Lucille Sansom

Missoula – Lucille Murray Sansom passed away May 18, 2017 in Missoula just eight days before her 90th birthday. Lucille was born May 26, 1927 in Superior. She was the only daughter of Bert and Dorothy Murray of Rivulet.
She attended the one-room school house in Rivulet and then went to Superior for 8th grade through high school. She counted herself fortunate to have a beloved aunt and uncle in Superior, Gertie and Howard Nickle, who she stayed with through the school year.
After graduation in 1945, she took the opportunity of a free train ticket to travel to Clearfield Naval Post in Utah. She became a typist of orders for returning soldiers from World War II and attended business school there.
After returning to western Montana, she worked as Deputy County Clerk and Recorder in Missoula. The following year she returned to Superior and worked in the same county office there. On May 1, 1952 she married Edwin Sansom of St. Regis – they were the loves of each other’s lives and lived in Superior for the next 54 years. Together they raised Ed’s daughter Marcia and their two children Edwin H. and Eileen.
Lucille is survived by her son, Ed (Jan) and grandchildren Clarice (Brett) Danner; Quinn (Kimberly), Grace Reike (Michael) all of Oregon; and Thadeus Murray Sansom of Freiburg, Germany; daughter Eileen (Glenn Smith) of Missoula. A son-in-law, Gene Warren of Plains and grandchildren: Julie (Chuck) Gatewood of Superior (great grandchildren Wendy Downing (Britt Allen) and great great grandchildren Jolene and Auto of OR) and grandson Jake Downing (fiancé Dana Woodall) of Coeur D’Alene. Grandson Ron Warren (Deborah) of Plains and great grandchildren Jessie of Kansas and Nicholas of Great Falls; and granddaughter Dori Warren Stulc (Blaine) of Belgrade and great grandchildren Andrew (Bailey) Elliott and Trevor Elliott. She is also survived by a dear cousin, Beverly Bellusci (Al) of Missoula.
Lucille is predeceased by her husband Edwin, step-daughter Marcia Warren, brothers David (Bud) Stringham and Bert Murray.
During their life in Superior, Lucille and Ed took great joy in their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. They enjoyed volunteering to improve the community making it a place that they were proud to call home. Lucille attended Modern Business College in Missoula and passed her Real Estate Broker’s test on the first try, an accomplishment she was very proud of. She sold real estate for 10 years and prior to that worked for the local bank, the draft board, the county extension office, and Mineral Independent where she earned a press pass to the Seattle World’s Fair, making it possible to travel there with Edwin, Ed and Eileen in 1962.
She loved taking trips to visit family, picking huckleberries, fishing, floating the river and enjoying her many dear friends in Superior, and as far as Maui where she visited former neighbors Harry and Linda Van’t Groenewout and family.
Lucille’s sense of humor was well known and truly unique. A failed batch of Christmas cookies that were left outside for the birds were still intact the next spring. Her “second son,” Mike Peters discovered them and teased her about their indestructibility. Thus began an annual Christmas Cookie exchange like none other.
After his derogatory comments, Mike received the petrified, year-old cookie rocks, as a Christmas joke. He picked up the gauntlet and the following Christmas, the cookies were expensively wrapped and placed under the tree for Lucille. This unusual Christmas Story that continued for more than a decade.
They both went to great lengths to make the cookie delivery a surprise. Each was careful to wrap and send the cookies from friends throughout the United States and even Europe in order to shock the other upon opening them.
Lucille detailed the saga in the Mineral Independent. As the Christmas season approached, the question on everyone’s mind was, “Who’s getting the cookies this year?” The cookies eventually disappeared into the ether after their many trips to places near and far.
In the 55th year of their marriage, she and Ed moved to Missoula and lived at Hunter’s Glen Assisted Living until Ed’s passing in August of 2007. Lucille eventually moved to Village Health Care Center where she lived the last nine years of her life. She made many friends there and appreciated the kind care she received.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Superior at the United Methodist Church at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 28th and officiated by Reverend Waveland King. Interment will follow the service at the Superior City Cemetery. A light dinner will follow at the Methodist Church.
Memorials may be made to the Superior United Methodist Church. Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral, Missoula.