JEAN CALLIES obituary

Jean A. Callies, 89, died Monday, Dec. 7, 2009, at her daughter's home in Havre of natural causes.

Her funeral service will be 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, at Holland & Bonine Funeral Home, with Pastor Marvin Eldridge officiating. A private family burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Jean's honor may be made to the Havre- Hill County Library, 402 3rd St., Havre, MT 59501, or to the Intermountain Children's Home, 500 S. Lamborn, Helena, MT 59601. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home. Jean was born Dec. 3, 1920, in Proctor, Minn., to John R. and Marion W. (Murray) Hussey. She was raised in Duluth, Minn. She graduated from Denfeld High School and attended Duluth Business College. She worked at Montgomery Wards, the Credit Bureau and Standard Oil office in Minnesota before marrying Richard Callies who was in the Marines. She went with him to San Diego, Norfolk, Va., and then to San Francisco. When Richard went to the war in the Pacific, Jean went back to Duluth. She worked for Freimuths Department Store as a personal shopper. When Richard came home from the war, she and Richard moved to Havre, Mont. Jean worked at the Great Northern Railroad in the yard office switchboard and worked for JC Penney as a clerk. In 1961, she and Richard moved to Kremlin, where Richard was the grain elevator manager for Centennial Mills. Jean worked as a secretary/aide for Kremlin School District. She worked as a clerk for the United States Kremlin Port until she became postmaster of the Kremlin post office for which she worked for 25 years. Jean was an avid reader. She enjoyed reading mysteries and biographies. She was a member of the Kremlin Methodist Church and served as treasurer for many years. Attending church was the highlight of her week until she was physically unable to attend. After Richard passed away in 1991, Jean continued living by herself in Kremlin until she moved to Havre in 2008. Jean was a member of the Order of Eastern Star for 50 years and was a past worthy matron. She enjoyed studying genealogy on both sides of her family and was extremely proud of her Irish heritage. Jean was a happy person who had the sweetest smile. She truly never spoke an unkind word about anyone, and her family was the center of her life. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Richard; sisters, Beverly, Betty and Marion (Homer) Freeman, Joan (Gale) Gustafson and Lorna (Pat) Kesich and Bill (Karin) Hussey; her halfsisters, Mary Berg, Ann (Walt) Swanstrom, Teresa (Tom) Burns and Margaret (Vic) Robertson. Jean is survived by her daughter, Betty Jean (Dave Melby) Callies of Havre, Mont.; her sons, Richard Paul (Junie) Callies of Fairfax City, Va., and Gary Stephen (Jackie) Callies of Cheyenne, Wyo.; one grandson, Stephen Ian Callies of Larame, Wyo.; a sister, Dorothy Fogelman of Yakima, Wash.; and Eileen Cason of Anniston, Ala.; and a brother, John Hussey of Saginaw, Minn. And numerous nieces and nephews.