season she had a waiting list of customers wanting her berries. She was also a Morel Mushroom hunter, and was always secretive about their locations. Marie was preceded in death by her parents, husband; Thomas, sisters; Birdie Isabelle (Leonard) Bradley and Frances Winifred (Harold) Howard, and half-brother; Richard Paul Chenot. She is survived by her daughters; Twyla (Chuck) Slater and Vickie (Art Reese) Perkins, grandchildren Joye (Mike) Josten, Mark (Lynette) Slater, John (Ginny) Layshock, Chelsea (Steve) Hansell, Cody Reese and Kate Reese, and great-grandchildren; Nick and Riley Slater, Kendall and Matthew Josten, Lucy and Lincoln Layshock, Amara, Ashton and Ella Hansell and Jason Reese and her step-brother; Dave (Gale) Chenot of Bakersfield, CA. Memorials may be a made in Marie’s name to Cancer Support Community, 102 S. 11th Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715 or the Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Fl 33607. A Memorial Service will be at 3:30PM on Wednesday August 7, at Dahl Funeral Chapel in Bozeman. Online condolences may be shared at www.DahlCares.com.