Grace Munyan Osterhout, 81
Grace Munyan Osterhout, 81, of East Helena, Mont., after lingering aliments and infections, went to greet her family in Heaven on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009.
There to greet her were daughters Pearl and Karen. Also preceding her in death were her parents Henry and Mae Reimers, brother Duane Reimers and husband Verl Osterhout.
Grace came into this world on May 26, 1928, in Helsper, Mont. She spent her childhood in Yellowstone Valley and around Billings.
After her marriage to Spencer R. Munyan, they moved to Arizona. After the birth of their first child Marlene, Spen was called to serve in World War II. Grace worked many odd jobs during that time and helped with many war effort projects.
After the war, daughters Nita and Pearl were born. After a frew years, the family moved to the Gallatin Valley near Lone Mountain. The family resided there for about 7 years where Grace hauled the camp kids to school in the family car. While there, children Leon and Karen were born.
When the family moved to White Sulfur Springs, Mont., Grace worked as a nurse’s aide and then moved to Helena where she worked as an aide at Fort Harrison Vetrans’ Hostpital.
Grace became a single mother and moved her family to Moyie Springs, where she worked at Boundary Community Community Hospital, was a bartender, did housekeeping and waitressed.
Grace went to Treasure Valley to finish high school and became a licensed practical nurse at age 51. She met and married Verl Osterhout and gained a daughter, Elvonnia. She continued to work in the medical field and was director of Senior Hospitality Services in Emmett.
After being widowed, Grace began traveling to visit her ever growing family. After retirement she went to Arizona to help raise her son’s daughters for the next 12 years.
Grace enjoyed the warm climate in Arizona.
Eventually Grace moved back to Helena, spending part of the year there at her daughter Marlene’s and the other half of the year with daughter, Nita, in Bonners Ferry. Grace traveled when she could.
As age and crippling arthritis approached Granny Grace, as she was lovingly known, she became an avid crossword puzzle fan and shared that knowledge with grand-children and great-grandchildren.
In May 2009, Grace moved to a nursing home in Helena, where she continued her enjoyment of crossword puzzles and games, becoming a trivia champ. She will always be a champ to those who knew and loved her.
Granny Grace is survived by her children Marlene Lay and her husband, David, of
East Helena; Nita Hilliard and her husband, Dave, of Bonners Ferry; Leon Munyand his wife, Kathy, of Phoenix, and Elvonnia Osterhout and her husband, Dave, (Dave) of Emmett ; 24 grandchildren; 48 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren.