Helen S. Bolle

Helen Swan Bolle of Missoula passed away on January 26, 2016.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Bertha and K.D. Swan, her husband, Arnold W. Bolle and son, Charles Bolle. She is survived by son Stanton Bolle (Sally) of Tucson, AZ and daughter, Susan Dotson, of Libby, MT; seven grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.
Helen was born in Missoula on June 14, 1916. She graduated from Missoula County High School and attended Montana State University in Missoula. She met Arnie Bolle, an undergraduate in the Forestry School, they were married in 1937 in Basin, MT where Arnie started his long career in forestry with the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC).

When Arnie joined the Soil Conservation Service, their many moves took them to Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Massachusetts. Helen was adept at setting up a home wherever she was, including a few true "fixer uppers". She made friends easily wherever she was and was known for her cooking and entertaining. In addition to feeding people, she set out bird feeders and would take in dogs and cats that needed a home. Her love of animals was a ready source of loving family pets.

She returned to Missoula for good when Arnie joined the forestry school at the University of Montana and later became dean.

Helen and Arnie enjoyed the outdoors together and traveled to many interesting places such as: Jamaica, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Portal, AZ, always with bird and flower books on hand. They were involved with many conservation groups and causes, including the Bitteroot River Trail, and the Five Valleys Foundation on the Blackfoot River where they had a cabin. Her huckleberry pies became legendary at related social and fund raising events.

Her wide circle of caring church friends was a constant source of support and love throughout her life, particularly after Arnie's death.

Helen will always be remembered for her love of nature, her lively wit and her readiness to help those in need. Her basement was always open to friends needing a place to stay. In recent years, she served meals at the Pavorello Foundation and was a regular with her church reading group. She also enjoyed hiking and quilting with these church friends and made numerous trips to Glacier Park. Her active life was calmed by spending time at her cabin that she loved so much. There she enjoyed the wildlife, explored deer trails and of course, picked huckleberries.

In later years, Helen could be seen taking her walks around Greenough Park with friends. During her life, she authored several books of poetry that expressed her love of nature, family and friends.
We will miss her poetry and bouquets of wild flowers.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made payable to the University of Montana Foundation and noted for a gift in memory of Helen Bolle for the College of Forestry and Conservation. Gifts will be directed to the Charles K. Bolle Memorial Fund, in support of scholarships for veterans. Checks can be mailed to:

UM Foundation
P.O. Box 7159
Missoula, MT 59807-7159

Friends may also give on line at www.SupportUM.org and designate that the gift is in memory of Helen Bolle.

A celebration of Helen's life is being planned for Saturday, February 13 at 11:00am at the United Church of Christ, 405 University Avenue, in Missoula.

Read Helen Bolle's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.