Helen W. (Montgomery) Burt, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2024, at the age of 92 in Billings, Montana.
Helen was born on November 16, 1931, to Oliver and Viola (Johnson) Montgomery. She was later joined by her younger sisters Lona Lee and Jeanie. She often spoke of her wonderful childhood memories growing up in Wolf Point, Montana.
She attended all her school years in Wolf Point where she enjoyed playing the French horn and trumpet in the pep and marching band and singing in the high school choir. Mom loved anything involving music including dancing! She and Dad could cut a rug! During her junior year of high school (1948), she was chosen as the Wolf Point delegate to attend the first-ever Montana Girls State at Rocky Mountain College. (She also helped put on the Fiftieth Anniversary in 1998). While in high school, she caught the eye of a handsome young man, the love of her life, Jim Burt. Helen went on to attend one year of college at Jamestown, North Dakota before returning to Jim in Wolf Point. They married on September 16, 1950, and spent almost 60 years together until Jim’s death in 2010. To this union, they were blessed with five sons and one daughter: Rick, Dave, Terry, Jerry, Bob, and Marilyn.
In Wolf Point, Helen worked for Mountain State Telephone as a telephone operator (“number please”) and then as a secretary for MDU. In 1961, Mom and Dad moved to Nashua with their four older boys after purchasing the grocery store in partnership with Dad’s parents, Walt and Jo Burt. They named the new store B&B Foods and proceeded to make it a successful business by working hard seven days a week for 15 years. After selling the store in 1976 and a short break, Mom went to work at Gallagher, Archambeault & Knierim Law Offices in Glasgow for 18 years and retired in 1996.
She enjoyed many years attending her children’s and grandsons’ educational, musical, and sporting events. She wore the color purple exceptionally well as she was a proud and loyal supporter of the Nashua Porkies!
Mom was community-minded and joined many clubs and leagues. She was a 60-year member of the Eastern Star and actively involved in her church. She also held many offices, but mainly Secretary, as Mom could have been an English teacher with her precision in punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. She could hold her own in a lively pinochle game and also enjoyed bridge and whist. She was an avid reader and enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. Mom also acquired many trophies from her bowling and golfing days.
Helen had a compassionate heart and always put others first. She was a caregiver, graciously looking out for her family and friends. Her kindness, loving heart, and beautiful smile will never be forgotten.
We will be forever grateful to the staff at Edgewood Vista Memory Care in Billings for their compassionate care and friendship in Mom’s final years.
Helen was preceded in death by her husband James Burt, parents Oliver and Viola Montgomery, sisters Lona Simensen and Jean Pohl, in-laws Walt and Jo Burt, sister-in-law Donna Burt and brother-in-law Hans Pohl.
Mom is survived by six children: Rick (Dena), Dave (Connie), Terry (Muriel), Jerry, Bob (Gail), and Marilyn (Doyle Stein). She is also survived by grandsons: Sean (Julia) Burt and their daughters Helen and Judy, Jeff (Marne) Burt and their family Riley, Kendal, Dylan and Sam, Trent (Bobbie Jo) Stein and their daughter Hope, and Justin (Hana) Stein, along with brothers-in-law Monty Burt and Kastor Simensen and many wonderful nieces and nephews.
Services are planned for June 29, 2024, in Glasgow, Montana. In lieu of flowers please send memorials in Helen’s honor to the Nashua Fire Dept, P.O. Box 424, Nashua, Montana 59248 or the charity of your choice. Condolences for the family may be left at bellmortuarymontana.com.