April 6, 1913 - March 26, 2012
Dolores was born April 6, 1913, the 7th child of Matt & Mary Zent. She and her four sisters & 2 brothers were raised in Hysham, MT where her father was a wheat farmer and operated a farm implement business. Her mother managed the family’s small dairy and Dolores grew up as the “milk delivery girl.” She delivered milk to many homes in Hysham before school each morning by carrying a 6 bottle container in each hand and running quickly from house to house, including repeat trips back home to replenish her supply. All this running every morning before school honed her athletic abilities and in high school she was a state medalist on the track team and on the state championship girls basketball team.
When she graduated from high school she was honored for having never been tardy or absent from school in 12 years!
After high school, Dolores went to business college and then became Hysham’s telephone operator for several years before marrying Ray Young in 1941. She and Ray owned a grocery store in Miles City and began raising their two their children, Cathy and Mike. They moved to Billings in 1958 and stayed until relocating to Spokane WA in 1982. She was a devoted wife for 58 years, until Ray passed away in 1999, and continued to be a supportive mother and friend to her two children and 6 grandchildren.
Over the years, Dolores became well known among family and friends as a wonderful chef who could stretch a good dinner for 4 into a great dinner for 14 on about 15 minutes notice, using many ingredients which came from her very productive garden. Besides being very talented in the kitchen and garden, she was also a crackerjack bridge player from the time she was quite a young child. However, throughout her life, she was probably most admired for her wonderfully upbeat and cheerful personality. She was always the peacemaker in her large, noisy family, reminding everyone that they would “catch more flies with honey than vinegar!”
Wherever she traveled, whether it was a short visit or a new living community, she always brought with her much laughter, joy and many coffee cans filled with cookies!
In later years, she became known as “Grandma Cookie” to all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren because she always kept a full cookie jar!
Even though she lived with very limited vision for many years, she was nevertheless a person who always viewed the glass as half full and savored life’s gifts each day, always looking forward to good company, a good meal, a “Montana ditch,” warm sunshine, blooming flowers, a bridge or bingo game, visits from family and friends and the laughing voices of grand and great-grandchildren.
She lived at Providence Emilie Court Assisted Living for the last several years where she made many good friends and received superb, compassionate care as her abilities declined. While there, she was Emilie Court’s entrant in the 2009 Celebration of Life competition where she was honored as a finalist for her exceptional humor and spirit.
She is survived by her daughter and son in law, Cathy and Tom Hopkins of Spokane, her son and daughter in law, Mike and Shirley Young, of Great Falls, MT, and by her six grandchildren, Bethany (Patrick) Coupens, Steve (Jaye) Hopkins, Brittany Hopkins, Jeff (Mary) Young, Kevin (Stacia) Young, Tyler Young, and her great-grandchildren, Keenan & Jack Coupens, Mahlie and Conner Young, and Tobin Young.
A Memorial Funeral Mass was held in Spokane on Mar. 30 and she will be buried in the Hysham Cemetery, with a private burial service, at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Treasure County Museum. Print this post
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