Dawn Vivian Bishop

SWANâ�,��**VALLEYâ�,��**– Dawn Vivian Bishop, 75, of the Swan Valley, passed away Monday, April 22, 2013, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula of an aneurysm.

She was born April 6, 1938, in Cadillac, Mich., to Robert and Lola Peckham. She graduated from Lake City High School, and attended Michigan State University.

She was a former resident of Big Rapids, Mich., for 20 years, where she was a member of the Junior Women's Club, a 4-H leader, a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, a real estate broker of Big Bear Land Management, and belonged to a bridge club that she dearly loved and still met with them all even after she moved to the Swan Valley.

She married Richard Bishop in 1990. They lived in the Swan Valley for the past 33 years. They owned and operated Mission Mountain Outfitters for 20 years. She was a real estate agent at Swan River Valley Realty.

She taught Sunday school and was very active in the Our Lady of Swan Valley Catholic Church. She was a member of the Condon Quilt Club and Montana Athletic Club. She enjoyed cooking, reading, camping, traveling, 4-H and her true love was gardening. Her love of flowers brought her to her dream job of owning a flower shop in Seeley Lake.

Dawn had an incredible sense of humor, just the right blend of cutting sarcasm and dry wit. She was also very compassionate and caring, and would do anything asked of her, or just see that it was taken care of.

Dawn was honest and did not mince words. She was a loyal friend and she had many. Dawn fiercely loved her family. She loved the mountains and the wildlife except for the occasional woodpecker that would happen to get in her trees. She loved flowers and her gardens, and she took pride in making her family members special quilts. She was truly a beautiful wife, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and friend. She will be missed.

Survivors include her mother Lola Peckham of Lake City, Mich.; her husband Richard Bishop of Swan Valley; son Mike Kennedy of Cincinnati, Ohio; daughters Michele Kennedy of Washington, Mary Laabs of Spokane, Bridget Damaskos of Missoula and Nicole Bishop Renteria of Ann Arbor, Mich.; two brothers, Terry and Greg Peckham of Michigan; three sisters, Marsha Bowers, Mary Fritz and Janis Dietrich, also residing in Michigan; along with 10 grandchildren whom she dearly loved.

Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Our Lady of Swan Valley Church in Condon. It will be officiated by Father Poole and a reception will immediately follow at the church. Another service and burial will be held May 18 in Lake City.

Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home in Missoula.

Read Dawn Bishop's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.