Vera Lorraine Ashmore, 82, of Havre died Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, at her home of natural causes.
At her request, a private family service will be held later this week at the Holland & Bonine Funeral Home. Cremation has taken place. Vera was born July 30, 1925, to Herbert and Hilda Bickel in Ulen, Minn. She grew up and attended school there graduating from Ulen High School in 1943. On July 1, 1944, she married her high school sweetheart, the love of her life, Leslie “Bud” Ashmore. They spent their first years of marriage farming together in the Ulen area. In 1961, they moved their family to Rudyard where they owned and operated the A&W Drive In. In 1967, they moved their business to Havre and renamed it the Beaver Creek Drive In. Bud and Vera created the now famous “Ugly Burger” and kept the Havre population fed until they sold the business in 1974. Bud worked for the railroad until they retired and moved to the Helena area in 1991. After Bud’s death in 2000, Vera moved back to Havre, where she resided until her death. Vera was a quiet, gentle woman with a deep faith in the Lord. Her greatest accomplishment in life was being a mother. She raised five children with constant love and gentle guidance. She was always there for anyone who needed a little comfort, someone to lean on, or just some good advice. She took great pride in her home and enjoyed nothing more than gathering her family for a big meal so they could all be together. She passed on her recipes for “Bean Soup and Dumplings,” cinnamon rolls and chocolate cake, but no one has ever been able to make them taste quite like hers. The love she put into them has to be the missing ingredient. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Bud in 2000; and her son, Gary Ashmore in 2006; and one greatgrandchild; and two sisters. Vera is survived by her four daughters, Judy Ashmore of Helena, Cheryl (Erv) Hamblock of Havre, Kathy (Rich) Fabiano of Helena and Vicki (Jeff) Han of Chester; daughter in-law, Lindsey Ashmore of Stevensville; sisters, Ellen Lien, Medora Hogtvedt and Avis Ashmore, all of Minnesota and Shirley Davies of Texas; brother, Harry Bickel of Minnesota; 13 grandchildren; seven greatgrandchildren; and two greatgreat- grandchildren. Arrangements are being made by Holland and Bonine Funeral Home.
