Gloria Wilson

Gloria Wilson passed away Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, at the Village Health Care Center with her family at her bedside. She was 84.

She was born Gloria Alzada Wikoff to Charles and Georgie Wikoff in Three Forks on March 4, 1929. Following the Milwaukee Railroad, her family moved to Alberton, where she grew up.

She married Marvin "Dufe" Wilson on April 22, 1955, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, accompanied by her brother and sister-in-law, Chuck and Lois Wikoff. The newlyweds commenced a cross-country driving tour to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon.

Gloria and Dufe made their home in Missoula, where she worked, raised two kids, Kim and Kurt, and was a close companion to her mother, Georgie.

Gloria first worked at Frazier News Agency downtown and later was a checker at the Buttrey Foods store in Tremper's Shopping Center for 28 years. She knew and loved many of her regular customers who would often wait in line at her check stand specifically to visit with her.

Gloria enjoyed raising her kids, bowling, playing cards, crocheting, camping, fishing, attending Grizzlies sporting events and taking long road trips with Dufe around the western United States.

After retirement, she particularly loved to go camping and fishing, often taking the grandkids to Flathead Lake, Canyon Ferry and Lake Koocanusa. She and Dufe traveled to Belize, spent two winters in Costa Rica with their daughter, drove their camper to Alaska twice and enjoyed following Grizzlies sports teams on the road, even traveling, once, to Hawaii with the Lady Griz.

She and Marvin celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2005 with their kids and grandkids in Las Vegas.

Gloria is survived by her husband, Marvin; her daughter, Kim Olson; and her son, Kurt Wilson and his wife Karen, all in Missoula. She has four grandchildren, Melissa Leithold (Dennis) of Portland, Ore., Sadie Thurman (Geoff) of Yorktown, Va., Jimmy Adair of Missoula and Holli Wilson of Polson. She has four great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her brother, Chuck Wikoff, his wife Lois and their family.

There are no services planned at this time.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Village Health Care for the loving care given to Gloria in the last years. Mother always said, however, that she loved to travel and should have been a gypsy. We knew that, one day, she would move on. Safe travels, Mom.

Read Gloria Wilson's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.