Betty Lou Sage

Our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend passed away March 1, 2013 in Missoula. Betty Lou was 82.

Betty Lou was the first daughter of'Blaz R. and Zella Hanson Lugar. She was born February 23, 1931 in Butte, Montana. She spent her first seven years in the Centennial Valley before moving to the Big Hole Valley with her
family in the spring of 1938.

She attended Briston School in the Big Hole through the eighth grade and then attended Beaverhead County High School, graduating in 1949. From there she went to Western Montana College, receiving her two year teaching diploma in, 1951.

December 8, 1950 she and Lester R. Sage were married. Lester went into the Navy and Betty Lou joined him in March in San Diego, California where they lived until he shipped out to Japan November, 1952.
In 1953 she was called on to finish teaching the school year at Wise River. She then taught there for the next two years.

Lester returned from Japan in 1954. In the summer of 1955 they moved to Jackson where Betty Lou taught the upper grades for the next two years and Lester drove the first high school bus from Jackson to Dillon and attended Western. In 1957 they moved to Great Falls, Montana and Lester was employed at the Great Falls National Bank.

Their son, Grant Vernon, was born March 3 1959. Jeannette Marie joined the family February 12, 1961.

In June of 1972 the family moved to Missoula where Lester started The First Security Bank, Betty Lou entered the University and received her Special Education endorsement. In 1974 she started teaching in the resource room in School District where she taught for the next 19 years, retiring in 1993.

Betty Lou and Lester divorced in 1977. Grant graduated from high school and started Automotive School in Great Falls that fall. He came home Thanksgiving and was involved in an automobile accident going back to Great Falls. He was killed instantly.

In 1983 Betty Lou went to Australia and New Zealand with a university tour. That started her many trips
around the United States and the world including China, Scandinavia; Europe, Mexico A1aska, Hawaii and all the other states in between.

Survivors include daughter, Jeanette and husband Dennis Chapel of Missoula; granddaughter Anna Marie Sage-Casey and husband Vince; great-granddaughter Kieran Noel Sage all of Portland; sister Sherrie Harrison and Husband Bill of Dillon; nephew Thomas Harrison and wife Kim of Helena; niece LeeAnn Harrison of Laurel and numerous friends and colleagues.

A service will be held at Garden City Funeral Home Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow.

Read Betty Sage's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.